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Approaching prospective neighbours about trees

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  • 24-03-2013 9:46pm
    #1
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭


    Hi folks,

    Looking at a house. Ticks all the boxes except for one thing. At the back, in the back neighbours garden, is a very high wall of conifers.

    Now - this would potentially totally destroy any light from the back if they got any higher.

    I was thinking of going to the back neighbours and talking to them about it.

    Basically, at the back of my head I was thinking I'd pay them to cut them down and replace them with something less massive if it came to it.

    Any thoughts/input?

    Quad


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    #2
    peter_dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 385 ✭✭peter_dublin


    quad_red wrote: »
    Hi folks,

    Looking at a house. Ticks all the boxes except for one thing. At the back, in the back neighbours garden, is a very high wall of conifers.

    Now - this would potentially totally destroy any light from the back if they got any higher.

    I was thinking of going to the back neighbours and talking to them about it.

    Basically, at the back of my head I was thinking I'd pay them to cut them down and replace them with something less massive if it came to it.

    Any thoughts/input?

    Quad

    Yes, you have no chance in hell. You don't own the house, your looking at buying a house and prior to buying it you want the neighbours to agree to your cutting down and replacing their trees to ensure you have more light, you can ask and you have balls that's all i'll say. :-)


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    #3
    mawk
    Registered Users Posts: 2,738 ✭✭✭mawk


    I don't think I'd be too offended if I got this request. I might say no of course..
    But it's not a horrible request.

    I say just ask them. If nothing else it might give you a measure of what the neighbours are like before moving in


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    #4
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    Thanks for the input folks.

    I'm not gonna march over there like a little dictator or anything.

    But this is basically a breaking point - those Cypress pines could keep going if not checked.

    And there's no sign of the proposed legislative limit on these things in urban environments yet, is there?


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    #5
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,300 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Ask the current owner have they asked. TBH, it looks like something to cause you to move house, and I'm thinking this may be what happened.

    And even if they say they would cut the trees down, I wouldn't even put a deposit down until they were.


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    #6
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    the_syco wrote: »
    Ask the current owner have they asked. TBH, it looks like something to cause you to move house, and I'm thinking this may be what happened.

    And even if they say they would cut the trees down, I wouldn't even put a deposit down until they were.

    Thanks syco. House was a rental for the last few years.

    But fair point.


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    #7
    mhtc
    Registered Users Posts: 88 ✭✭mhtc


    Tell the seller you won't put in an offer unless these are cut. Get them to tell the neighbour that a number of people viewing the house have raised this as an issue.

    Win win as seller doesn't mind asking as they're off and you don't get off on the wrong foot with new neighbour


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    #8
    fasttalkerchat
    Registered Users Posts: 5,652 ✭✭✭fasttalkerchat


    mhtc wrote: »
    Tell the seller you won't put in an offer unless these are cut. Get them to tell the neighbour that a number of people viewing the house have raised this as an issue.

    Win win as seller doesn't mind asking as they're off and you don't get off on the wrong foot with new neighbour

    Yea I would go with this.


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    #9
    Rasmus
    Registered Users Posts: 2,075 ✭✭✭Rasmus


    mhtc wrote: »
    Tell the seller you won't put in an offer unless these are cut. Get them to tell the neighbour that a number of people viewing the house have raised this as an issue.

    Win win as seller doesn't mind asking as they're off and you don't get off on the wrong foot with new neighbour

    + 1


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    #10
    Mr.Wemmick
    Registered Users Posts: 1,092 ✭✭✭Mr.Wemmick


    mhtc wrote: »
    Tell the seller you won't put in an offer unless these are cut. Get them to tell the neighbour that a number of people viewing the house have raised this as an issue.

    Win win as seller doesn't mind asking as they're off and you don't get off on the wrong foot with new neighbour

    could be one of the reasons why the vendor is selling the place: unfriendly neighbour refusing to cut trees.

    Be wary of any reply from the Vendor which implies the trees will be cut later, sometime.. in the Summer, neighbour is busy, travelling.. and promised to get to it as soon as they have the time etc. meanwhile do you want to buy the house or not?

    I would never buy a house if the garden was in shade most of the day, it really would get me down: moss, damp, limited choice in planting you own shrubs, flowers etc. and it would be very dark in Winter, dull in Summer.


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    #11
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    Approached EA and it's basically a No.

    He won't even bother passing on the request to the vendor.


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    #12
    djimi
    Registered Users Posts: 13,237 ✭✭✭✭djimi


    At least you know where you stand.


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    #13
    quad_red
    Registered Users Posts: 5,561 ✭✭✭quad_red


    djimi wrote: »
    At least you know where you stand.

    Absolutely.

    The EA was seriously irritated at the question. Didn't think it was an important issue. Bet he would've if it was his back garden! :)


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    #14
    knotknowbody
    Registered Users Posts: 262 ✭✭knotknowbody


    If your very interested you could still casually approach the neighbour yourself, tell them you thinking of buying, have a chat about the area, tell them you concerned about the trees, tell them you will pay to get them cut back if they don't mind them being cut, see their reaction, maybe they can't afford to get them cut back at the minute and would be delighted if you offered to help, remember the trees have there garden in shade a lot too, I wouldn't give up on the house without at least approaching the neighbour.

    They seem to be at the south west corner of the garden so definitely need to be cut as this would be where the sun comes from on a nice evening so there would be no light in your garden in the evenings.


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    #15
    Mr.Wemmick
    Registered Users Posts: 1,092 ✭✭✭Mr.Wemmick


    quad_red wrote: »
    Absolutely.

    The EA was seriously irritated at the question. Didn't think it was an important issue. Bet he would've if it was his back garden! :)

    Why on earth would the EA be irritated by the question.. what is wrong with him? If you're interested in a property, and would like to make an offer, but are concerned about the neighbour's trees, you have every right to ask about it and get a answer. It is his job to ask the Vendor and get back to you.. That is the EA's job is it not? He doesn't own the house and should not be answering a question without consulting the vendor first.

    This sort of non-professional EA carry-on makes me so mad.

    I would tell the EA that your question is a a legitimate one and get him to ask the vendor.. If not you will go direct to the vendor yourself and have a chat with him/her.


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    #16
    RATM
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,591 ✭✭✭RATM


    peter_dublin wrote: »
    Yes, you have no chance in hell. You don't own the house, your looking at buying a house and prior to buying it you want the neighbours to agree to your cutting down and replacing their trees to ensure you have more light, you can ask and you have balls that's all i'll say. :-)

    Not necessarily.

    If the roots of the trees are growing onto your land then that puts the owner in a stronger position. I don't know what a conifer grows like but I'm aware of a neighbour to neighbour dispute over a huge evergreen blocking light.

    One neighbour wouldn't cut the tree back and wasn't willing to even hear of any suggestion of it. But he should have negotiated because the roots had grown into the other neighbours land. So as one guy wouldn't cut them back the other guy dug up some of his garden and injected lead into the roots and killed the tree altogether- the trees roots were on his property so he felt he had the right to do this.

    The other neighbour never found out how his tree suddenly died but even if he did taking a case over it would most likely have been futile as you'd be going up against property rights which are very well enshrined in law.


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