Property Line Looks Like A Jungle

Living right in the middle of town, most of the neighbors are respectful of one another. That is all except the neighbor who's property joins mine to the east. He has huge trees that hang way over the boundary and the leaves block up the down spouts on my rain gutters. He has all kinds of bushes planted right up against the line also. They hang over on my side so far that it's really hard to mow my lawn. Looks like one solid mass or a jungle as I call it. You have to try and duck under them or get slapped in the face or even worse, stuck with briars while mowing. If you say anything to him about trimming them, he says: not the right time of the year to trim that bush! Or, these trees and bushes were planted long before you bought your house! He did help out a bit with the problem. He moved his landscape timbers about 6" over the line onto my side so his jungle don't appear to hang over quite as far. I thought that was rather nice of him......Grrrrrrr! My small lot is only 1/5 acre. His property is 1 acre. I don't have one single plant on that boundary at all so he can't complain I'm doing the same thing! He does have a long stretch of clothes line on his side about 8 foot away from the line that his wife uses a couple times a week to dry clothes. Perhaps I will plant about 3 trees or so very close to the border. Cherry trees! Does this sound like a plan or what? LOL

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN
Loading thread data ...

You need to take pictures and go to a lawyer and see what they say. You might have a case for him to start cleaning things up and move his landscape timbers back to his side. You might have the legal right to trim his bushes that hang on your side.

What state do you live in?

My small lot

Reply to
Mysterious Traveler

I'd consider myself free to cut anything that hangs over the property line at any time I desire and anything that crosses the line belongs to me.

Try to assert your rights without fighting with him and sometime it's best to sic the authorities on them without getting involved. He may be violating local ordinances by having an overgrown yard.

Reply to
Frank

I live in Pennsylvania. This neighbor is the type of guy that seems to feel that he can do as he pleases when it comes to others BUT he will be the first to tell you or complain if he feels you are doing something against him. It's like: I can step on your toes but don't you dare step on mine! Even if I could, it would cost me a small fortune to hire a tree trimmer to take the limbs off of all his huge trees that overhang my property. This is why I said about planting some cherry trees near his clothes lines. It would sure give me some bargaining power :)

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN

No it probably wouldn't from a growing standpoint. His established Jungle wouldn't give your Cherries a chance. If your gutters are damaged call your homeowners insurance office. MJ

Reply to
mj

Tell your neighbor that he has encroached onto your property, and you would appreciate it he returned his "landscape timbers (?)" to his property, or you'll be forced to have a surveyor mark the property line. Of course this will cost you money, so you will need to go to small claims for reimbursement, for this and any other costs that negotiation may require, like court costs. As Frank said, don't get involved, just feed him to the authorities. If these "landscape timbers (?)" are allowed to remain, he may be entitled to claim that section of your property for himself.

Reply to
Billy

Reducing the value of your property? Sounds like another legal issue, that he can pick up the tab for.

Reply to
Billy

Again, advise him, in advance, that you will hold him responsible for lawyer fees, court costs, and remediation.

Reply to
Billy

Why don't you just prune the growth that crosses over your property line like the rest of the world? Jeez! Hire lawyers! Hire a surveyor! Spend money! Fight! Go on Jerry Springer, why don't you?

Reply to
Pico Rico

Move out of the Jungle and move to the Country. A home in the boondocks with a dozen acres cost about the same as a home in the city with a lot. Taxes will be less but you will pay more for gasoline. Propane cost more than Natural gas. For the gardener, life is better in the country.

Reply to
Nad R

A jug of RoundUp... problem solved.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

The thing is Nad, we like our house and I shouldn't have to move just because of one disrespectful neighbor. Our property line is very clear as it was surveyed and the survey stakes are at each corner. Stretch a line from stake to stake and both myself and the neighbor know where the line is. Yes, I could cut all the bushes that hang over on my side but then it would be up to me to get rid of all the brush which isn't easy living in town and driving a sub compact car. This neighbor has a pickup truck! The point is, I wouldn't do this to him or any other of my neighbors and I don't like it being done to me. I don't care at all what he has planted so long as it remains on his side. I shouldn't have to waste my time or money in any way to solve this problem. And YES, I have plenty of room to plant the cherry trees and I'm sure the birds will have good enough aim to hit the wash on his clothes line! He don't like to use the clothes dryer because he told me it's too expensive to run. The guy saves anything he can get for free. Old busted up plastic flower containers, broken bricks, you name it and he saves it. He is

20 years older than me and I'm 62 so maybe it won't go on too much longer. We lived in our home for 15 years now and he lived in his for 50 years. Perhaps that is why he thinks he owns the neighborhood!

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN

I see, except for one thing. Not just saving money, the outside clothes line does a better job drying clothes on nice warm sunny days. Cherry trees are good also.

Perhaps then recommend to your neighbor to move to the country. Pickup trucks are a necessity in the country.

Reply to
Nad R

If he is 20 years older than you, he is on a fixed income. Give him a chance to keep it by giving him the chance to clean up his mess. If you don't want to do what needs to be done, then shut up.

Reply to
Billy

I agree now that the situation is further clarified. Someone in their

80's does not have the physical capabilities of someone in their 60's and may be a little dingy to boot so allowances should be made.

This situation did not develop overnight and the op should have attacked it in the beginning by trimming when overhang started and had not grown into a jungle.

Reply to
Frank

Well Billy, as far as income goes, I 'm also on a fixed income as I'm retired and living on social security. He is much better off than myself money wise. His home is a big duplex with a rental unit, he has all kinds of investments, social security, big pension from where he worked plus paid medical insurance from that employer also. I have SS and that's it. He's in much better health also. I have asthma, heart problems and can only walk for a few minutes before sitting down awhile. This is why I took up gardening. It's something I can do here at home at my own pace. I can no longer hunt or fish which I loved to do. Think I'll just cut his jungle off that over hangs my side and throw the debris over on his side for him to deal with. ............... Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN

Do you honestly think anyone believes your just now made up fairytale, were it true you'd have offered it way upthread... why do so many on usenet have to behave like they're still acting out their drunken one upmanship BS like when they're still sucking down cheap suds at their favorite watering hole. Btw, the EPA is Federal:

formatting link

Homeowners have a right to eliminate whatever grows over their property line, unless restricted by laws governing wetlands, etc. This is a perfect case of wussiness, the OP had a spine, after requesting cooperation from the neighbor and being greeted with hardnosed refusal, he'd be out there trimming the offending growth and tossing it whence it came, the neighbor's side. Every municipality in the US has laws governing property line encroachment and set backs... the information for each particular community is very likely on line (county by county and state by state) and certainly available at the town clerk's office. Everywhere I've ever lived one could not legally plant anything or erect any structure (including fences) within so many feet of the property lines. However people ignore property line laws (same as all laws) all the time but that in no way alters neighbor's rights. Many times neighbors agree to erect a fence or grow a hedge right on the property line and that works so long as one or the other doesn't sell. In this present case I'm positive that the answer to the over growth question is readily available for free by a simple phone call to the town clerk/town attorney. A homeowner would be embarassed to ask such a question in public, makes me doubt the OP is the property owner, more a question posed by a tenant.

Reply to
Brooklyn1

Not defending the fairytale, but there are state epa's

formatting link

Reply to
jellybean stonerfish

Why do you accuse him of lieing or of being a boozer? I don't see a problem with anything he says.

I've heard a story about someone poisoning a neighbour's trees and then getting into trouble for it but there was no point in my mentioning it since I don't live in the US and your laws might be different.

But there are at least one example of someone getting in trouble for poisoning a tree in the US:

formatting link
Homeowners have a right to eliminate whatever grows over their

Well there's a difference. Here anyone would be in deep doodoo if they poisoned the roots of a neighbour's tree and killed the tree if those roots were the only part of the tree that was on their land.

This

There's another difference. The trees could be trimmed right to the fence line but not an inch further but the trimmings could not be tossed back on the neighbour's side without agreement form the neighbour. Where there are tree preservation orders the pruning may not even be allowed to be done, or if it is, it may need to be done by an arborist to ensure it's done properly.

Every municipality in the US

There's another difference. Plants aren't structures and so there is no restriction on where they can be planted on one's own property and if a tree grows so that it's trucnk is on the boundary line, it becomes a joint responsibility regardless of who planted it.

However people ignore property line

Why would a Homeowner be embarrassed? Homeowners do all sorts of things including painting their house weird colours, having appalling taste in architecture, in landscaping and plantings and furnishings. Just because you wouldn't ask a particular question in public doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't.

Reply to
FarmI

I think it's me he may be calling names.......LOL I better own my property and not just be a tenant because I been paying property taxes for the past 15 years. As far as drinking goes, well yea I do get a tad bit drunk every once in awhile :) As for Mr. Brooklyn, well it's getting pretty cold out now so I would advise he stay indoors. The squirrels are out gathering NUTS for the winter and I'd sure hate to see him disappear from this fine group. It's always good to keep a chap around like him for entertainment purposes if nothing else! hehehehe!!!

Rich

Reply to
EVP MAN

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.