neighbour keeps cutting MY hedge :(

tommytee · 18-03-2009 12:09am #1

Not really a gardeing issue par se but maybe I can get some advice here.

I have a hedge in my front garden that seperates my house from adjacent neighbour's house. The hedge is 100% growing on my soil. We live on an incline so his house/driveway is approx 2ft higher than ours. This means when he gets out of his car in driveway he has view right into my living room. Hence I want the hedge to grow tall enough to prevent this.
He is a bit of a tidy freak when it comes to his garden, pretty much everything is perfectly manicured, I am not as fussy as I have kids and a dog that ensure that there is always a certain element of chaos in the garden, now has he any right to cut the height of the hedge? (I presume he is entitled to cut any branches that lean/grow over into his garden), the hedge really has nothing to do with him and I am seriously getting F$%&^%$ed off with this,:mad::mad::mad:

I will say something to him but I need to check what the law/entitlement is for such, before I go running off my mouth :mad:

look forward to info ,
thanks,
tommyt

The Sweeper · 18-03-2009 3:59am

If the hedge grows on your property he can't cut the part that's on your property without your permission.

He is entitled to cut what protrudes onto his property (and in fact is obliged to return the cuttings to you.)

If your hedge is blocking his light, he may have grounds to request that you cut it back, but at the same time he shouldn't just be doing it himself.

Your neighbour may not realise that you're trying to grow a screening plant so you have more privacy - his neat-freak tendencies may be what's encouraging him to cut the hedge back, thinking you don't want it tall but just don't have time to cut it yourself (esp if you're caught up with kids/dog/etc.)

Depending what kind of hedge you have, him lopping the top may have helped it to be a bushy hedge so it might not be a bad thing, presuming of course that he now leaves it alone.

Approach him calmly about it, but have an idea in your head about what height you want it to get to, so he has some sort of goal to focus on (after all if he leaves it to get two feet higher and then manicures it for you, you can't really complain).

Jesus Wept · 18-03-2009 4:13am

Tell him to stop cutting your bush.

builditwell · 18-03-2009 10:42am

There have been a few threads about this but really its quite simple. If your hedge grows over the boundary wall fence or line then he is entitled to cut the offendng branches etc etc. However he must offer them back to you. If he is in fact cutting a bush/hedge 100% on your property then its criminal damage as you have not given him permission for this. Try talking to him and if that fails send a solicitors letter. After this you can send a civil order which doesent actually involve open court and is quite cheap. Hope this helps

Regards
Builditwell

Sonnenblumen · 18-03-2009 2:18pm

Your neighbour cannot without your permission cut any of your hedge growing within your boundary. This also applies to the height, and there is no right to light under Irish law.

Only in extreme circumstances eg public safety may a tree etc cut with/out owners permission, but usually the Authorities are involved at that stage and the owner is made aware of proposed works etc.

It is not uncommon that some neighbours 'bully' their way by cutting etc, whereas the vast majority are seeking to 'live together peacefully'.

Cutting the hedge height without even first discussing the matter with you is reprehensible.

tommytee · 18-03-2009 2:51pm

"Cutting the hedge height without even first discussing the matter with you is reprehensible."

agreed, the thought of it drives me $^%$^ing :mad::mad::mad:

my wife was like 'hold on before you go in, we dont want to fall out blah blah blah...." and took the opinion he was just helping out.... WTF i said, in that case why doesn't he go 10 houses up the road and do their hedge while he was at it.

Thanks all for your info, It just reaffirms what I had previously thought, I will put him right on what he can cut and what he can't,

tom

cnocbui · 18-03-2009 3:06pm

If you don't want to speak to him, get some fencing wire and thread it into the top of the hedge with loops protruding from the top. Let's see him trim that.

T-Maxx · 18-03-2009 6:59pm

I wish my neighbour would cut my hedge...:D

Maybe I could PM you my address and you could pass it on to him...:D

BostonB · 18-03-2009 11:20pm

Could you not just talk to him, and explain why you wanted to grow your hedge. Could be just a misunderstanding.

tommytee · 19-03-2009 10:01am

@BostonB
I will talk to him but best to put it in writing (in a very mannerly tone) what i want done in future, when we moved in here 3 yrs ago he informed me that the hedge was approx 8ft high (when he first moved in) and the first thing he did was to cut it down to 4 ft, it is currently 5 ft- I want it 6- 6.5 ft. I did think to myself then " what he talkinn about it not his hedge to cut, he has no window near it so light is not an issue.
Things went south last year when his concrete roof on his shed caused the boundary wall (in rear garden) to buckly and crack, I got engineers report drafted. Breeze block wall was going to fall in on my side and very dangerous for kids to be near, either he didnt realise how bad it was or he didnt like being told that it was his problem, he had to foot bill 100% as damage to wall was 100% his fault. Since then there has been a coolness between us, do I care , absolutely not I could'nt give a toss, having said that I prefer that we keep it to an amicable hello, good mornign etc.........

Sleipnir · 19-03-2009 10:28am

All this talk about it being "reprehensible" and solicitor's letters, and civil orders is just plain ridiculous because he probably thinks he's doing you a favour as he's cutting your hedge for you!.

Don't put it in writing yet, it's a bit too formal. Just talk to him for God sake. Why can't we just talk to people anymore?
Sure, if he ignores your wishes then you can say;
"look, it's my hedge, it's on my property so leave it alone or else"
but initially just explain that you want it a bit higher as it would give you both more privacy.

I cut the hedge out front twice a year doing my own on both sides and the neighbours' on either side of my garden too. If one of them asked me to stop, or cut it less often I would. In any case, I would hope we could discuss it like adults and come to an arrangement where we're both happy.
If I got a solicitor's letter or a civil order first I think I'd just abandon civilisation altogether.

Just say;
"listen I want to let the hedge grow another foot or foot and a half to give us both more privacy so would you mind leaving it this year altogether? You can trim the sides if you want but just leave the top for a while"

If he doesn't do it then you can get serious.

tommytee · 19-03-2009 10:54am

dude relax, I never mentioned solicitors letter, or the like, and I did say I would talk to him, if he takes offence to a simple note, thanking him for cutting it but in future I will cut it as I want more height......blah blah blah, well then thats his problem. A note would work cos weeks can go bye and I wouldnt see him and secondly my request is in writing. Oh and in ther early days of us moving in there I did say i was going to let it grow higher, Obviously I didbt make that request clear enough for him.

What annoyed me this time was the fact that he didnt cut his own hedge out front, just mine, so its not a case of I might aswell do my next doors neighbour;s while I am doing mine.

damoz · 19-03-2009 11:04am

tommytee wrote: »

dude relax, I never mentioned solicitors letter, or the like, and I did say I would talk to him, if he takes offence to a simple note, thanking him for cutting it but in future I will cut it as I want more height......blah blah blah, well then thats his problem. A note would work cos weeks can go bye and I wouldnt see him and secondly my request is in writing. Oh and in ther early days of us moving in there I did say i was going to let it grow higher, Obviously I didbt make that request clear enough for him.

What annoyed me this time was the fact that he didnt cut his own hedge out front, just mine, so its not a case of I might aswell do my next doors neighbour;s while I am doing mine.

+1 Whats wrong with this country now... just talk to him. Chances are he wont turn the hedge clippers on you !

damoz · 19-03-2009 11:05am

quoted wrong reply, but you know what i mean. talk to him like an adult and see what the response is. then post back and let us know how it went.

tommytee · 17-09-2019 12:53pm

so to follow up on this,

I asked him politely about 6 times to stop cutting the hedge then in Aug 2017 I was away for Aug bank holiday , came home to see he had been at it again, clearly he was never doing this for my benefit, and all previous encounters were as polite as possible - so my patience ran out,

I confronted him on this when he and his wife drove into their driveway, I stated that this was now the 7th time i had to ask him to stop cutting it, i said it was my hedge and he was only allowed to cut the overhangs but not the top, he then showed his true intentions by asking me 'well how high are you going to let it grow" in an angry tone - which basically his way of saying I don't want it high, my reply was "i decide that not you, i might rip it out altogether i might leave it as it is who knows but it is purely my decision"

so when people say just talk to him and whats wrong with people, I tried that and got me nowhere until I had to be somewhat confrontational about it (which I didn't want) but had no choice.

fastfwd to Sept 2019 and he hasn't been at it since

Peace :-)

17-09-2019 1:14pm

That was a nice quick resolution you got there OP

antix80 · 17-09-2019 1:28pm

Thanks for the update!

Just fyi but if the hedge actually gets bushy enough to reach his garden, it may then be considered a party boundary.. The boundary would run through the hedge. In which case neither of you would be allowed to cut the height of it or remove it without each other's permission. It's a good idea to mark your boundary with a fence.

uck51js9zml2yt · 17-09-2019 1:50pm

antix80 wrote: »

Thanks for the update!

Just fyi but if the hedge actually gets bushy enough to reach his garden, it may then be considered a party boundary.. The boundary would run through the hedge. In which case neither of you would be allowed to cut the height of it or remove it without each other's permission. It's a good idea to mark your boundary with a fence.

How will he do that without entering his neighbours property?

Kenny B · 17-09-2019 2:10pm

tommytee wrote: »

so to follow up on this,

I asked him politely about 6 times to stop cutting the hedge then in Aug 2017 I was away for Aug bank holiday , came home to see he had been at it again, clearly he was never doing this for my benefit, and all previous encounters were as polite as possible - so my patience ran out,

I confronted him on this when he and his wife drove into their driveway, I stated that this was now the 7th time i had to ask him to stop cutting it, i said it was my hedge and he was only allowed to cut the overhangs but not the top, he then showed his true intentions by asking me 'well how high are you going to let it grow" in an angry tone - which basically his way of saying I don't want it high, my reply was "i decide that not you, i might rip it out altogether i might leave it as it is who knows but it is purely my decision"

so when people say just talk to him and whats wrong with people, I tried that and got me nowhere until I had to be somewhat confrontational about it (which I didn't want) but had no choice.

fastfwd to Sept 2019 and he hasn't been at it since

Peace :-)

I had a massive hedge in my garden when I moved house years ago, when chatting with my neighbour, I asked him about it, the previous owner let it run wild and it ended up 8' high and 3' wide, it was massive.

I started to cut it down and rip up the roots, I noticed that work was being done even when I couldn't and it moved along fairly fast, finally finishing up with the 2 of us doing it, I put a new hedge in and keep it at 2' high and 8-10" wide, nice and neat.

The difference for me was a bigger tidier (tidy is not a bad thing) garden, the difference for my neighbour was light into a room that was blocked for years.

His house is a little higher than mine (like you) and he does occasionally cut it on both sides & top.

Does he regularly stare in your window?, you confronted him and he had to spell out his fears of how high the hedge would go, why would he want a high hedge blocking light, it's not rocket science.

Have you ever had a conversation with your neighbour?

To me it was obvious that my hedge was an issue, you strike me as a very self centered and selfish person if you can't see how this might affect your neighbour.

If I was him, I'd still cut your hedge.

17-09-2019 2:13pm

Kenny B wrote: »

Have you ever had a conversation with your neighbour?

Never mind not reading the whole thread - Did you even read the post you quoted? :rolleyes:

Kenny B · 17-09-2019 2:23pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Never mind not reading the whole thread - Did you even read the post you quoted? :rolleyes:

Explain please?

I said have a conversation - From everything I read it's confrontation 101,

The neighbour mentioned from early on that he maintained/reduced the height of the hedge when the house was vacant,

They spoke and Tommy never said how high he'd like it, he's enjoying being antagonistic and is using the hedge like a child would,

Alkers · 17-09-2019 2:30pm

tommytee wrote: »

so to follow up on this,

I asked him politely about 6 times to stop cutting the hedge then in Aug 2017 I was away for Aug bank holiday , came home to see he had been at it again, clearly he was never doing this for my benefit, and all previous encounters were as polite as possible - so my patience ran out,

I confronted him on this when he and his wife drove into their driveway, I stated that this was now the 7th time i had to ask him to stop cutting it, i said it was my hedge and he was only allowed to cut the overhangs but not the top, he then showed his true intentions by asking me 'well how high are you going to let it grow" in an angry tone - which basically his way of saying I don't want it high, my reply was "i decide that not you, i might rip it out altogether i might leave it as it is who knows but it is purely my decision"

so when people say just talk to him and whats wrong with people, I tried that and got me nowhere until I had to be somewhat confrontational about it (which I didn't want) but had no choice.

fastfwd to Sept 2019 and he hasn't been at it since

Peace :-)

How high is the hedge now?

twomonkeys · 17-09-2019 2:54pm

This thread started in 2009???
Thanks for the update OP, the suspense near killed me these past 10 years.

K.Flyer · 17-09-2019 3:06pm

Alkers wrote: »

How high is the hedge now?

This might be his hedge now...

:pac:

tommytee · 17-09-2019 3:54pm

antix80 wrote: »

Thanks for the update!

Just fyi but if the hedge actually gets bushy enough to reach his garden, it may then be considered a party boundary.. The boundary would run through the hedge. In which case neither of you would be allowed to cut the height of it or remove it without each other's permission. It's a good idea to mark your boundary with a fence.

its a griselinia and is 100% on my property

listermint · 17-09-2019 3:55pm

tommytee wrote: »

its a griselinia and is 100% on my property

An invasive prick of a hedge.

tommytee · 17-09-2019 3:56pm

twomonkeys wrote: »

This thread started in 2009???
Thanks for the update OP, the suspense near killed me these past 10 years.

yeah i looked at my private messages and someone was asking me how it ended up , so I found my original post and updated,. we can all get on with our lives now

tommytee · 17-09-2019 3:56pm

listermint wrote: »

An invasive prick of a hedge.

could say the same about the neighbour

tommytee · 17-09-2019 4:06pm

Kenny B wrote: »

I had a massive hedge in my garden when I moved house years ago, when chatting with my neighbour, I asked him about it, the previous owner let it run wild and it ended up 8' high and 3' wide, it was massive.

I started to cut it down and rip up the roots, I noticed that work was being done even when I couldn't and it moved along fairly fast, finally finishing up with the 2 of us doing it, I put a new hedge in and keep it at 2' high and 8-10" wide, nice and neat.

The difference for me was a bigger tidier (tidy is not a bad thing) garden, the difference for my neighbour was light into a room that was blocked for years.

His house is a little higher than mine (like you) and he does occasionally cut it on both sides & top.

Does he regularly stare in your window?, you confronted him and he had to spell out his fears of how high the hedge would go, why would he want a high hedge blocking light, it's not rocket science.

Have you ever had a conversation with your neighbour?

To me it was obvious that my hedge was an issue, you strike me as a very self centered and selfish person if you can't see how this might affect your neighbour.

If I was him, I'd still cut your hedge.

please tell me how would it affect him???
yes i had plenty of conversations with him, and realise that there are control issues in that household that go beyond hedges, but that was how it manifested itself with him and his neighbour (me).
light was not an issue to him as there is no window near the hedge, i do shadow studies,daylight analysis in work so i know my stuff there, do i want him looking into my living room (if hedge is low) No i don't but maybe you would like that - each to their own,
funny how when i relayed this to other neighbours they all said I was too patient with him so don't be a twat and question my character

tommytee · 17-09-2019 4:11pm

Kenny B wrote: »

Explain please?

I said have a conversation - From everything I read it's confrontation 101,

The neighbour mentioned from early on that he maintained/reduced the height of the hedge when the house was vacant,

They spoke and Tommy never said how high he'd like it, he's enjoying being antagonistic and is using the hedge like a child would,

read the thread or get someone to read it to you if the words are too big, house was never vacant, he did it to the previous owner like a bully

lawred2 · 17-09-2019 4:18pm

tommytee wrote: »

@BostonB
I will talk to him but best to put it in writing .....

it really isn't

the best thing is to speak with your neighbour and explain that you want the hedge to grow for screening purposes...

straight to writing?

I don't get that

neighbour keeps cutting MY hedge :(

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