HEDGE and busy body neighbour trimming it into my bondary.

[simonpolly]

I moved into my house two years ago,the front was a little open so i planted a small hedge(1.5ft high which i will keep trimmed and under control) any way neighbours took offence to this,since that day about 1.5 years ago they have been trying to cause trouble for me,They have on occasions leant over the back garden fence and trimmed the hedge that was allready there about a foot into my garden,the front hedge they trim back when we are out again into my boundary.What can i do about this ?

 

[rich22]

talk 2 them and tell them your concerns

 

[oilman]

Post some photos showing what they've done.

I don't see why you need to be nice to plonks like that.

 

[simonpolly]

Its past the talking stage,the woman is poision and always looking to cause trouble,example i have a wide frontage to my house with a fairly large drive,i have two cars and my company van,on occasions i moved the van and parked it perfectly legally outside of my house so i could move one of the cars off the drive and use it,she rang the company i work for without ever speaking to me about it and complained she said "it parked there all day every day ".The company i work for is a large well known company who will bend over backwards to not upset anyone,i was just told by my manager to leave it on the drive at all times.When they last leant over the hedge (last summer) they where hiding and watched us go out,then leant over the fence and cut back and topped about 1 ft into my boundary,the hedge is inside of a fence that marks the boundary.the front hedge they snip when were not around,its now about 20 cm inside of the boundary.

 

[ColJack]

post a set of the deed plans through her door with a note which reads..

"As you seem to have forgotten the legal boundaries of my property I thought I'd furnish you with a plan so that you might refresh your memory.
Any further criminal damage to my bushes will result in you being reported for criminal damage and trespass.
The aforementioned hedges are kept trimmed by us to within my boundary and as such you have no legal right to touch them."

 

[Deluks]

Replace the hedge with a 6ft featherboard fence, before erecting, paint the boards that face their side, random shades of blue, orange, brown and pink

 

[Richard C]

At the back, if it's your hedge & inside your boundary & regardless of weather or not it’s their fence, what they are doing amounts to criminal damage.

There are planning laws that may restrict the height of hedges at the front of your property & this is around 1-1.5m but I can’t remember. They are perfectly entitled to trim back any of your hedge that overhangs their boundary but not within your boundary & they must offer you the trimmings back or they are stealing your property.

For more detailed advice try this dedicated forum, they have given me good advice in the past;
http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/boundaries.html

 

[simonpolly]

I don`T mind them trimming anything that over hangs,it just when they trim it back to within my boundary,and the manner they do it.Front hedge is 2ft max and thats after two years growth.The wife is just a trouble making gossip,the truth being known they are just jealous,we look after our garden,and have improved our house alot,they do nothing.Thanks,we are going away on holiday in august,so that will be the time they do it,i`ll bare your info in mind for then

 

[ColJack]

put up a string line exactly on your boundary and hang laminated signs from it. "property line, please don't trim back any further".

 

[mattylad]

Make that a "wire" line, string is easy to snip

 

[simonpolly]

Razor wire more like

 

[simonpolly]

The silly cow trimmed my holly bush back about 1 ft which was no where near overhanging my border,on a patch of my garden that does not even border with hers,I explained that what she had done was criminal damage and she back tracked very fast,she said sorry and she only did it because we don`t talk to her ,the woman is twisted.

 

[Richard C]

Many are; I only have one neighbour & she's the same; her husband is fine but a very mentally weak man; with a very large garden it, thankfully, hasn't caused me any more problems since I pointed out to her where she stands legally. Write to her confirming the date & time of your conversation with her; confirm that you advised her that she had no right to trim over your boundary & warn her that what she has done amounts to criminal damage & if she persists in doing it again, your next step will be a formal solicitors response & possible civil proceedings.

You can add that you are under no obligation or wish to speak to her but that does not give her the right to damage your property.

 

[simonpolly]

The woman is just a busy body,needs to know everyones business,we just mind our own business,were not rude just keep her at arms length because she is trouble,any way after she had a tantrum and chucked all the cuttings in the air,i pointed out in a controlled manner that she had criminally damaged my property and that i`d taken photo`s,that was when she back tracked when she realised she could be in trouble,she said sorry and said it had cleared the air.funny enough her husband never says anything either.

 

[ColJack]

did you tell her that no, it didn't clear the air. it has, in fact, made you even less inclined to speak to her now because you think that she has a mental condition that should not be encouraged?