We are often asked about “problem” trees on other people’s property and how to deal with them.

Any owner of land (that’s everyone with a garden basically), is responsible for the trees on it, their condition and any damage they may cause. With this in mind, you should make every effort to contact your neighbour, asking them to deal with the problem. However, BEWARE; they are not legally obliged to do so. Our top tip for getting the outcome you want is to be polite and explain your issues to in a friendly manner.

If they refuse to do anything, you are legally entitled to prune it yourself but you can only prune back as far as your boundary. Pruning beyond the boundary or crossing the boundary to carry out pruning is considered trespass.

The vegetation you prune off is still technically the tree owner’s property and you have to offer it back to them, although they do not have to accept it. In the event that the tree owner does not want the vegetation, you would be responsible for its disposal. You are not allowed to simply put the tree material back over the boundary fence into their garden.

Before any work is undertaken, check there is not a Tree Preservation Order on the tree and that it is not in a Conservation Area
We should all regularly inspect trees on our land looking for areas of potential weakness, so that specialist advice may be sought from a tree expert. Remedial work can then be undertaken to reduce any overhanging or dangerous trees.

So if you are worried about any of these issues – give us a call and we will be happy to help on 01277 229709