My Neighbour cut my hedge/plants down to fence level whilst away on holiday

2468lilac

Whilst away on holiday my neighbour cut my plants which were around 18inches above the fence down to fence level, it was not overhanging her property in any way, this is not the first time she has reached over my fence to cut a branch off a shrub which was not high or hanging over her fence.  What can i do about this she is a very unpleasant woman who makes unpleasant snappy comments and tries to intimidate you if you try to discuss this with her.

FlorayG

Write her a letter stating that this is criminal damage and if she does it again you will involve the police. The police probably won't actually DO anything, but they might visit and 'have a word' with her
Just curious, what did she do with the clippings? Years ago I had a neighbour who was a neat freak, she would cut my hedge but also clear up after herself

Grumpy_chap

2468lilac said:

Whilst away on holiday my neighbour cut my plants which were around 18inches above the fence down to fence level, it was not overhanging her property in any way, this is not the first time she has reached over my fence to cut a branch off a shrub which was not high or hanging over her fence.  What can i do about this she is a very unpleasant woman who makes unpleasant snappy comments and tries to intimidate you if you try to discuss this with her.

How tall is the fence?
Is this fence fronting the highway or between the two properties?
Are there any covenants restricting the height of boundary fence / hedge?

FlorayG

Grumpy_chap said:

2468lilac said:

Whilst away on holiday my neighbour cut my plants which were around 18inches above the fence down to fence level, it was not overhanging her property in any way, this is not the first time she has reached over my fence to cut a branch off a shrub which was not high or hanging over her fence.  What can i do about this she is a very unpleasant woman who makes unpleasant snappy comments and tries to intimidate you if you try to discuss this with her.

How tall is the fence?
Is this fence fronting the highway or between the two properties?
Are there any covenants restricting the height of boundary fence / hedge?

I don't think any of these questions are relevant. Even if the OPs fence is breaching restrictions, the neighbour has no right to take matters into her own hands, she should report OP to the relevant authority

twopenny

It's not a nice thing to find and would make you mad.

However if you use some lateral thinking and smile broadly at her and say 'thank you for trimming my hedge, that's helped enormously' and leave it at that - if she's doing it to annoy you that will really undo her idea and she won't do it again.

The other option is that she has an overwhealming need for preciseness and has to line everything up which would be sad.

I agree that if it's ongoing then write to her saying you are going to report it and see if someone will have a word.

Slinky

Sounds like our old neighbours. We used to get on well, then they started hacking at the back of my bushes when I was out, they ended up a very odd shape. I told them not to, but they did it anyway. Didn't escalate it as we knew we were going to move. Not sorry to never see them again.

twopenny

This sort of thing defeats me! I wouldn't dream of taking such a liberty and even consult my neighbours if my plants are annoying them. Offer to go round and prune if necessary but they are very easy going about it.

I had a neighbour who would do nothing about the 6ft of brambles coming my way, ivy growing up her wall into my rafters or killing my plants.

I did tell her that I was going to have to poison it and then it took her 5mins to cut down - leaving me with damaged paintwork when it died.

How do people live with themselves?

Dustyevsky

Your neighbour is offended by something you've done, which the hedge is a proxy for. The neighbour cannot change or affect this other thing, so they've taken a measure of control over the hedge because it sits by the boundary. If you challenge them, they will invent facts to justify this action, such as, “It's impossible to determine a boundary exactly to within 40cm. Some of the hedge is on my land." It doesn't matter what the real situation is, they will have a reason for what they did that works for them.

That's how the neighbour lives with themselves. They probably have many other weird constructs governing their behaviour with other neighbours, at work, and within their family. The world isn't the way they think it should be, so this is their coping mechanism.

What to do? Firstly, be glad you are not that person. Secondly, be vigilant. While it can sometimes be best not to show great displeasure, or overreact, someone who takes liberties may well seek to take more. If they do, be ready to draw a line in the sand.