- Jul 11, 2001
- 38,048
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I've lived here since 1983. This is Berkeley, CA. Bought the house from owner in 2000, before that I rented with other people here. The house is next door to a corner apartment building that has maybe 10 tenants (guess). See 2 photos below, my house is on the right.
There's a cyclone fence (chain link) at the property line. They have a number of trees planted just on their side of the property line (there are none on my side). I've never met the owner, I got her first name from a tenant, didn't get her phone number (I am pretty sure I can get that from a tenant if I ask). So, I've had no communications with the owner of that apartment building.
I actually have a couple of issues. The trees are THE BIG ISSUE! The other issue is that I see what looks like the cast off from some kind of system they have, it's globs of synthetic material laying around. It's probably deteriorating insulation from heating ducts, is my thinking. That's a minor issue, but annoying. Like I say, the big problem is the trees, one in particular that's reached my house, rubs against it and is overhanging the roof at this point. Others overhang and drop foliage on my property (including my car, seen in the photos), and are also a problem for me, but the giant one you see is the biggest problem. That tree seems to be doing well, is growing fast even though it's been here since very likely the 1970's or before. It pushes against the cyclone fence at the property line, pushing it onto my side.
I don't have a lawyer. I figure (don't know the details) that vegetation overhanging my property that's rooted on my neighbor's property is fair game for me... I can trim it or have it trimmed by professionals. I've always done all of my own gardening, but this looks like a job for the pros.
However, as you see, what hangs over my property looks to be fully 1/2 of that tree! Dealing with this looks tricky.
A guy I know told me that before doing anything I should have a conversation with the owner. I have been putting it off, I have lots of other things I've been dealing with, but can't continue to put it off, that tree has been impinging on the house more and more and pretty quickly lately. A couple of years ago it was barely rubbing on the house, now it's just about shoving my house!
I guess the best case for me would be if the owner would agree that removing that tree would be in both our best interests. Maybe we could go in on it 50-50, don't know. She might say, no deal, whatever is done you pay for it. I figure it's a low rent apartment building and that some of the tenants are probably on public assistance. Some of the units turn over, others are very long time tenants.
Getting 100% of the portion of that tree that overhangs the property line removed without destroying the tree seems like close to an impossibility or at the least seems absurd! What would that look like? On their side that tree overhangs a concrete patio and I have to think the tree's roots and trunk aren't good for their patio, maybe the owner would agree. Between the trees and the fence there's some refuse, just junk that got their, was put there and sits there and is forgotten, not a lot but it's sorta gross, and of course I can see it through the cyclone fence.
I kind of think their tenants aren't attached to those trees (they don't hang out in that patio), the trees are kind of a wild tangle, including maybe 4-5 species, maybe more. They have a gardener or two (Asian family I think) come in once every few months to do routine maintenance for a few hours at most to the landscaping around the building, but they seldom do anything with those trees, haven't seen anything done in over a year. AFAIK, they've never touched that giant tree. What do you suggest?
There's a cyclone fence (chain link) at the property line. They have a number of trees planted just on their side of the property line (there are none on my side). I've never met the owner, I got her first name from a tenant, didn't get her phone number (I am pretty sure I can get that from a tenant if I ask). So, I've had no communications with the owner of that apartment building.
I actually have a couple of issues. The trees are THE BIG ISSUE! The other issue is that I see what looks like the cast off from some kind of system they have, it's globs of synthetic material laying around. It's probably deteriorating insulation from heating ducts, is my thinking. That's a minor issue, but annoying. Like I say, the big problem is the trees, one in particular that's reached my house, rubs against it and is overhanging the roof at this point. Others overhang and drop foliage on my property (including my car, seen in the photos), and are also a problem for me, but the giant one you see is the biggest problem. That tree seems to be doing well, is growing fast even though it's been here since very likely the 1970's or before. It pushes against the cyclone fence at the property line, pushing it onto my side.
I don't have a lawyer. I figure (don't know the details) that vegetation overhanging my property that's rooted on my neighbor's property is fair game for me... I can trim it or have it trimmed by professionals. I've always done all of my own gardening, but this looks like a job for the pros.
However, as you see, what hangs over my property looks to be fully 1/2 of that tree! Dealing with this looks tricky.
A guy I know told me that before doing anything I should have a conversation with the owner. I have been putting it off, I have lots of other things I've been dealing with, but can't continue to put it off, that tree has been impinging on the house more and more and pretty quickly lately. A couple of years ago it was barely rubbing on the house, now it's just about shoving my house!
I guess the best case for me would be if the owner would agree that removing that tree would be in both our best interests. Maybe we could go in on it 50-50, don't know. She might say, no deal, whatever is done you pay for it. I figure it's a low rent apartment building and that some of the tenants are probably on public assistance. Some of the units turn over, others are very long time tenants.
Getting 100% of the portion of that tree that overhangs the property line removed without destroying the tree seems like close to an impossibility or at the least seems absurd! What would that look like? On their side that tree overhangs a concrete patio and I have to think the tree's roots and trunk aren't good for their patio, maybe the owner would agree. Between the trees and the fence there's some refuse, just junk that got their, was put there and sits there and is forgotten, not a lot but it's sorta gross, and of course I can see it through the cyclone fence.
I kind of think their tenants aren't attached to those trees (they don't hang out in that patio), the trees are kind of a wild tangle, including maybe 4-5 species, maybe more. They have a gardener or two (Asian family I think) come in once every few months to do routine maintenance for a few hours at most to the landscaping around the building, but they seldom do anything with those trees, haven't seen anything done in over a year. AFAIK, they've never touched that giant tree. What do you suggest?
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