'Entitled neighbour made wild move after claiming my trees were blocking light'

A man hasblasted his entitled neighbour for chopping down his tree to enhance the view from his living room window. Speaking on his behalf, his daughter revealed how her dad resides on a hill, with trees around the property for privacy purposes.

But the neighbour despises the trees as he insists they "block the light" to his home, creating a shadow over his lounge during certain times of the day. However, her dad maintains the trees don't create lighting problems and believes the neighbour is being "dramatic."

Taking to Reddit, she said: "My dad lives on a hill, and his uphill neighbour has already complained in the past about wanting a clearer view (even though my dad's trees weren't that tall and didn't block much)."

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"Fast forward to last week: my dad came home to find that his Jacaranda tree had been cut down. He even saw the neighbour's gardener walking away right afterward. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any cameras there for proof.

"Whilst some users sympathised with the neighbour, others reckon they should have calmly reached an agreement over the trees rather than hacking them down completely."

One user said: "Cutting your neighbour's trees/bushes is illegal. You could sue your neighbour for damages."

Another user added: "Hire a lawyer. Cutting down someone else's trees can get you fined hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the age and type of tree.

"Also, get the name of the company that cut it down and go after them criminally."

One user said: "I just went and looked that type of tree up. It's absolutely beautiful - like, I am now pining for one in my yard. Contact an attorney ASAP."

Another added: "I believe you said your father saw the gardener walking away with a saw. That is all he needs to call the police. This neighbour won't stop here. Good luck."

A different user suggested: "I would put a big, wide sign where the tree was that says, 'There was a Jacaranda tree here that was illegally cut down by a trespasser,' facing the neighbour's house.

"While some users sympathised with the neighbour, others believe they should have calmly come to an agreement over the trees rather than chopping them down entirely."

One user said: "I'd be real petty about it too - mount it on a metal post sunk in concrete and everything. And put an obvious camera on the house facing it, even if it's just a fake camera."

A final user advised: "Send him an invoice for the cost of a fully mature tree - bought, hauled in, and transplanted.

"It will be more than pocket change. What the neighbour did has demonstrative value. Mature landscape trees are not cheap!".

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, you can cut off overhanging branches of trees, provided it's done without trespassing onto another person's property. You can only trim up to the property boundary.

You must try to settle a dispute about a high hedge or tree informally before the council can intervene. You can ask your council for a complaint form if all if it's all of these:

• To or more mostly evergreen or semi-evergreen trees or shrubs
• Over two metres tall
• Affecting your enjoyment of your home or garden