# Formerly polite neighbor now makes unreasonable demands. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 4, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428 "2007-08-04T17:39:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/41 "2007-08-06T16:23:54Z")
[QUOTE=Solfy] Five years ago the house we just bought was on the market. The absentee owner’s realtor hired some guy to cut down all the trees around the house. ALL the trees. My new neighbors still get visibly upset when they relate how they had to run out and stop the guy. According to them he wasn’t even an arborist of any type - just some guy with a chainsaw and a mission. [/QUOTE] Bwuh? I presume the guy with the chainsaw was hired to settle a defect found in a home inspection, and the neighbors on _THEIR_ own effort stopped the corrective action? I’d be all over the neighbors, the absentee seller, and his agent like ugly on a gorilla if that’s the case. On second reading, I see you’re not the buyer in that case, but my reaction still stands regarding that kind of interference. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/42 "2007-08-06T16:24:28Z")
Of course, there are two sides to every debate. The other point of view goes like this: \*My neighbour has a big tree that is blocking the light on my property. I asked politely if he would consider cutting it down, but he just told me where to go. \* Disputes like this are fairly common, especially over leylandii. Here’s a few examples of people with that sort of problem on other forums: [http://www.rhs.org.uk/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=11522](http://www.rhs.org.uk/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=11522) [http://www.rhs.org.uk/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=4154](http://www.rhs.org.uk/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=4154) > **[Neighbours trees a problem - Legal position](https://www.askaboutmoney.com/threads/neighbours-trees-a-problem-legal-position.27577/)** > > Wondering if anyone can advise on legal position regarding neighbours trees which are now approx 25ft high, blocking sun into garden. Tried talking nicely but neighbour is adamant that he is entitled to "privacy", although trees almost cover height... **Furious\_Marmot** , I don’t know the full circumstances here, but are you certain that \*you \*aren’t being a jerk about this? Perhaps you would care to explain what gives you the right to block someone else’s light. Maybe he made a reasonable request, maybe he didn’t. But, dependig on circumstances, he might make a case that your tree is causing unfair harm to him. Sometimes the neighbour is in the right. > [@](#): > > [http://www.gardenplansireland.com/articles/article21.html](http://www.gardenplansireland.com/articles/article21.html) > > In Britain, if the neighbour digs his heels in and stubbornly refuses to reduce the height of the trees or hedge, then you can contact you local council. A complainant must prove they have tried to resolve matters privately first before approaching their local council. If the council deems the hedge excessive, they can ( under the anti-social behavior act 2003 ) order it to be reduced in height to two metres. > • Failure to comply with this order could mean a fine of £1,000. See also: > **[BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Leylandii owners face new rules](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4596685.stm)** > > Leylandii owners could face fines of up to £1,000 for failing to cut down their high hedges, under new laws. [http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1337262006](http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1337262006) ---
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/43 "2007-08-06T17:09:34Z")
[QUOTE=VunderBob] Bwuh? I presume the guy with the chainsaw was hired to settle a defect found in a home inspection, and the neighbors on _THEIR_ own effort stopped the corrective action? I’d be all over the neighbors, the absentee seller, and his agent like ugly on a gorilla if that’s the case. On second reading, I see you’re not the buyer in that case, but my reaction still stands regarding that kind of interference. [/QUOTE] From what I gather, the realtor was attempting to make the house more marketable by cutting down every tree on the property. There was no buyer yet. It was a bit overgrown (see above mentioned trees up against the house) but the guy was clearing every remaining tree on the 3/4 acre lot, which is wooded in the far back. I don’t know what authority the neighbors thought they had that enabled them to stop the guy, but stop him they did. Tree huggers would be an apt term for them - they’ve got one of every kind of tree imaginable on their suburban lot and spent every free second outside gardening - not that there’s anything wrong with that. (but it is a bit crowded, tree-wise, over there) Officially if the owner (who was in California at the time and hadn’t lived there in many years) gave permission for the realtor to have the trees cut down that was her business. I will admit I’m greatful for the neighbors’ interference. There’s a huge old maple in the back that really makes the back yard worth being in. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/44 "2007-08-06T17:38:14Z")
[QUOTE=Solfy] There’s a huge old maple in the back that really makes the back yard worth being in. [/QUOTE] I’ll agree with you there. I’d rather have the shade than the sunlight. Sensible thinning for marketability makes sense. Clearing the growth at the foundation is not just marketability, but fundamentally affects the structural integrity of the house. The agent was an idiot for writing the work order for a wholesale slaughter. S/He should know what is desirable and adds to the real estate value. The neighbors were out of place for even interfering, even though it was for the good. I bought a place with a jungle. It’s gone now, and once the NE NC drought is over, the former jungle and derelict building site will become a veggie garden and hobby orchard. I like my trees, but not when I need a machete to reach them. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/45 "2007-08-06T17:45:21Z")
Maybe we’re running into one of those cultural differences here; I would no more consider asking a neighour to cut down (not trim) his tree than I would consider asking him to buy a different type of car, or his wife to change her hair colour - it just isn’t my business. My response to someone who asked me to cut down one of my trees would be the same as **Marmot’s**. I’m definitely not in the “don’t get if you don’t ask” camp - I think people have a responsibility to think about what they’re asking, and not ask for outrageous things and put the onus on other people to tell them “no.” ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/46 "2007-08-06T18:04:22Z")
A couple of questions… what kind of tree is yours? (I believe I’m reading correctly that it’s the other neighbor that has the 30’ oak.) What kind of grass is he trying to grow? Does your grass grow under your tree? Does he have any large trees in his yard? Some trees benefit nicely from a reasonable amount of correct pruning. That may or may not be the case with yours. Also, there are new varieties of grass that do well in low-light conditions. I wonder if he’s considered that as a solution, rather than to first impose on others. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/47 "2007-08-06T19:20:13Z")
[QUOTE=Furious\_Marmot] If I already had a nasty history with this guy I’d tell him to bite my shiny metal ass, but as it is, I’m stumped. [/QUOTE] You have a shiny metal ass? Were you in the war? ---
**Author:** ![recessiveMeme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@recessiveMeme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/recessiveMeme)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/48 "2007-08-06T19:51:24Z")
[QUOTE=VunderBob] There’s unrest in the forest, there’s trouble in the trees… [/quote] For the neighbors want more sunlight, And the **Marmots** shun their pleas? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/49 "2007-08-06T20:08:58Z")
Its like being in jail and getting told that you have to give up your fruit cup in the cafeteria. Oh, he says its about the yummy peaches, but its about submissiveness. Just please don’t capitulate if he asks if you’ll tattoo boobs on your back for his benefit. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/50 "2007-08-06T20:13:53Z")
[QUOTE=bathsheba] Maybe you haven’t met many lawyers. Black and white thinkers. Absolutely nothing inbetween. [/QUOTE] Well, yes and no… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/51 "2007-08-06T22:27:57Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] If he does something snotty, like cutting the tree without your permision (possible), then you have the written offer as proof that you tried to compromise. [/QUOTE] Um, unless you can get the neighbor to sign the offer to that effect, you have proof of exactly jack shit. ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/52 "2007-08-07T00:53:27Z")
Tell him no, because you are going to build a treehouse so you will be closer to the sun, and offer to time-share it with him. As a scientist, I’m sure you could come up with some bullshit about the benefits of being off the ground. 😉 Just be sure to read the fine print on the contract… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2007, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/53 "2007-08-07T04:30:01Z")
I tossed this question at my husband, and he wanted to know if Mr. Deathtotrees was offering to pay for the removal of your tree, or if he just figured you guys would not only cut down your tree for him but also pay for it. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/54 "2007-08-08T03:37:28Z")
I’d be happy to trade neighbors with you. (Yours asks things! I swoon.) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428/55 "2007-08-08T05:55:31Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] Disputes like this are fairly common, especially over leylandii. Here’s a few examples of people with that sort of problem on other forums: [http://www.rhs.org.uk/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=11522](http://www.rhs.org.uk/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=11522) [http://www.rhs.org.uk/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=4154](http://www.rhs.org.uk/ibb/posts.aspx?postID=4154) > **[Neighbours trees a problem - Legal position](https://www.askaboutmoney.com/threads/neighbours-trees-a-problem-legal-position.27577/)** > > Wondering if anyone can advise on legal position regarding neighbours trees which are now approx 25ft high, blocking sun into garden. Tried talking nicely but neighbour is adamant that he is entitled to "privacy", although trees almost cover height... [/QUOTE] Links to other disputes about cutting down trees? What are you trying to do, start a board war? 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/formerly-polite-neighbor-now-makes-unreasonable-demands/414428.md?page=2)