Homeowner distressed as neighbor ignores looming threat to their property: 'I'm afraid it will fall on my house'

A concerned homeowner turned to Reddit for advice after a neighbor showed precious little concern about a looming threat to their property. 

The thread, posted on r/treelaw, shows the ominous sight of a large tree leaning dangerously close to the poster's home. They explain they tried to find common ground about dealing with that leaning tower of treeza. However, after balking at the quoted cost of removal, the neighbor "had a guy" willing to do it for a substantial discount. Alas, the neighbor's "guy" was apparently unable to deal with the problem, and two weeks passed with no action. 

"I'm afraid it will fall on my house[,] endangering us and [I] don't know what to do." They said. 

The consequences of a tree falling on a house can be tragic, but the precise scale of the problem isn't understood due to underreporting. The Weather Channel notes that 61 of the 65 fatalities of Hurricane Helene were caused by falling trees. With extreme weather events becoming more frequent and severe because of human activity, the problem will only get worse. 

The neighbor's apparent indifference to the original poster's situation is unfortunately not at all rare. Selfish behavior at the expense of others is sadly familiar. While it may be difficult, it's usually best to follow the original poster's approach and exhaust diplomatic solutions first. By talking it out, some will come round, but for those that don't, such cases are r/treelaw's bread and butter. 

One of the comments noted just how precarious the original poster's position appeared to be:

"You can tell from the photo that the roots are lifting the soil up on the one side and it's only one windstorm from completely toppling over."

The top-voted comment offered solid advice about the first steps the original poster needs to take:

"Send him a certified letter with a copy of the Arborist's report. If that thing falls on your house you're going to want proof you told him it was a hazard."

Another suggested taking it up with their insurance:

"Crazy pic. I'd send it to your insurance company along with the arborist report. they'll sort it out with your neighbors insurance company. this is what you pay them to handle, since it's not on your property."

Do you think your house could withstand a hurricane? No way 😨 Maybe a weak one 🙁 I'm not sure 🤷 It definitely could 👍 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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.