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overhanging tree banches

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,762
    edited August 2019
    The cost of servicing a property that you rent out, plus a contingency amount to cover unforeseen events, should be factored in when you decide on the rent you are going to charge. 


    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489
    If I was renting a lodge and wanted to sit out on the deck I would simply take a brush (provided by the lodge owner) and sweep the leaves off.
    SW Scotland
  • It's not the leaves it's the sticky sap that comes from a silver birch  

    Please only constructive comments
  • I appreciate that the cost is to be factored  have you any idea how much they charge to handle a key if used  it would be £22 a day and then pay £20 to brush the deck so very little profit

    NO MORE COMMENTS PLEASE
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 82,762
    edited August 2019
    So often these lodges are sold on the premise that the rental income makes them a good investment. So often that turns out not to be the case. ☹️ 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,049
    edited August 2019
    It's not the leaves it's the sticky sap that comes from a silver birch  

    Please only constructive comments
    Doesn't the stickiness help solve the slipperyness problem? The sap will be receding as autumn approaches so the tree will shed less anyway. Once the leaves start to turn it won't be a problem. If you want a constructive comment then birch trees are best pruned before the winter so early autumn would be better than November. September is probably an ideal time. Maybe approach the grounds team with that info and a bottle of wine and they might be convinced to do it sooner for you. You catch more flies with honey(dew) afterall.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • Cheers  that's better   a crate of ale I think
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 28,829
    Wooden decking gets slippery when wet and can be dangerous anyway.  One solution is to stretch and fix chicken wire across it, using a staple gun.   Done well it will be practically invisible and will render the deck usable all year and safer for paying guests.

    As for pruning birch trees, done at the wrong time of year it can lead to their bleeding to depth as the sap runs so freely.   It needs to be done when they're dormant and before the sap starts rising again in late winter so September to December will be best.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • That is a brilliant idea  thanks 
  • NollieNollie Posts: 6,770

    So, am i within my rights to prune the tree and offset the cost to the park owners by reducing the cost of my fees.
    The simple answer to that, from a legal perspective, is no. Neither the tree nor the site you lease for your lodge are your property, it is the property of the site owner.

    However, I sympathise, tree sap is a nightmare, although it can be removed by softening with an oil-based soap and scrubbing. Cleaning and sweeping of leaves is your responsibility during changeover between rental guests and it is actually not an unreasonable suggestion to leave a brush out for guests.

    At least the site owners have agreed to prune it back and they are right to delay this until Autumn/early winter when the sap is no longer rising. Try to encourage them to prune it back sufficiently so it no longer overhangs your deck. 

    To make the deck useable in the meantime (after thorough cleaning) you could install a pergola or sail shade to protect it from the sap/leaves. 
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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