A homeowner has shared their frustration after neighbours cut down a tree that destroyed their fence, then refused to clean up the debris. The incident, posted on Reddit, has sparked widespread debate about neighbourly responsibility.
What happened
The resident explained that the neighbours initially asked for permission to trim branches from a tree hanging over into their garden, to which they agreed. However, the neighbours instead cut down a completely different tree on their own property, which fell onto the homeowner's fence, crushing it and nearly hitting the house.
According to the homeowner, the neighbours made a brief attempt to remove the tree but soon gave up, leaving it lying across the damaged fence. The homeowner said: "The neighbours already gave up on removing the tree from the fence."
Landlord's response
The homeowner immediately contacted their landlord, who was not surprised by the incident. The landlord revealed that these neighbours had caused similar issues in the past, refusing to take responsibility for fence repairs or cleanup. The homeowner noted: "Landlord said that in the past, they didn't take responsibility for fixing the fence and didn't do any clean-up."
Currently, the large tree remains on the fence while the homeowner waits for the landlord to arrange repairs. The homeowner added: "I'm assuming the landlord is going to hire a company to remove the tree, but for now, we have a massive tree stuck on our fence. Very infuriating!"
Online reaction
Reddit users offered advice, with many urging the homeowner to let the landlord handle the situation. One user commented: "Fortunately, the fence is the landlord's property. So he gets to decide how to pay for repairs. We can hope that he'll choose something which does not involve raising your rent." Another advised: "Document everything and let the landlord handle it, don't engage them directly." A third user said: "Yeah it was good that you informed your landlord. From now on, have the landlord deal with the neighbour."
