Prune back yard before vacating property..at neighbor's request?

[flower04]

We haven't received our NOD, but we expect to very soon as it has been over 1 year and we know our case has been referred to an attorney now.

We have a large hedge that is very overgrown and we normally have it
trimmed 1-2x a year (we don't have the tools necessary and it is on a hill and very difficult for us to get to).

We thought we'd be out of here by now and so we didn't get it trimmed in the fall. Now the new growth in the spring has literally made the shrub grow another 18 inches, up and out. Our neighbor, whose fence it is hanging over now and pushing through, told us that we need to trim it (of course, didn't over to help pay since it is on our property) but made it very clear that he would pursue legal action if neccesary. It costs about $250 to get it done, and personally I don't want to spend $250.

Our neighbors don't know anything about our situation, other than we are looking at moving... and they aren't worth telling anyway.

What should we do?

[BobMango]

I'd forget about it. Property laws vary greatly by state and city, but if it really bothers them I'd think their only real available remedy is to have the portion that is hanging over their property trimmed.

I think your liability is really limited by the potential for damage. If you had a really tall tree that was looking ready to fall over or drop branches on their house you might have a problem. I'm having a hard time imagining how an untrimmed hedge is going to cause any damage to their property.

[blessed]

I would not waste $250 on that. I mean they'll figure out soon enough that the house is being foreclosed so if they've got half a brain will realize you didn't have money to spend on the hedge.

[tigergem]

With people like that, I like to nod and smile and pretend I don't understand a lick of English.

[cory1848]

Check with your local laws, where I live in Florida, anything that is hanging over onto your property is considered yours. Doesnt matter that it is attached to a tree on another property. So if that is the case where you live, it is actually his responsibility to take care of it.

[tigergem]

Yeah, when we had big trees come down in the neighborhood during Hurricane Ike, people would chainsaw a big fallen tree right up to their property line and stop there, even if it was originally their tree that fell across a neighbor's lot line. Lots of fights because "your tree fell on my roof!" Well, that part of the tree is yours now buddy.