Homeowner Asks If They’re Wrong For Not Cutting Down A Tree With Sentimental Value Because It Casts Shade In Neighbor’s Yard
When neighbors clash over property issues, it often leads to surprising confrontations that can escalate quickly. What might seem like a minor disagreement can unravel into a complex situation involving personal history, differing expectations, and legal threats. These conflicts frequently revolve around features or boundaries that one party considers essential, while the other views them as obstacles to their plans.
When new neighbors moved in next door, they quickly became vocal about their dissatisfaction with an apple tree in the backyard of OP’s home. This tree, deeply rooted in family history and cherished for its sentimental value, cast a bit of shade into their garden—a minor inconvenience for the neighbors who envisioned a hot tub in that very spot. As tensions mounted, the situation escalated from polite requests to legal threats.
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Source: Reddit
Image Credits: Zen Chung (Not the actual photo)
1. AITA for refusing to remove a tree from my property despite my new neighbor’s demands.
2. OP lives in their late grandparents’ home, which they’ve spent the last few years modernizing to fit their style. However, they’ve left the apple tree in the back garden untouched.
3. The apple tree in the back garden was planted by OP’s grandparents on the day they moved into the house. It came from their grandfather’s family orchard.
4. OP cherishes the apple tree, as some of their favorite childhood memories involve picking fruit and climbing it. However, their new neighbors have been complaining about the tree, wanting it cut down.
5. The tree doesn’t overhang onto their property; it just blocks light in one specific area. OP has apologized but said they won’t cut it down and suggested the neighbors place the hot tub elsewhere in their large garden.
6. The neighbors are upset and argue that it’s just a tree so not a big deal to cut it down. The husband has even threatened to get lawyers involved.
7. OP has told them to do whatever they want but warned them that they have a camera in their back garden. OP set it up a few years ago due to local kids stealing apples.
8. OP understands it’s just a tree, but their demands and threats over something with sentimental value to them are infuriating.
9. The neighbors don’t care about the sentimental value OP has explained the tree has. To the neighbors, it’s just a tree and they don’t see what the big deal is.
Now that you have read the story, it’s time for you to see what Redditors had to say about this. Read till the end to see what are other people’s opinions on this.
10. The new neighbors are pushy, moving into a neighborhood and demanding someone who has lived there for years cut down an apple tree grown from a family orchard is absurd.
11. Trees are more important than hot tubs—protect your tree!
12. They want you to cut down a tree just for their jacuzzi……they’re the gold medalists in entitled neighbor behavior.
13. Consider planting more trees to increase the shade in their garden—they seem to have a real issue with it!
14. Since the tree doesn’t encroach on their property and predates them, OP is not obligated to remove it.
15. Consider getting a camera to monitor the tree; they might try to poison it or remove it illegally.
16. OP should consider planting more trees to increase the shade and putting up a higher fence.
17. It’s unlikely they’ll succeed with a lawyer, so keep a camera on the tree and let them complain!
18. Consider saving some seeds to grow new trees for other spots in your yard or to replace the parent tree if it ever dies from disease or other issues.
19. It’s your property, and they have no grounds to demand the tree be removed. If they want to waste money on lawyers, that’s their choice.
20. The neighbors have no right to dictate what happens on your property…..they should adapt their plans to the existing conditions.
Standing firm on what matters to us can often put us at odds with those around us, particularly when it comes to personal property and cherished memories. Balancing neighborly relations with preserving sentimental values isn’t always easy, but it’s important to uphold our boundaries. Whether it’s a beloved tree or another meaningful element of our homes, respecting and protecting what we hold dear is essential. Do share your thoughts on the story in the comments section below.
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