Neighbor Problem

One of my neighbors has a giant maple tree overhanging my side yard. At 72 years young, I still mow my own grass. I keep my own trees trimmed so I don't have to do the duck & weave while mowing. I asked my neighbor if he would mind if I trimmed his tree because of the obstacle it creates. It's not like I'm going to be climbing on a ladder to trim this thing, but just so it doesn't smack my glasses off. The young man let go with some four letter words, with finishing he will sue me if I touch his tree. What happened to the country we used to live in? Do I have to put up with this?

Reply to
Smitty Reeves
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The law in this part of the world allows you to cut off any branches that overhang your property, providing that you don't offend tree prerservation orders. The owner of the tree retains ownership of anything that you cut off including fruit. That means the cut branches go back over the fence.

Check your local laws first and good luck. Sounds like you have a pretty rotten neighbour.

Reply to
Avery

Reply to
RBM

Hi, Your neighbor is WRONG. Sounds like you're nice guy. Tony

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Well, whatever you do, don't accidentally spill a large quantity of potent herbicide on your property under the drip line of the tree.

Seriously, trim away. Heck with the punk next door.

Reply to
JRanieri

Greetings,

Do you have a pre-existing feud with this guy? Normally people don't cuss at someone who politely asks to trim a tree crossing the property line. Even if there is something you aren't telling us I am going to help you out as best I can because you are on the alt.home.repair forum and your neighbor isn't.

Here is how I would handle the problem. I would send my neighbor a written request by certified mail to cut the grass under the tree on your side of the yard since he "will sue you" if you "touch the tree." I would allow the grass (only under the tree) to grow until it is considered a nuisance according to the city regulations. Then your other neighbor who you are on good terms with can complain to the city and they can write you a citation. You can then go into court with the citation and a copy of your letter and subpoena your neighbor. Explain to the judge that you are unable to cut the grass under the tree any longer, offered to trim the tree, and offered to allow your neighbor to maintain the grass under the tree. What more could you do? The judge my ask your neighbor to allow you to cut the tree, tell your neighbor he has no right (if he doesn't) or even reassign the citation to your neighbor since you would have cut he grass had the neighbor not scared you out of it with all the cussing.

Hope this helps, William

Reply to
William.Deans

Hey Smitty. As the saying goes, don't wrestle with pigs, you'll only get dirty and the pig likes it! Whenever I run into such a person who is so tremendously rude for no apparent reason, I figure their homelife must be pretty miserable and they feel compelled to take it out on someone else.

Local statutes may very but the rule of thumb is that you may trim branches overhanging your property as long as you don't trespass and as long as you don't damage the tree. A trim to clear branches to mow your lawn unimpeded isn't damaging the tree. Lopping off all the branches on your side to make a point, and killing the tree some months down the road, is.

This web page gives a pretty good overview of the issues if you want to read up on it.

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For a little levity on the same topic read this reply from the _moderator_ of a legal newsgroup. Be forewarned, if you read the whole thing you'll probably get a headache!
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R

Reply to
RicodJour

x-no-archive: yes

You could always decorate the branches that are hanging over with beer cans, nice and high so he can see them. I am sure after a few months of seing this mess, he might get the point and trim them for you ;-)

Reply to
none

How is pissing on the neighbor's shoes going to help things? It could backfire as well. If such a letter was sent, and the neighbor agrees to mow the lawn under the tree (already questionable character), Smitty has now created a situation that is worse than before. He's given permission for the neighbor to come onto his property on a regular basis and maintain it.

Having to use a neighbor to collaborate against another neighbor, having people subpoenaed and wasting time and money in the judicial system is not the way to go about this...unless you want to inflame things and piss everyone off and become the neighborhood pariah.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

I had a couple of neighbors arguing about trees and shrubs growing over each others property lines. The city code enforcement came out and settled it for them. Then the city girl saw my avocado tree growing over one of the neighbors' yard. So she knocked on my door. She told me that I had to clear what was over the property line. I told her that I thought it was the neighbors responsibility to clear the tree. Nope! My responsibility. So I cut it straight up the property line. Didn't look so good. Besides, the local power company had been topping it every two years and it hadn't given me any fruit for the last 8 years or so. So I cut it down completely. No more problem! That's in my city. Your mileage may vary.

Reply to
Mark and Kim Smith

It's a lot easier to spray Roundup on the leaves ovewrhanging your property.

Reply to
Nick Hull

Greetings,

I don't like the current legal system. I hate it. However, we are forced to work within the system which is provided. I don't like my taxes either and think the government should spend much less -- but I pay them. It only takes one of the two sides to force the legal route. The neighbor is going to take him to court if he touches the tree. If he is sure the neighbor is bluffing he would have just cut the tree and been done with it. My suggestion allows the case to be brought in front of a judge without anyone suing anyone. The worst that could happen is someone is required to pay a small fine for letting the grass grow 1/4" too high.

I don't care if my neighbor comes an extra 5 feet into the edge of my yard with a running lawnmower to cut my grass under his tree. The neighbor doesn't have permission to be on the property otherwise or in other areas not under the tree. I also don't think that the neighbor would take him up on the offer. If he did, who cares, let him cut the grass under the tree. Problem solved.

Hope this helps, William

Reply to
William.Deans

This is Turtle.

Well me i would just cut them and tell him to bite me if he said anything.

well if you wanted to , you could invite a few mean ass types over to be around in the yard while you cut them and he will keep his mouth shut. You can check with any bar in town owner to see about getting 3 or 4 bad asses for a few hours to come over while you cut the limbs. Find out what they drink and have a good amount of it.

Tell me where you live at and i can send a few People over to have a drink with you while you cut the limbs. I live in south Louisiana.

Anything like a low limbs like that can put your eye out and i would cut them because of them being a danger for me and others.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

Not such a bad idea. I'd get out the chain saw, but I'd also take some steps in case of retaliation. You may want to tell the story to the police, check to be sure you can cut them (I'm 99.99% sure, but I'm not a lawyer) and tell them when you are going to do so.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Are the branches overhanging (or partially overhanging) a public walkway endangering people walking under it? If so, call the county inspector. In a lot of municipalities the owner of any such tree can be cited and made to trim it.

Reply to
Dee

This is Turtle.

Here is one to add to it. You tell him well i had to cut the limb because i was putting up a metal portable carport to park my truck under and the limbs were in the way.

Also I forgot one thing here. i got into falling trees in a hurrican and here is Louisiana if a tree falls from the next door neighbor and lands in your yard. the person's yard that the tree landed in is responciable to clean it up. Now here comes the part to fit here.

If a tree is on your neighbors land and limb stick over to on your land. You are responciable to trim and maintain any part of the tree that is over or on your land. You can trim or do as you please with any bush or tree that is hanging on or above your land. Now for leaves falling off it. You can cut the limb on your side but you have to let the leaves fall as they please from any limbs on the other fellows land.

TURTLE

P.S. I would still tell him to just Bite Me and cut them.

Reply to
TURTLE

I would just cut them branches with no fanfare at all.....

And then when he comes over to bitch about it, I'd tell him to get the hell offa my property and when he don't leave immediately call in the cops on him for tresspass.

Reply to
PrecisionMachinisT

In alt.home.repair on 17 Jun 2005 20:46:47 EDT Mark and Kim Smith posted:

I think maybe it is your responsibility, but you only have to do that if the neighbor wants you to. I presume that the neighbor told the city girl he wanted that.

Meirman

-- If emailing, please let me know whether or not you are posting the same letter. Change domain to erols.com, if necessary.

Reply to
meirman

In alt.home.repair on Fri, 17 Jun 2005 23:10:40 -0500 "TURTLE" posted:

You still use French law, though, don't you? Seriously.

I don't know French law, but if you have to clean up the mess, you probably get to keep the wood. In British law, the baron or whoever owned the land got a share of all the crops and fruit that his tenant farmers, or serfs, or whatever sold. But if the wind knocked over a tree, the tenant got to keep *all* the money he got for it. That's why it's called a windfall.

Meirman

-- If emailing, please let me know whether or not you are posting the same letter. Change domain to erols.com, if necessary.

Reply to
meirman

In alt.home.repair on 17 Jun 2005 17:31:08 -0700 "RicodJour" posted:

Best advice I've read.

WRT other posts, even if it is true that the neighbor continues to own the limbs and the fruit, since there is no valuable fruit from a maple tree, I wouldn't put the branches back on his land until he asks for them. :) Otherwise, it's like adding insult to injury.

If I thought the guy might really get angry, I might call the local cops in advance and find some sergeant or higher to suggest how to go about it. Get his name and the date and time you called.

I'd put the branches where he won't see them and he probably won't even notice that it's been trimmed.

It's good that he only threatened to sue you. Once he starts to do that, he'll learn he has no case, especially for limbs that aren't even 6 feet off the ground.

Meirman

-- If emailing, please let me know whether or not you are posting the same letter. Change domain to erols.com, if necessary.

Reply to
meirman

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