A new neighborhood was built behind my property on what was
a farm. One of the new neighbor's adjoining my property
planted a row of Leyland Cypress trees just two feet inside
his property line. I planted a row of them ten feet from the
three lines so I will be able to mow around them when they
mature. The neighbor's trees are going to grow over the line
by several feet, restricting my mowing. I am seventy years
old with some health issues and I don't feel that I will be
able to, or should have to, keep his trees trimmed. I talked
to him about the situation and he said he is planning to
keep them trimmed, which I don't think is going to happen.
Any ideas on what can I do to get him to move the trees?

Thanks.

Frank

"Frank K." wrote in message
...
A new neighborhood was built behind my property on what was
a farm. One of the new neighbor's adjoining my property
planted a row of Leyland Cypress trees just two feet inside
his property line. I planted a row of them ten feet from the
three lines so I will be able to mow around them when they
mature. The neighbor's trees are going to grow over the line
by several feet, restricting my mowing. I am seventy years
old with some health issues and I don't feel that I will be
able to, or should have to, keep his trees trimmed. I talked
to him about the situation and he said he is planning to
keep them trimmed, which I don't think is going to happen.
Any ideas on what can I do to get him to move the trees?

There's probably nothing you can do to compel him to move the trees. Any
plant that encroaches on to your property, you are allowed to trim however
you see fit. If you apply any chemical which would kill the trees, you
could be liable for the cost of their replacement. What you can do is tell
your neighbor that when the trees do encroach on your property, you are
going to give him one chance to trim them, then you are going to hire a tree
service to trim then and you are going to send him the bill. If he tells
you he won't pay it, tell him you'll be more than happy to let a judge
decide in small claims court.

Frank K. left a note on my windscreen which said:

A new neighborhood was built behind my property on what was
a farm. One of the new neighbor's adjoining my property
planted a row of Leyland Cypress trees just two feet inside
his property line. I planted a row of them ten feet from the
three lines so I will be able to mow around them when they
mature. The neighbor's trees are going to grow over the line
by several feet, restricting my mowing. I am seventy years
old with some health issues and I don't feel that I will be
able to, or should have to, keep his trees trimmed. I talked
to him about the situation and he said he is planning to
keep them trimmed, which I don't think is going to happen.
Any ideas on what can I do to get him to move the trees?

Here in the UK you are entitled to trim anything overhanging your
property line - it is a legal requirement, however, that you give the
cuttings to the owner of the tree afterwards.

I would give him fair chance to trim the trees for you. It is far
better to settle anything like this in a friendly manner before
resorting to more threatening behaviour.

If nothing gets done then possibly seek more sound legal advice than you
may find here on a newsgroup. You will probably find that you are
within your rights to hire someone to trim the trees and present the
bill to your neighbour, providing you gave your neighbour a reasonable
amount of time to do the job. But don't take my word for it - seek
legal advice if you cannot settle the matter amicably.
--
Stoneskin

[Insert sig text here]

Stoneskin wrote in message et...
Frank K. left a note on my windscreen which said:

A new neighborhood was built behind my property on what was
a farm. One of the new neighbor's adjoining my property
planted a row of Leyland Cypress trees just two feet inside
his property line. I planted a row of them ten feet from the
three lines so I will be able to mow around them when they
mature. The neighbor's trees are going to grow over the line
by several feet, restricting my mowing. I am seventy years
old with some health issues and I don't feel that I will be
able to, or should have to, keep his trees trimmed. I talked
to him about the situation and he said he is planning to
keep them trimmed, which I don't think is going to happen.
Any ideas on what can I do to get him to move the trees?

Here in the UK you are entitled to trim anything overhanging your
property line - it is a legal requirement, however, that you give the
cuttings to the owner of the tree afterwards.

I would give him fair chance to trim the trees for you. It is far
better to settle anything like this in a friendly manner before
resorting to more threatening behaviour.

If nothing gets done then possibly seek more sound legal advice than you
may find here on a newsgroup. You will probably find that you are
within your rights to hire someone to trim the trees and present the
bill to your neighbour, providing you gave your neighbour a reasonable
amount of time to do the job. But don't take my word for it - seek
legal advice if you cannot settle the matter amicably.


In a situation like this in the US, in general, you can trim tree
growth overhanging into your airspace, but there is no legal
obligation for the neighbor to pay for it.

Unless the OP has a small lot, which I didn't get the impression was
the case, I don't see what the real problem is. He gets a nice
privacy screen between the properties, paid for by the neighbor, with
less than half the tree width winding up on his property. Sounds like
an already amicable solution. Though, if I were the neighbor, I might
have talked to the OP first, to discuss what I was planning to do.

Frank K. wrote:
A new neighborhood was built behind my property on what was
a farm. One of the new neighbor's adjoining my property
planted a row of Leyland Cypress trees just two feet inside
his property line. I planted a row of them ten feet from the
three lines so I will be able to mow around them when they
mature. The neighbor's trees are going to grow over the line
by several feet, restricting my mowing. I am seventy years
old with some health issues and I don't feel that I will be
able to, or should have to, keep his trees trimmed. I talked
to him about the situation and he said he is planning to
keep them trimmed, which I don't think is going to happen.
Any ideas on what can I do to get him to move the trees?

Thanks.

Frank

Does your municipality or county have property line easements on which
you aren't supposed to plant trees or erect anything?

Are there overhead or buried utility lines along the rear property line?

"Doug G" wrote in message
...

Does your municipality or county have property line
easements on which
you aren't supposed to plant trees or erect anything?

Are there overhead or buried utility lines along the rear
property line?


Good thought. I will check with the county. I do know there
is a prescribed measurement from a property line in which
you cannot build. Not sure how it applies to vegetation.