At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
When we moved in two years ago it was already a little higher than I'd
have liked, and we've not had time to do anything about it up till now;
the neighbours to the side of us also told us that the people on the
other side of the hedge had argued with the previous owner about the
hedge, which made us chary of approaching them about it. Recently we've
had more time, but the hedge is now too high for us to feel comfortable
cutting ourselves, and so I'd be looking to get a professional in to cut
it.

Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I quickly
get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait an
unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour will be
amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?

Rhiannon

Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
When we moved in two years ago it was already a little higher than I'd
have liked, and we've not had time to do anything about it up till
now; the neighbours to the side of us also told us that the people on
the other side of the hedge had argued with the previous owner about
the hedge, which made us chary of approaching them about it.
Recently we've had more time, but the hedge is now too high for us to
feel comfortable cutting ourselves, and so I'd be looking to get a
professional in to cut it.

Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I quickly
get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait an
unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour will be
amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?

Rhiannon

who owns the hedge?

pk

p.k. wrote:
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
[...]
Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I
quickly get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait
an unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour
will be amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?

Rhiannon

who owns the hedge?

My question, too. Oh, dear. If Rhiannon owns it, then she can do what
she likes, but it may perhaps save a bit of hassle if she does it now.
If you don't own it, I'd suggest getting it sympathetically trimmed
right away: new owners next door can't complain at routine maintenance.
BUT, if you don't own it, beware of being lumbered with a ?Leylandii
hedge which has been cut back too far on your side, but which you can't
remove altogether: I inherited that situation once, and rued the day,
because it looked horrible and was never going to get any better. Sadly,
it looked lovely on the neighbours' side!

--
Mike.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Mike Lyle wrote:
p.k. wrote:
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type
hedge.

who owns the hedge?

My question, too. Oh, dear. If Rhiannon owns it, then she can do what
she likes, but it may perhaps save a bit of hassle if she does it now.
If you don't own it, I'd suggest getting it sympathetically trimmed
right away: new owners next door can't complain at routine
maintenance.

According to the deeds I have, we have 'sole responsibility' for
maintaining that particular boundary, which I assume means that it's
ours. However, whether the new neighbours know this is another matter…

It sounds like, if I'm doing things before the neighbours move in, then
I'm best off getting done what I planned to ask permission for, which
was to cut it down to slightly below the level it was at when we moved
in: this would take it down to about six or seven feet.

I'd still ideally like to get it taken out altogether (and replaced with
a low fence or a pretty hedge), but I don't want to pay the tree
surgeons twice (once to cut and once to take out). I might therefore
wait until the neighbours move in and talk it over with them, and see if
they're amenable to a change in boundary.

Rhiannon

Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
Mike Lyle wrote:
p.k. wrote:
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type
hedge.

who owns the hedge?

My question, too. Oh, dear. If Rhiannon owns it, then she can do what
she likes, but it may perhaps save a bit of hassle if she does it
now. If you don't own it, I'd suggest getting it sympathetically
trimmed right away: new owners next door can't complain at routine
maintenance.

According to the deeds I have, we have 'sole responsibility' for
maintaining that particular boundary, which I assume means that it's
ours. However, whether the new neighbours know this is another
matter.
snip

You may be responsible for the boundary, but the trees may still be on your
neighbours land.
Don't your deeds give any clue as to where the boundary is? A specific
distance from house wall? In a continuing straight line from your next door
neighbours? Frankly, until you establish ownership, I wouldn't touch them.
Have a look here............
http://www.together.gov.uk/category.asp?c=132
and the links on that page
--
ßôyþëtë
London, UK

BoyPete wrote:
Don't your deeds give any clue as to where the boundary is? A specific
distance from house wall?

There's the length of each boundary of the land, and that's it, so I
suppose I could measure the east and west boundaries and work out where
the south boundary lies from that… However I think it sounds like it
would be best to wait until the new neighbours move in.

Rhiannon

On 3/4/07 18:19, in article , "Rhiannon
Macfie Miller" wrote:

Mike Lyle wrote:
p.k. wrote:
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type
hedge.

who owns the hedge?

My question, too. Oh, dear. If Rhiannon owns it, then she can do what
she likes, but it may perhaps save a bit of hassle if she does it now.
If you don't own it, I'd suggest getting it sympathetically trimmed
right away: new owners next door can't complain at routine
maintenance.

According to the deeds I have, we have 'sole responsibility' for
maintaining that particular boundary, which I assume means that it's
ours. However, whether the new neighbours know this is another matterŠ

If it's yours, you can do what you like, as long as you don't harm your
neighbour's property. They might prefer the mess to be out of the way
*before* they move in! Perhaps you could ask the estate agents either to
inform them of what you're planning or for their contact address so that you
can tell them yourself.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

In article ,
Sacha writes:
| On 3/4/07 18:19, in article , "Rhiannon
| Macfie Miller" wrote:
|
| According to the deeds I have, we have 'sole responsibility' for
| maintaining that particular boundary, which I assume means that it's
| ours. However, whether the new neighbours know this is another matterŠ
|
| If it's yours, you can do what you like, as long as you don't harm your
| neighbour's property. They might prefer the mess to be out of the way
| *before* they move in! Perhaps you could ask the estate agents either to
| inform them of what you're planning or for their contact address so that you
| can tell them yourself.

But that condition is only HALF the story - the hedge must also have
been planted on the owner's property, and not under an arrangement with
the other people. It is common for property A to have sole responsibility
for a boundary, but the actual hedge to have been planted by the owners of
and on property B and the boundary described in the deeds not to exist as
a construction any longer.

So, IF the deeds say that AND it is on your property, any reasonable
person would assume that it is yours, in the absence of other evidence.
And then I would just go ahead. But DO check where it is planted first!


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Apr 3, 6:19 pm, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
I'd still ideally like to get it taken out altogether (and replaced with
a low fence or a pretty hedge), but I don't want to pay the tree
surgeons twice (once to cut and once to take out). I might therefore
wait until the neighbours move in and talk it over with them, and see if
they're amenable to a change in boundary.

You don't need to pay tree surgeons to take out six foot high
lleylandii. It's a quite easy DIY job. Trimming a 20 foot hedge back
to six foot is a rather different exercise, and while I might try it,
I can see the arguments in favour of paying a tree surgeon.

I would get it trimmed to 6' now (not 6-7, you want room for it to
grow up a bit, and 6' is /much/ easier to trim with a hedge trimmer
and step ladder).

To remove the 6' stumps,
1. Use a bow saw to cut off side branches.
2. Dig around the base, use a hand axe to cut roots, and use the
trunk as a lever to expose the next root to cut.
Do NOT cut the trunk down near ground level - you'll never get the
stump out.

"p.k." wrote in message
...
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
When we moved in two years ago it was already a little higher than I'd
have liked, and we've not had time to do anything about it up till
now; the neighbours to the side of us also told us that the people on
the other side of the hedge had argued with the previous owner about
the hedge, which made us chary of approaching them about it.
Recently we've had more time, but the hedge is now too high for us to
feel comfortable cutting ourselves, and so I'd be looking to get a
professional in to cut it.

Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I quickly
get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait an
unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour will be
amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?

Rhiannon

who owns the hedge?

Does it matter?

If it were on my boundary and was being an obstruction, I'd cut the bloody
thing down.

Alan


pk

On Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:45:31 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
wrote:


"p.k." wrote in message
...
Rhiannon Macfie Miller wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
When we moved in two years ago it was already a little higher than I'd
have liked, and we've not had time to do anything about it up till
now; the neighbours to the side of us also told us that the people on
the other side of the hedge had argued with the previous owner about
the hedge, which made us chary of approaching them about it.
Recently we've had more time, but the hedge is now too high for us to
feel comfortable cutting ourselves, and so I'd be looking to get a
professional in to cut it.

Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I quickly
get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait an
unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour will be
amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?

Rhiannon

who owns the hedge?

Does it matter?

If it were on my boundary and was being an obstruction, I'd cut the bloody
thing down.

Wrong. If you entered my property intent on criminal damage I'd cut
YOU down. And you'd never do it again.

On Apr 2, 7:00 pm, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
When we moved in two years ago it was already a little higher than I'd
have liked, and we've not had time to do anything about it up till now;
the neighbours to the side of us also told us that the people on the
other side of the hedge had argued with the previous owner about the
hedge, which made us chary of approaching them about it. Recently we've
had more time, but the hedge is now too high for us to feel comfortable
cutting ourselves, and so I'd be looking to get a professional in to cut
it.

Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I quickly
get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait an
unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour will be
amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?

Rhiannon

I asked a friend tonight who came to supper, he is a lawyer, he says
you can reduce the height of the hedge now to 6 feet (or was that 2
metres).

JudithL

" writes
On Apr 2, 7:00 pm, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
When we moved in two years ago it was already a little higher than I'd
have liked, and we've not had time to do anything about it up till now;
the neighbours to the side of us also told us that the people on the
other side of the hedge had argued with the previous owner about the
hedge, which made us chary of approaching them about it. Recently we've
had more time, but the hedge is now too high for us to feel comfortable
cutting ourselves, and so I'd be looking to get a professional in to cut
it.

Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I quickly
get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait an
unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour will be
amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?


I asked a friend tonight who came to supper, he is a lawyer, he says
you can reduce the height of the hedge now to 6 feet (or was that 2
metres).

Isn't the question of whose hedge it is relevant? If it's the
neighbour's hedge, then I'd be surprised if she could legally cut it
down (although whether anyone would notice in the middle of a house sale
is a moot point), though she'd still have the usual right to chop back
anything overhanging her side.

If it's jointly owned she ought to wait till she can consult.

If it's her hedge, then the neighbour can invoke the high hedges
legislation and ask for it to be cut back.

But is your legal friend saying that there's a minimum height below
which it can't be cut? Surely not? By comparison, just because I own the
fence between me and my neighbour doesn't mean I have to make it 6ft
tall, or keep it there indefinitely?
--
Kay

On Apr 2, 10:22 pm, K wrote:
" writes



On Apr 2, 7:00 pm, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
When we moved in two years ago it was already a little higher than I'd
have liked, and we've not had time to do anything about it up till now;
the neighbours to the side of us also told us that the people on the
other side of the hedge had argued with the previous owner about the
hedge, which made us chary of approaching them about it. Recently we've
had more time, but the hedge is now too high for us to feel comfortable
cutting ourselves, and so I'd be looking to get a professional in to cut
it.

Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I quickly
get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait an
unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour will be
amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?

I asked a friend tonight who came to supper, he is a lawyer, he says
you can reduce the height of the hedge now to 6 feet (or was that 2
metres).

Isn't the question of whose hedge it is relevant? If it's the
neighbour's hedge, then I'd be surprised if she could legally cut it
down (although whether anyone would notice in the middle of a house sale
is a moot point), though she'd still have the usual right to chop back
anything overhanging her side.

If it's jointly owned she ought to wait till she can consult.

If it's her hedge, then the neighbour can invoke the high hedges
legislation and ask for it to be cut back.

But is your legal friend saying that there's a minimum height below
which it can't be cut? Surely not?

No, not at all Kay, my friend said that the hedge had to be kept to
2 metres if it was taking her light, I should have read it more
carefully before I answered.

Judith

On 2 Apr 2007 14:43:26 -0700, "
wrote:

On Apr 2, 10:22 pm, K wrote:
" writes



On Apr 2, 7:00 pm, Rhiannon Macfie Miller
wrote:
At the bottom of my garden (the south end) is a Leylandii-type hedge.
When we moved in two years ago it was already a little higher than I'd
have liked, and we've not had time to do anything about it up till now;
the neighbours to the side of us also told us that the people on the
other side of the hedge had argued with the previous owner about the
hedge, which made us chary of approaching them about it. Recently we've
had more time, but the hedge is now too high for us to feel comfortable
cutting ourselves, and so I'd be looking to get a professional in to cut
it.

Finally, today, I went round to the house to ask permission to reduce
the height of the hedge. There was nobody there, and no furniture
visible through the windows either. Further investigation on the net
revealed that the house has recently been listed for sale, and has
therefore presumably just been sold. So, my question is: do I quickly
get the hedge cut before someone moves in, or should I wait an
unspecified amount of time in the hope that the new neighbour will be
amenable to a lower chop or complete removal of the hedge?

I asked a friend tonight who came to supper, he is a lawyer, he says
you can reduce the height of the hedge now to 6 feet (or was that 2
metres).

Isn't the question of whose hedge it is relevant? If it's the
neighbour's hedge, then I'd be surprised if she could legally cut it
down (although whether anyone would notice in the middle of a house sale
is a moot point), though she'd still have the usual right to chop back
anything overhanging her side.

If it's jointly owned she ought to wait till she can consult.

If it's her hedge, then the neighbour can invoke the high hedges
legislation and ask for it to be cut back.

But is your legal friend saying that there's a minimum height below
which it can't be cut? Surely not?

No, not at all Kay, my friend said that the hedge had to be kept to
2 metres if it was taking her light, I should have read it more
carefully before I answered.

You either:

a) Don't really have a friend who's a lawyer

or

b) Have a friend who is a lawyer who doesn't know what they're talking
about.

Which one is it?