In the UK, neighbourly disputes can escalate to the point of litigation, which is an incredibly expensive and time-consuming process. In fact, the Ministry of Justice recently found that there are over 1000 serious neighbour disputes each year, which end up ranging from £50,000 to £100,000 in court costs. Naturally, this is something most people want to avoid!
The topic of neighbour disputes is very wide ranging. They can often concern things like noise, parking, boundaries and, of course, trees.
So, in order to avoid coming to blows with your neighbours, how do you go about resolving an issue about trees on your properties?
Step 1: Check the tree isn’t protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO)
A Tree Preservation Order prevents you from cutting down, uprooting, lopping or causing any form of destruction to a tree. You can usually find out whether a certain tree is protected by one of these orders by getting in touch with your local authority.
If the tree isn’t protected, you can then move on to establishing who owns it. If the tree turns out to be protected by a TPO, then you will need to get some expert advice from your local authority or tree surgeon, who may be able to take the matter further for you.
Step 2: Establish who owns the tree or hedge
The person who owns the tree will be responsible for cutting, pruning or felling it. You can determine who owns a tree by figuring out who owns the land that it is on. In order to get this information, you should use the Land Registry service, which usually imparts a small charge.
If you find that your neighbour owns the tree and they are refusing to cut it, there are some circumstances in which you can cut parts of it yourself, such as where branches overhang your own fence or boundary line.
Step 3: Discuss it with your neighbour
Once you’ve established who owns the tree, it’s best to try and resolve the matter by speaking directly to your neighbour. In the circumstances where you are not able to reach an agreement between the two of you, you may have to take it to an independent expert who can resolve the matter for you.
Step 4: Call in the experts
In the unfortunate event that you are now at war with your neighbour over the tree, you’ll need the advice and assistance of experts. That might be a mediator or a legal professional who can help you negotiate the matter with your neighbour, or a tree surgeon who is able to inform you of your rights.
Expert tree surgeons in Surrey
While neighbourly disputes are completely out of our control, DH Tree Services can help you to overcome them by providing a tree felling or pruning service, depending on the outcome or the agreement that you reach.
DH Tree Services is proud to offer tree pruning in Surrey for all tree types and heights, working in areas such as Kingswood and Oxted to provide property owners with the best possible tree and garden care.
If you’d like to get in touch with us for a free, no-obligation quote on tree felling, pruning, or other aspects of expert tree work, call us on 07878 615 504.
