Homeowner seeks justice after neighbor's contractor demolishes property: 'Seems like lawsuit time'

A post to the r/treelaw subreddit struck a nerve with homeowners and environmentalists after one user's account of a tree destroyed by a neighbor's careless contractor sparked outrage.

"A neighbor … had to replace their … sewer line, and hired a disreputable contractor," the original poster wrote. "Said contractor did not follow the old line out from the house, and instead installed a new one that crossed the street and tied into the drain on our property."

They added, "The contractor decided that he needed to dig an 8 foot trench within 1 foot of the VERY large tree in our front yard." The photos show a deep trench cut a foot away from a large tree, its roots exposed and mangled.

Despite the homeowner's pleas to wait until the city arborist could weigh in, police told them the tree was in the public right of way and added that "the tree would be fine."

"Needless to say, the tree made it 6 weeks before it started leaning toward our house and had to be removed by the city," they explained. Now, the homeowner is trying to determine ownership of the tree to seek compensation. Commenters were quick to offer advice.

"Seems like lawsuit time," wrote one user.

Another added, "You need to start with getting a survey done to determine if the tree was indeed on your property."

Protecting urban trees is an important part of reducing heat islands, improving air quality, and promoting biodiversity. Now, not only is the homeowner dealing with the loss of the tree, but the shoddy yard repair and loss of shade are costing them.

Beyond the frustration of dealing with unresponsive city officials, this highlights a real challenge for homeowners trying to maintain sustainable green spaces. Sometimes, contractors or neighbors ignore boundaries, making it challenging and potentially leading to confrontations (here's everything you need to know about fighting your homeowners association).

Many fellow Redditors rallied behind the OP.

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One wrote: "That is a shallow root species. With all that root structure removed it is only a matter of enough rain and a strong wind from the right direction and your tree will be down."

Another added: "In many cities now you can request a new tree for your ROW areas. Might be worth seeing if the city will put one in for free."

A third empathized: "This just makes me sad. So sorry brother."

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