Yes, there's a 'right to light'. Your daughter should look that up. Regardless that's a leylandi hedge and should be nuked from orbit. Your daughter might try pleading poverty and say that she'd be delighted if they paid someone to remove it.
Daughter + neighbour + hedge = problems
- Thread starter SexyGreyFox
- Start date
Yes, there's a 'right to light'. Your daughter should look that up. Regardless that's a leylandi hedge and should be nuked from orbit. Your daughter might try pleading poverty and say that she'd be delighted if they paid someone to remove it.
I'd expect this too. Different if you get zero light in at all hours of the day, but looking at the aerial picture their house is a decent way back from the hedge, so I'd be amazed if they could plead the right to light.
Frankly I'd say to the neighbour that if they want them cut down to fence height then you'd be happy for them to pay someone to do so.
I thought the "right to light" was quite literally just to stop people putting stuff right in front of your windows so it gets no light. Not that you have any right at all to direct sunlight. We have some trees on the railways land at the end of the garden that kill our light from about 5pm onwards so basically when you finish work and want to have a beer in the garden.
The railway wouldn't be interested unless they were dangerous to the line or our houses. Perhaps something might befall them. Some mystery illness...
Soldato
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I think it's a reasonable request - but don't know if they'd win a dispute case as it's just a bit of light in their garden rather than their house - but I don't think it's worth the aggro to let it go that far.
I don't think it's reasonable to expect the neighbours to pay for it - because it's a problem they didn't cause - I know your daughter didn't cause it either but when you buy a property you're responsible for the stuff on it.
So it boils down to whether she wants to be on bad terms with the neighbours over the cost of taking out some trees.
I don't think it's reasonable to expect the neighbours to pay for it - because it's a problem they didn't cause - I know your daughter didn't cause it either but when you buy a property you're responsible for the stuff on it.
So it boils down to whether she wants to be on bad terms with the neighbours over the cost of taking out some trees.
Soldato
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I had the neighbours at the bottom of my garden in my old London house ask to cut down a scrappy looking pine tree because it was severely reducing the amount of light in their back garden from midday onwards.
I went around to their house and took a look in their garden and said tree really did block a great deal of light, so we agreed to split the cost of having it removed (was around £600).
Everyone happy until said neighbours had a Dormer conversion done to their roof and I suddenly had two rooms directly overlooking my garden. Oddly, this plan wasn’t mentioned when discussing their gloomy garden.
I‘m much happier now that the only people that overlook my house are 900 metres away across a small valley.
I went around to their house and took a look in their garden and said tree really did block a great deal of light, so we agreed to split the cost of having it removed (was around £600).
Everyone happy until said neighbours had a Dormer conversion done to their roof and I suddenly had two rooms directly overlooking my garden. Oddly, this plan wasn’t mentioned when discussing their gloomy garden.
I‘m much happier now that the only people that overlook my house are 900 metres away across a small valley.
I don't think it's unreasonable. In reality it's not actually impacting the neighbours either - it's not putting their house in shade for all hours of the day. It's just their garden that gets a bit shaded after 2pm, which means if they want more hours of sunlight then they should pay to have the trees removed. - especially as the OPs daughter had already paid to have them cut down to half height (which would undoubtedly have cost a fair bit).
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How long have the trees been there?
If they're chopped down completely and the fence is knackered are the neighbours willing to pay for the fence?
Is your daughter fussed about the foliage?
If the nieghbours have a problem wiht it then seems certianly reasonable to me that they pay
If they're chopped down completely and the fence is knackered are the neighbours willing to pay for the fence?
Is your daughter fussed about the foliage?
If the nieghbours have a problem wiht it then seems certianly reasonable to me that they pay
Hedges over 2m height can be considered a nuisance, and complaints can be made about them. Multiple confiders in a row do constitute a hedge.
www.rhs.org.uk
www.gov.uk
So your daughter may be obligated to take action if the neighbour can prove it's a nuisance and make a formal complaint. Much better to resolve it informally if you can.
And the only real resolution is to cut them down, they'll just keep growing if you trim them. And trimming them ain't cheap or easy.
We bought a house with 7 conifers in a row, poor neighbour the other side didn't have a big garden and had no evening sun the whole time he'd lived in the house, about 5 years I think. The conifers were 30-40 years old I think.
After considering the effort of keeping them tidy, safe - one almost blew down in a gale, would NOT want that to fall uncontrolled, the light blockage for the neighbour, and also the morning light that we lost (not major, but nice to have more light), vs. the privacy benefit, it was clearly the right choice to get rid of them.
We've since put in 2 fruit trees, and the neighbour has done similar. Soon enough there'll be some decent cover. I suggest your daughter does similar.
Hedges: nuisance and overgrown / RHS
Tall hedges can be a nuisance, especially where neighbours can’t agree on a suitable height amicably. However, legislation now gives people whose gardens are overshadowed the opportunity to resolve the problem with the help of the local council.
Resolving neighbour disputes
Disputes with neighbours - noisy neighbours, barking dogs, statutory nuisances, high hedges, mediation and when your council can step in
So your daughter may be obligated to take action if the neighbour can prove it's a nuisance and make a formal complaint. Much better to resolve it informally if you can.
And the only real resolution is to cut them down, they'll just keep growing if you trim them. And trimming them ain't cheap or easy.
We bought a house with 7 conifers in a row, poor neighbour the other side didn't have a big garden and had no evening sun the whole time he'd lived in the house, about 5 years I think. The conifers were 30-40 years old I think.
After considering the effort of keeping them tidy, safe - one almost blew down in a gale, would NOT want that to fall uncontrolled, the light blockage for the neighbour, and also the morning light that we lost (not major, but nice to have more light), vs. the privacy benefit, it was clearly the right choice to get rid of them.
We've since put in 2 fruit trees, and the neighbour has done similar. Soon enough there'll be some decent cover. I suggest your daughter does similar.
Permabanned
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Set fire to it.
I've known people have disputes over high conifer hedges for years, bittering the atmosphere between neighbours, often permanently. I've seen some of the hedges grow well above the height of the house, to the extent that over the road can clearly see them too.
In my opinion, these hedges should be banned from household properties. Anybody found with them, especially overgrown, should be given a public flogging.
In my opinion, these hedges should be banned from household properties. Anybody found with them, especially overgrown, should be given a public flogging.
Associate
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Personally I'd tell the neighbours that you've already halved it in size and are unwilling to cut it any more for privacy reasons. Neighbours don't have rights over other people's hedges/trees.
Except they do for the reasons posted above.
If she’s leaning towards getting them removed I’d at least ask to split the cost. Friend of mine was quoted something astronomical to get rid of a fairly tall conifer in his garden last summer. Is also be clear about who will be fixing the fence if that needs doing. Don’t leave anything un-said as it’ll only cause problems afterwards.
I had basically zero tree felling experience, and my Dad is very handy but certainly not a specialist. Ours were probably 1.5x the height of these ones. My Dad, my Wife and I felled all 7 in a day using ratchet straps, and a good chainsaw.
If the wind isn't blowing, you have a clear area to fell them into and are able to tension them in the right direction, and know how to make a cut of the right shape, then this can be a DIY job. You do also have the hassle of disposal.
Otherwise I'd very roughly guess 1.5-2k for a tree surgeon.
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Why haven't I had any notifications on this?
ANYWAY
The neighbours have offered to pay for them to be cut down to fence height or totally removed, they have a mate who will do it.
We've advised them to go through with it.
ANYWAY
The neighbours have offered to pay for them to be cut down to fence height or totally removed, they have a mate who will do it.
We've advised them to go through with it.