To Tree or Not to (Complain About a) Tree?
Reading time: 2 minutes
Dear Real Estate Therapy:
Our neighbor’s front tree is so big it covers their whole facade. I’m concerned that it could be undermining their foundation, or that it might be a hazard for them if we have a big storm. (The tree isn’t threatening our house, yet.) Aren’t there laws about how large a tree can get in San Francisco?
Sincerely, Not a Tree Hater
Dear Not a Tree Hater:
Hater or hugger, I’m glad you asked this question. There is some pressure in our liberal-leaning town to embrace all things “pro-environment” without question, and yet there is an inevitable tension between the manmade and the natural in any urban landscape. If you plant something in San Francisco, it’s going to grow – so long as you give it an assist with water at the beginning. (One exception being lawn grass, which will never thrive unaided anywhere in the Bay Area.) Just witness the persistence of weeds poking through cement, the eagerness of volunteering poppies, or the bright-yellow manifest destiny of oxalis.
Trees are lovely to behold and invaluable for reducing CO2, yet they are a regular source of conflict between neighbors. They can’t help but block views, invade sewer lines, cross fences and cover sidewalks with detritus. Trees are therefore subject to plenty of laws and customs at every level of government, although I’m not aware of any that flat-out prohibit their size – unless they infringe a neighbor’s enjoyment of their property, spill into the roadway or encroach on electrical lines.
You’ve said that the tree isn’t threatening your house, yet you’re concerned about the danger it poses for its owners. I wonder if your question isn’t partly motivated by an aesthetic disagreement with your neighbor’s choice (conscious or unconscious) to let the tree be as it is. After all, it’s not your responsibility to watch out for their foundation or to prevent the tree from crashing into their living room.
Whatever the reason for your worry, thoughtful communication is key. Have you tried to talk about the tree, and learn why the neighbors are letting it grow so large? Maybe they like the privacy it affords. Perhaps they’ve already had an arborist assess whether or not it’s posing a structural problem. Could be they are oblivious. Could be they just don’t care. Could be they don’t like you and they know it bugs you.
This is where the good neighbor policy comes in. Skip the rules and regs, and begin with a conversation. If schmoozing isn’t your specialty, you might consider enlisting the help of a more socially skilled neighbor. Or start small, by making a point of greeting them and getting to know them. After a short warm-up period, you could broach the subject of the tree. Begin with something like, “We’ve been admiring your tree; it’s rather impressive. Yet I am curious about…”
The idea is to avoid confrontation and conflict, and to invite cooperation. That always begins with human-to-human contact.
Author and RealEstateTherapy curator Cynthia Cummins has been devoted to homeowners and homebuyers for three decades and counting. Visit KindredSFhomes.com for more information on San Francisco real estate.
Photo Credit: www.nps.gov
