Homeowner stunned after discovering neighbor's shocking act on his property: 'Found a lawyer'

It should be a simple concept: Physical fences do not necessarily delineate property lines. Apparently, a local contractor in Northwest Florida made that assumption, removing a tree that sat outside their property line. 

Posting in the r/treelaw subreddit, the Redditor described such an incident while seeking advice: "Although my tree sat outside the fence line, it clearly sat inside the property line."

Difficult neighbors can pose a challenge for homeowners, especially when there is a lack of communication, as was clearly the case here. As a local contractor, the individual who cut the tree down never procured an accurate assessment of the property lines and never spoke to the OP. 

Confrontations with neighbors are surprisingly common. For instance, a 2022 survey from Offerpad revealed that more than 60% of Americans polled had feuded with a neighbor.

As of now, this dispute is still unresolved. In this case, it's a local contractor versus a formerly unsuspecting neighbor. In many cases, it's HOAs and picky neighbors versus climate-friendly lawn solutions.

Solar panels, natural lawn projects, rewilding efforts, planting new trees, and rain-barrel additions are all capable of generating neighborly disputes or triggering HOA crackdowns. In terms of the Reddit post, that tree was likely a carbon sponge as well.

A single, mature tree is capable of absorbing 48 pounds of CO2 per year. The shade alone can lower the temperature by 10°F to 25°F, reducing home energy use. 

In short, maintaining a tree or introducing climate-friendly alternatives to your lawn is worth fighting for, whether it's an HOA or unreasonable neighbor. Roughly 84% of all homes built in 2022 were part of an HOA, meaning HOAs are gaining more power over more communities every year. 

On the bright side, state laws are catching up, often restricting HOAs from limiting climate-friendly lawn changes. Texas, Florida, Colorado, and California have restricted HOAs from forbidding drought-resistant xeriscaping projects, so long as those projects are not overly extensive. 

Fighting back often means documenting everything, contacting a lawyer, or bringing a professional on-site to make determinations for legal purposes. 

Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden? Yes 💯 Only if it impacts your neighbors 🏘️ Depends on what you're growing 🌼 Heck no 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

It looks like the OP is on the right track: "Found a lawyer and gave him all the details and information. He is currently reviewing to see how we can proceed."

Some responses lamented the senselessness of removing the tree: "I feel sad for your tree."

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.