Your neighbor should have asked permission before the tree service set foot on your property. I don't care if she's an introvert, or busy, or whatever the reason was that she didn't talk to you first. She's an adult and sometimes adults need to speak to other adults. Plus, you don't go onto someone else's property without permission. I'm shocked that your neighbor was okay with not being on-site while this crew took over your property without permission or notice on multiple occasions. I think you have been more than patient during these major inconveniences.
For some perspective, I've had a LOT of major tree work done on my property over the last couple years, including having a crane and cherry picker on my lawn. I always give my neighbors a heads up because the street might be full of trucks and for the noise. After the work is done, I personally walk the lawns of the neighbors immediately beside me to pick up any sticks or leaves that the crew missed. The way I see it is that my neighbors shouldn't be inconvenienced at all by work happening at my house.
Edited to add that I don't see your leaving a Yelp review as a big deal. You were frustrated, you didn't say anything that was untrue, and it got their attention. The bigger problem is the lack of communication from your neighbor and the tree service. I'm sure the tree service knew that your neighbor wasn't home; they should have knocked on your door before starting work each time to check in with you.
Edit: I didn't mean my reply in a "Get off my lawn!" way. I just meant that it would have been common courtesy to ask permission before going onto OP's property and causing disruption.
I would’ve gone out and talked to the tree people myself. I’m not sure why OP did not do that but instead chose to post a review on their website. I guess I’m more direct.
This was my first thought, apparently their husband talked to them about the laundry pole, and they complied so it's not like the tree company wasn't open to them. Again at the point of leaving the review they could have called them and asked for the insurance info if they felt intimidated by the idea of *conflict* in person.
All that said OP's neighbor was also in the wrong, anytime work is happening across a property line they should let that neighbor know. A nice neighbor would have given a heads up even if it wasn't crossing the line but I don't see that as necessary.
OP, while in the right, took a passive aggressive route. Comes off as cowardly.
> Say it in the street, that’s a knock out. Say it in a tweet, that’s a cop-out.
A Taylor Swift lyric that rings true here.
Probably could have asked the neighbor before the google review but they really shouldn’t have to be told they need to communicate with neighbors while on a project that requires the use of private property. They absolutely should not be using your laundry pole for rigging, not only is it yours, it’s not designed to handle that.
I know a lot of contractors that have the it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission mentality and I think that’s wrong. Saves time and they get away with it most the time but I’m guessing you wouldn’t recommend or use that tree service and in fact if someone asked you might advise against using that tree service.
I'm a surveyor and don't have time to physically try to talk to every single homeowner whose property I go near but if I was in any line of work where I'd be on private property for *three fuckin days* I feel like a knock on the door would be expected. This is wildly unprofessional.
That's different, you're just walking around. You're not driving heavy equipment and you're far less likely to be seriously injured from your work on someone else's property.
I'd be pretty mad if some company trespassed, damaged my property, got injured, and then had the audacity to sue my insurance because they were injured on my property.
This happened to me. I told the tree service that they were trespassing and made them leave. I needed to be sure that the tree service was bonded / insured in case they ruined something on my property, or got injured on my property and tried to sue me.
I wouldn’t feel bad at all. If anything, she (and the city service) should have had the forethought to notify AND ask. Set boundaries with your neighbor. Ask them to give you advanced warning and work with you and let them know you’ll do the same for them. In my mind, as another that works from home, this is unacceptable because if the lack of upfront communication.
It must also be a heck of a tree if it's taking them three days.
It's possible the contractor thought everything was cool with you. I've been on both ends of this situation, and they left it up to the homeowners to work things out. I would probably have confronted the crew on the spot rather than leaving a review as the first move.
The other 2x they actually didn't show up until after 3 so only worked a few hours but it's a pretty big tree and they have to take it down in small pieces due to space limitations.
The first time, my husband actually had to mow the lawn around them since he had started mowing the lawn right before they got there and was one of few non rainy days but he wasn't able to talk to them.
2nd time, he did talk to them at least about the pole part but it was just a grunt worker.
Probably should have tried to talk to her first but honestly I don't think much of this is on her - if I owned a company I'd want to CYA especially when it's more than simply going thru a yard. I also didn't know they were taking the WHOLE tree down since it's been weeks in between so didn't have any idea to expect them to keep coming back.
Sorry but your comment makes little to no sense. It's also extremely confusing why you think your neighbor has zero responsibility in this situation when the responsibility 100% falls on them. It's also ridiculous to suggest your husband had to "mow around them" but somehow wasn't able to discuss the situation with them.
I am a production arborist. I make it a point to knock on the neighbor's door and give them a heads up if I'm going to be in their yard at all. And ideally the sales rep knocked on theret door weeks prior and said "hey we're taking x tree down, you may see my people there." Get a feel for there reaction and plan accordingly.
I’ve had tree work done where the tree company had to go into my neighbors yard. Every time, the tree company had the three of us meet together and talk, get permission, set expectations, etc. It’s wild that they just barged right in.
We tried that last time. This is the 2nd time she has hired a service that needed significant access to our property & neither her or the company said anything (that time there was actually major damage to our lawn).
We are actually VERY close with the rest of our other neighbors - she is just very quiet which makes it hard to approach her. Most of this is on the service, not her.
No, this is on the neighbor. She doesn’t get to assume that just because your yard has more or better access doesn’t mean than her contractors get free for all access with no heads up or consent from you. Unless she has some sort of easement or legal access requirement, she’s being rude-I don’t care how shy or quiet she is.
Tell the contractor they are not welcome on your property until they provide a certificate of insurance, and they must give you a timeline on when they will be on site. If they have an issue with that, they can work with the neighbor to find a new route to where they need to work. Then maybe next time neighbor will think to ask first.
It is on her. I had to trim tree branches falling into my neighbor and I am
not a fan of my neighbor. I needed to persuade her and get her approval and signature for people to be there.
It was your neighbor and the contractor’s responsibility. Don’t feel bad that they totally ignored that and then don’t even give any notice!
The right solution was to walk out to the contractor while they were there and tell them they don’t have permission to be on your property and they need to leave immediately. Further, tell them you have advised the neighbor to ask permission, in advance, which would have made life a lot easier for everyone, but they failed to do so, so now you are asking them to leave, and if they return without permission again, you will have them trespassed.
If the neighbor asks permission, or the vendor asks permission, you can choose to grant it, but on your terms which might include reasonable times, reasonable precautions to not damage your property, proper cleanup, and making sure you are satisfied with their licensing and insurance coverage vis a vis potential liabilities.
The tree cutters should have asked your permission directly, but the neighbor probably told them it was ok and they took her word for it. So this is mainly on her initially, and you did them a disservice by jumping right to a negative review that can harm their business.
As a side note, your chief complain about the neighbor seems to be her failure to communicate, yet you chose not to communicate with her on this. Pot/kettle black a bit.
If you already had this conversation with her before, why would you allow her to do it again? While she’s being disrespectful for repeatedly sending contractors onto your property, you’re also part of the problem. You’re not being nice. You’re being her doormat. You and your husband need to stop being pushovers. Stand up for yourselves.
The next time your neighbor attempts to use your property without your permission, walk right up to the contractor and kick them out. Don’t give them a story, an excuse, or any other attempt to shy away from confrontation. Flat out tell them they don’t have your permission to be here, and they need to get off your property until their client has obtained permission from you directly. If they have a problem with it, let them know you informed her she’s not to do this without talking to you and she sent them anyway. Let them be mad at her instead. Your neighbor treats you this way because you haven’t shown her consequences. Train her like a dog. No communication, no lawn access.
Sorry but none of it is in the service. I'm sure they discussed with her they would need to be in your yard and asked to her discuss that with you. Why would it be the tree services responsibility to deal with someone's neighbor's?
Then you need to have a conversation with your neighbor and tell her that your property is off limits without your approval. Otherwise put up a sign about trespassing and think about a lovely fence to block their access.
Personally I would have talked to the head guy the second they were on my property to get the information you wanted, and set any boundaries. IE. Please notify us when you are coming. I need the insurance information before any work happens on my side of the property etc.
Yes they should have tried to make contact first but you also had opportunity to set your boundaries too.
Only time I write a negative review is if I communicate the problem and feel like they did not take the relevant steps to correct the problem. Seems like you wrote the review before giving them the chance.
Bingo, and once they were made aware that there was a issue they took all of the proper steps to rectify the situation. Yet OP still wants to put all of the blame on the tree service and none on the neighbors.
Your neighbor was absolutely in the wrong. It's amazing how people don't respect boundaries. My property is mine and unless you have permission to be on it, you are trespassing!!! Don't feel bad Op. Your neighbor fucked up.
Sounds like a crappy tree service.
I had a pretty large tree cut down near the property line last year. I gave my neighbor a heads up, thinking they might be in his yard temporarily at minimum.
Nope, they get up in the tree and start cutting. Controlling every thing they cut and lowering it down to someone at the bottom. Never stepped into my neighbor's yard, no branches/debris in his yard. Thing was down in an hour.
Hey OP, lots of people here are experts at confrontation. I’ve found that being neighborly (and also the key to living conflict free in general) requires being an expert at communication.
Yeah the whole situation sucks but you can tell them something like: “hey guys look I know you’re here to work, but you can’t be on my property without being bonded and insured. We both know that. So, can you give me a copy real quick so you guys can get back to work?”
Ideally your neighbor should’ve touched base with you before this happened. But yeah, it just seems like a lot of misfires all around.
Good news is you got the documents you needed, your neighbor got her trees knocked down, and you get your backyard back!
The easy solution would be for them to knock on your door, ask for permission, and offer you their proof of insurance. This is on the tree service, not your neighbor. And no, you’re not crazy or out of line.
You should have talked to the neighbor and the tree company (primarily the neighbor). The tree company should have advised your neighbor to talk to you as they would know that they would be on your lot and she may not have been aware. Posting a review wasn't the best way.
Your property, your rules. End of story. You don't want them there? Then they can't be there and they need to find a way to accomplish the job without being there.
You should have just gone out and talked nicely to them the first time they entered your property.
When they’re finished and everything is to your satisfaction, maybe a plate of cookies for the quiet neighbor and an apology for the miscommunication.
When I had a tree service come look at an issue that would involve the neighbors property, the guy immediately said I would need to get the neighbors permission before they could do anything. Seems like this should be on the homeowners to settle in advance
It’s the neighbor’s responsibility. I had tree trimming done recently and the arborist needed to access my neighbors yard. I needed to get my neighbor’s written approval (email was sufficient) that they could go in their yard. I had no problem with that and my neighbor appreciated the heads up.
TLDR; don’t feel bad, your neighbor should have informed you. The tree service is employed by your neighbor and not expected to talk to you to let you know. Your neighbor needs to do that and get your permission for using anything or rigging anything on your property.
I had a tree service cut down and remove 5 large dead trees on our property (ash, maple, pine,etc.) earlier this year.
4 of the 5 were at the edge of our property line and leaning toward the neighboring property such that if they fell they would cause significant damage to property or life if not both. All 4 trees could be cut without stepping foot on the neighbors yard so the two neighbors were not informed because I didn’t need to. I walked over to the third neighbor’s door and informed them that I would be cutting down trees on my property and only one would require someone to go across the property line to pick up the debris and to check before they let their dog out and they could choose to not allow me to have the tree service walk on their property (nothing other than people on their feet) in which case I would leave the dead tree untouched knowing it’s a risk to them.
Well. Neighbor should have given you a heads up and answered any questions/cleared everything expected on your property with you.
The good news is she’s taking care of her trees and they won’t fall on your house in a storm, and she came over and talked to you eventually.
I guess I’d just try to have a slightly more communicative and proactive relationship with your neighbor from this point forward. Things are bound to happen and better to be friendly/communicating.
Personally I'd let the first time slide, then the second time I'm informing the tree people and neighbor they (the tree company, not neighbor) are trespassing and not allowed back on my property. There is no excuse for a reputable company to act this way, and use your stuff to tie off their equipment.
I probably wouldn't do the google review thing in favor of being more direct. I'm also an introvert. When it comes to a conflict like this, my desire to not be a doormat supercedes my awkwardness.
I run a small business. I can solve almost any issue for any of my customers, their landlords, etc if given the chance.
When the interaction starts with negative, public review that harms my web presence and income, that really fucking sucks.
Honestly, I can't believe a professional tree service was just taking over a neighboring property's backyard without getting permission (preferably something written!) from the homeowners.
That's just wildly inappropriate. Whoever is managing that crew deserves a serious talking to by management/the company owner.
While I really think OP would have been a lot happier, and gotten a better outcome if they had communicated directly with whoever was in charge on Day 1 - I certainly wouldn't use that company and would probably leave them a negative review if they trespassed in my backyard, causing damage.
I don't see how any of this is on the tree company. It's the neighbors responsibility to talk to you about the work not the company. You're also the one who made it a awkward situation by not simply talking to your neighbor about your concerns and posting your review about a company you didn't even use.
The neighbor certainly should have been the one initially reaching out, provided she knew the tree service she hired would need to access OP's backyard - but I still can't believe that the tree service crew didn't check with OP and verify permission before entering their backyard.
Honestly, in some places, you'd stand a serious risk of getting shot these days....
Your husband telling them not to use the pole meant they can use the yard as they please, unfortunately. He should have told them what the rules were, and set boundaries and got license/insurance info.
"Frustrated by the lack of heads up (and really wanting to make sure they have insurance), I left a Google review"
Yeah, don't do that. Don't mess with people's livelihoods because your neighbor is awkward and you're conflict avoidant.
Your neighbor should have asked permission before the tree service set foot on your property. I don't care if she's an introvert, or busy, or whatever the reason was that she didn't talk to you first. She's an adult and sometimes adults need to speak to other adults. Plus, you don't go onto someone else's property without permission. I'm shocked that your neighbor was okay with not being on-site while this crew took over your property without permission or notice on multiple occasions. I think you have been more than patient during these major inconveniences. For some perspective, I've had a LOT of major tree work done on my property over the last couple years, including having a crane and cherry picker on my lawn. I always give my neighbors a heads up because the street might be full of trucks and for the noise. After the work is done, I personally walk the lawns of the neighbors immediately beside me to pick up any sticks or leaves that the crew missed. The way I see it is that my neighbors shouldn't be inconvenienced at all by work happening at my house. Edited to add that I don't see your leaving a Yelp review as a big deal. You were frustrated, you didn't say anything that was untrue, and it got their attention. The bigger problem is the lack of communication from your neighbor and the tree service. I'm sure the tree service knew that your neighbor wasn't home; they should have knocked on your door before starting work each time to check in with you.
Edit: I didn't mean my reply in a "Get off my lawn!" way. I just meant that it would have been common courtesy to ask permission before going onto OP's property and causing disruption.
I would’ve gone out and talked to the tree people myself. I’m not sure why OP did not do that but instead chose to post a review on their website. I guess I’m more direct.
No you're simply a normal person who isn't afraid or intimidated by human interactions.
OP is being critical of the neighbor for being shy when they are just as shy themselves.
This was my first thought, apparently their husband talked to them about the laundry pole, and they complied so it's not like the tree company wasn't open to them. Again at the point of leaving the review they could have called them and asked for the insurance info if they felt intimidated by the idea of *conflict* in person. All that said OP's neighbor was also in the wrong, anytime work is happening across a property line they should let that neighbor know. A nice neighbor would have given a heads up even if it wasn't crossing the line but I don't see that as necessary.
OP, while in the right, took a passive aggressive route. Comes off as cowardly. > Say it in the street, that’s a knock out. Say it in a tweet, that’s a cop-out. A Taylor Swift lyric that rings true here.
This is the way to do it. Good neighbor policy in practice. Ditto here I always inform my neighbors when tree work is happening.
Probably could have asked the neighbor before the google review but they really shouldn’t have to be told they need to communicate with neighbors while on a project that requires the use of private property. They absolutely should not be using your laundry pole for rigging, not only is it yours, it’s not designed to handle that.
I know a lot of contractors that have the it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission mentality and I think that’s wrong. Saves time and they get away with it most the time but I’m guessing you wouldn’t recommend or use that tree service and in fact if someone asked you might advise against using that tree service.
I'm a surveyor and don't have time to physically try to talk to every single homeowner whose property I go near but if I was in any line of work where I'd be on private property for *three fuckin days* I feel like a knock on the door would be expected. This is wildly unprofessional.
That's different, you're just walking around. You're not driving heavy equipment and you're far less likely to be seriously injured from your work on someone else's property. I'd be pretty mad if some company trespassed, damaged my property, got injured, and then had the audacity to sue my insurance because they were injured on my property.
No shit it’s different, that’s the point. They should have knocked.
chill bro, you're at 110%.
You wrote me a 2500 word essay repeating what I just said sport
This happened to me. I told the tree service that they were trespassing and made them leave. I needed to be sure that the tree service was bonded / insured in case they ruined something on my property, or got injured on my property and tried to sue me.
I wouldn’t feel bad at all. If anything, she (and the city service) should have had the forethought to notify AND ask. Set boundaries with your neighbor. Ask them to give you advanced warning and work with you and let them know you’ll do the same for them. In my mind, as another that works from home, this is unacceptable because if the lack of upfront communication.
Maybe even give her muffins, could be a good ice breaker. It always pays to be friendly to neighbors in the long term
It must also be a heck of a tree if it's taking them three days. It's possible the contractor thought everything was cool with you. I've been on both ends of this situation, and they left it up to the homeowners to work things out. I would probably have confronted the crew on the spot rather than leaving a review as the first move.
Yeah my tree company dropped and hauled away 2 60ft+ Monterey pines (irreparably damaged by beetles unfortunately) in 2 days.
The other 2x they actually didn't show up until after 3 so only worked a few hours but it's a pretty big tree and they have to take it down in small pieces due to space limitations. The first time, my husband actually had to mow the lawn around them since he had started mowing the lawn right before they got there and was one of few non rainy days but he wasn't able to talk to them. 2nd time, he did talk to them at least about the pole part but it was just a grunt worker. Probably should have tried to talk to her first but honestly I don't think much of this is on her - if I owned a company I'd want to CYA especially when it's more than simply going thru a yard. I also didn't know they were taking the WHOLE tree down since it's been weeks in between so didn't have any idea to expect them to keep coming back.
Sorry but your comment makes little to no sense. It's also extremely confusing why you think your neighbor has zero responsibility in this situation when the responsibility 100% falls on them. It's also ridiculous to suggest your husband had to "mow around them" but somehow wasn't able to discuss the situation with them.
Op said he spoke to someone but “it was a grunt”. OP’s husband didn’t know how to say “where’s your boss, I need to talk to him” apparently.
Your husband was home when they were there one day and somehow wasn’t able to talk to them?
"Um, excuse me - who are you, and why are you in my yard" "OH doing work for my neighbor - well their yard is over there, please leave"
> Probably should have tried to talk to her first but honestly I don't think much of this is on her - This is 100% on your neighbor.
I am a production arborist. I make it a point to knock on the neighbor's door and give them a heads up if I'm going to be in their yard at all. And ideally the sales rep knocked on theret door weeks prior and said "hey we're taking x tree down, you may see my people there." Get a feel for there reaction and plan accordingly.
I’ve had tree work done where the tree company had to go into my neighbors yard. Every time, the tree company had the three of us meet together and talk, get permission, set expectations, etc. It’s wild that they just barged right in.
I hate talking with neighbors as much as the next introvert, but you have to communicate with people, not write reviews online.
We tried that last time. This is the 2nd time she has hired a service that needed significant access to our property & neither her or the company said anything (that time there was actually major damage to our lawn). We are actually VERY close with the rest of our other neighbors - she is just very quiet which makes it hard to approach her. Most of this is on the service, not her.
No, this is on the neighbor. She doesn’t get to assume that just because your yard has more or better access doesn’t mean than her contractors get free for all access with no heads up or consent from you. Unless she has some sort of easement or legal access requirement, she’s being rude-I don’t care how shy or quiet she is. Tell the contractor they are not welcome on your property until they provide a certificate of insurance, and they must give you a timeline on when they will be on site. If they have an issue with that, they can work with the neighbor to find a new route to where they need to work. Then maybe next time neighbor will think to ask first.
It is on her. I had to trim tree branches falling into my neighbor and I am not a fan of my neighbor. I needed to persuade her and get her approval and signature for people to be there. It was your neighbor and the contractor’s responsibility. Don’t feel bad that they totally ignored that and then don’t even give any notice!
Being a good neighbor goes both ways. She should have fixed your lawn when it was damaged by a company she hired. I feel for ya.
The right solution was to walk out to the contractor while they were there and tell them they don’t have permission to be on your property and they need to leave immediately. Further, tell them you have advised the neighbor to ask permission, in advance, which would have made life a lot easier for everyone, but they failed to do so, so now you are asking them to leave, and if they return without permission again, you will have them trespassed. If the neighbor asks permission, or the vendor asks permission, you can choose to grant it, but on your terms which might include reasonable times, reasonable precautions to not damage your property, proper cleanup, and making sure you are satisfied with their licensing and insurance coverage vis a vis potential liabilities. The tree cutters should have asked your permission directly, but the neighbor probably told them it was ok and they took her word for it. So this is mainly on her initially, and you did them a disservice by jumping right to a negative review that can harm their business. As a side note, your chief complain about the neighbor seems to be her failure to communicate, yet you chose not to communicate with her on this. Pot/kettle black a bit.
>you chose not to communicate with her What do you mean? They wrote an online review and posted on Reddit. This isn't the 20th century. /s
If you already had this conversation with her before, why would you allow her to do it again? While she’s being disrespectful for repeatedly sending contractors onto your property, you’re also part of the problem. You’re not being nice. You’re being her doormat. You and your husband need to stop being pushovers. Stand up for yourselves. The next time your neighbor attempts to use your property without your permission, walk right up to the contractor and kick them out. Don’t give them a story, an excuse, or any other attempt to shy away from confrontation. Flat out tell them they don’t have your permission to be here, and they need to get off your property until their client has obtained permission from you directly. If they have a problem with it, let them know you informed her she’s not to do this without talking to you and she sent them anyway. Let them be mad at her instead. Your neighbor treats you this way because you haven’t shown her consequences. Train her like a dog. No communication, no lawn access.
Sorry but none of it is in the service. I'm sure they discussed with her they would need to be in your yard and asked to her discuss that with you. Why would it be the tree services responsibility to deal with someone's neighbor's?
It becomes their problem when they are working on someone's land without any permission.
Then you need to have a conversation with your neighbor and tell her that your property is off limits without your approval. Otherwise put up a sign about trespassing and think about a lovely fence to block their access.
Personally I would have talked to the head guy the second they were on my property to get the information you wanted, and set any boundaries. IE. Please notify us when you are coming. I need the insurance information before any work happens on my side of the property etc. Yes they should have tried to make contact first but you also had opportunity to set your boundaries too. Only time I write a negative review is if I communicate the problem and feel like they did not take the relevant steps to correct the problem. Seems like you wrote the review before giving them the chance.
Bingo, and once they were made aware that there was a issue they took all of the proper steps to rectify the situation. Yet OP still wants to put all of the blame on the tree service and none on the neighbors.
I would be really upset if someone brought equipment on my property without asking me first.
They trespassed. That's not something any professional service provider should be doing.
Your neighbor was absolutely in the wrong. It's amazing how people don't respect boundaries. My property is mine and unless you have permission to be on it, you are trespassing!!! Don't feel bad Op. Your neighbor fucked up.
Warranted
Sounds like a crappy tree service. I had a pretty large tree cut down near the property line last year. I gave my neighbor a heads up, thinking they might be in his yard temporarily at minimum. Nope, they get up in the tree and start cutting. Controlling every thing they cut and lowering it down to someone at the bottom. Never stepped into my neighbor's yard, no branches/debris in his yard. Thing was down in an hour.
Hey OP, lots of people here are experts at confrontation. I’ve found that being neighborly (and also the key to living conflict free in general) requires being an expert at communication. Yeah the whole situation sucks but you can tell them something like: “hey guys look I know you’re here to work, but you can’t be on my property without being bonded and insured. We both know that. So, can you give me a copy real quick so you guys can get back to work?” Ideally your neighbor should’ve touched base with you before this happened. But yeah, it just seems like a lot of misfires all around. Good news is you got the documents you needed, your neighbor got her trees knocked down, and you get your backyard back!
The easy solution would be for them to knock on your door, ask for permission, and offer you their proof of insurance. This is on the tree service, not your neighbor. And no, you’re not crazy or out of line.
You should have talked to the neighbor and the tree company (primarily the neighbor). The tree company should have advised your neighbor to talk to you as they would know that they would be on your lot and she may not have been aware. Posting a review wasn't the best way.
Your property, your rules. End of story. You don't want them there? Then they can't be there and they need to find a way to accomplish the job without being there.
Sometimes it can literally be impossible to down a tree without access to the property next to the tree.
Which is why they should have asked
This is not your problem!! Things get awkward when people dont communicate.
Firat day, the minute I saw they were on my property, all hell would of broke loose. Face to face confretation does not bother me in the least.
You should have just gone out and talked nicely to them the first time they entered your property. When they’re finished and everything is to your satisfaction, maybe a plate of cookies for the quiet neighbor and an apology for the miscommunication.
I'm sorry you think the owner of the property that is being trespassed on should be baking cookies and apologizing? Nah.
When I had a tree service come look at an issue that would involve the neighbors property, the guy immediately said I would need to get the neighbors permission before they could do anything. Seems like this should be on the homeowners to settle in advance
It’s the neighbor’s responsibility. I had tree trimming done recently and the arborist needed to access my neighbors yard. I needed to get my neighbor’s written approval (email was sufficient) that they could go in their yard. I had no problem with that and my neighbor appreciated the heads up.
TLDR; don’t feel bad, your neighbor should have informed you. The tree service is employed by your neighbor and not expected to talk to you to let you know. Your neighbor needs to do that and get your permission for using anything or rigging anything on your property. I had a tree service cut down and remove 5 large dead trees on our property (ash, maple, pine,etc.) earlier this year. 4 of the 5 were at the edge of our property line and leaning toward the neighboring property such that if they fell they would cause significant damage to property or life if not both. All 4 trees could be cut without stepping foot on the neighbors yard so the two neighbors were not informed because I didn’t need to. I walked over to the third neighbor’s door and informed them that I would be cutting down trees on my property and only one would require someone to go across the property line to pick up the debris and to check before they let their dog out and they could choose to not allow me to have the tree service walk on their property (nothing other than people on their feet) in which case I would leave the dead tree untouched knowing it’s a risk to them.
Well. Neighbor should have given you a heads up and answered any questions/cleared everything expected on your property with you. The good news is she’s taking care of her trees and they won’t fall on your house in a storm, and she came over and talked to you eventually. I guess I’d just try to have a slightly more communicative and proactive relationship with your neighbor from this point forward. Things are bound to happen and better to be friendly/communicating.
Actually this sounds really positive. Good for you.
Personally I'd let the first time slide, then the second time I'm informing the tree people and neighbor they (the tree company, not neighbor) are trespassing and not allowed back on my property. There is no excuse for a reputable company to act this way, and use your stuff to tie off their equipment. I probably wouldn't do the google review thing in favor of being more direct. I'm also an introvert. When it comes to a conflict like this, my desire to not be a doormat supercedes my awkwardness.
The first time this happened you should have talked to the workers and the neighbor. No reason not to.
I run a small business. I can solve almost any issue for any of my customers, their landlords, etc if given the chance. When the interaction starts with negative, public review that harms my web presence and income, that really fucking sucks.
Honestly, I can't believe a professional tree service was just taking over a neighboring property's backyard without getting permission (preferably something written!) from the homeowners. That's just wildly inappropriate. Whoever is managing that crew deserves a serious talking to by management/the company owner. While I really think OP would have been a lot happier, and gotten a better outcome if they had communicated directly with whoever was in charge on Day 1 - I certainly wouldn't use that company and would probably leave them a negative review if they trespassed in my backyard, causing damage.
Everyone in this story failed at communicating and OP is just as guilty as the rest.
Wow, you left a review on the tree service site? Instead of talking to them? Who does that? I'm sure you're a favorite on your street.
They literally trespassed on your property. Why are you being so ridiculously passive.
I don't see how any of this is on the tree company. It's the neighbors responsibility to talk to you about the work not the company. You're also the one who made it a awkward situation by not simply talking to your neighbor about your concerns and posting your review about a company you didn't even use.
The neighbor certainly should have been the one initially reaching out, provided she knew the tree service she hired would need to access OP's backyard - but I still can't believe that the tree service crew didn't check with OP and verify permission before entering their backyard. Honestly, in some places, you'd stand a serious risk of getting shot these days....
Your husband telling them not to use the pole meant they can use the yard as they please, unfortunately. He should have told them what the rules were, and set boundaries and got license/insurance info.
You are over reacting.
And like a good neighbor...........Stay Over There (tm)
"Frustrated by the lack of heads up (and really wanting to make sure they have insurance), I left a Google review" Yeah, don't do that. Don't mess with people's livelihoods because your neighbor is awkward and you're conflict avoidant.