Uphill Neighbor Wants Homeowner’s Trees Gone to Preserve Their View

One homeowner thought they had already settled a neighbor’s complaint about their trees. Then another letter arrived.

In a Sept. 28 Reddit post, u/Mysterious-Board9079 explained that their uphill neighbors had previously complained about a tree growing over the property line. U/Mysterious-Board9079 accompanied the post with three photos, including two marked with different-colored circles to identify the trees apparently at issue.

U/Mysterious-Board9079 accommodated their uphill neighbor’s request, paying to have that tree trimmed, because, they observed, “it was genuinely growing across into their yard.”

According to the Reddit post, nothing is currently growing on or over the neighbor’s property.

That apparently wasn’t enough. The second letter raised a different complaint.

The Neighbor Wants a Better View

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Uphill neighbor wants us to cut down some trees bc it’s obstructing their view
by
u/Mysterious-Board9079 in
treelaw

The latest letter appeared to ask the homeowner to cut considerably more vegetation, not because it was crossing the property line, but because it was obstructing the uphill neighbor’s view.

Using photos sent by the neighbors, the homeowner tried to identify exactly what they wanted removed. One appeared to be a pomegranate tree that the homeowner does not want to lose. Another was a different tree, and the request may also include a palm.

“I think they want us to cut even more things down just to unobstruct their view,” the homeowner wrote.

The situation was especially puzzling because, according to the poster, things had been this way for “over a decade” without causing problems, leaving them wondering whether someone new had moved into the neighboring property.

Does a Neighbor Have a Right to Their View?

Without knowing where the properties are located, there’s no simple answer to what rules might apply.

A desirable view does not automatically give a homeowner control over trees growing on someone else’s property. Oregon State University Extension notes that “There is generally no right to a view unless a public ordinance or private real estate covenant specifies those rights.”

Local tree rules can complicate matters, making location important. Some communities have ordinances specifically addressing trees that obstruct views.

On Reddit, commenters also warned the homeowner to keep an eye on the trees. One recommended installing “Cameras, visible and well hidden ones.”

Another commenter shared a more unsettling experience, claiming a neighbor had poisoned their shrubs because of how the plants looked against the exterior paint of the house.

For now, u/Mysterious-Board9079 doesn’t appear eager to sacrifice a pomegranate tree simply to improve the scenery uphill. They had already addressed the one issue they considered legitimate: a tree crossing onto the neighbor’s property.

The second request is another matter entirely.