Property Line Looks Like A Jungle

[Frank]

Not exactly the same situation but I have a neighbor your age that's in about the same physical situation but still works. His back grows completely wild. I'm older and retired but in better shape and have no problem with this as I have bushes and trees on my side and just trim as necessary. We get along fine. A few years ago he had a tree fall into my back yard in the winter and I called and told them since they probably could not see it from the house. They got a son to remove it and I discovered later that they probably did not have to do this as it was an act of God on my property. Point is you don't want to fight with neighbor. Maybe he'll loan you truck to cart of debris.

[EVP MAN]

Your right Frank, I don't want to fight with the neighbor by any means. I like him and his wife and do them favors all the time which I'm glad I can do. The only thing I don't like is the fact that they can see how their bushes overgrow my property and it doesn't mean a thing to them. If I had one single bush that was overgrowing their side, they would be over at my house in a hurry and ask me to trim it. Their bushes also overgrow my nice new concrete driveway and rub the sides of our vehicles. My car doesn't even have 3,000 miles on it yet so you can see where this doesn't make me real happy.

Rich

[Frank]

I think it is legal to prune anything on your side even if it ruins the bush or the tree. I would certainly do this to protect my car. Don't think neighbor can dispute this. This is also the perfect time of year for pruning practically everything.

[Billy]

I'm no shister, but it seems as if you are being deprived of the use of part of your property. Shade from his trees may also be reducing your property value. If he has breached clearly marked property lines, he needs to retreat to his own property. His behavior may be judged as elder abuse as well, since you seem to be in a vulnerable situation. What will you do when you can no longer trim his plants, yourself, incur the expense to hire a gardener? You need to have a talk with your neighbor, right after you talk to legal aid (first half hour should be free). The idea is to be friendly, while regretting to your neighbor, that he will have to pick up your court and lawyer costs, if an equitable solution can't be arrived at. Don't enter into an argument, keep it strictly on a financial basis.

Are you sure that you have asthma? An enlarged heart can mimic asthma, and treating it as asthma can kill you. Just another little chagrin in the end game:o( Heart failure can be treated, almost to the point of being cured (as long as you keep taking your pills).

[Billy]

As I said, I'm no shister, so I recommended that Rich talk to legal aid to find out the rules of the game first, before talking to his neighbor. Legal aid often comes free for the first 1/2 hour. At a minimum, the neighbor is off base with his landscape timbers.