Buying house with uneven garden & huge TPO tree.

lucyfrancesca96

Hi there. My partner and I have seen this house and the inside needs pretty much next to nothing done, however there’s the garden! As seen from the pictures, it has a very large tree which has a TPO. The tree raises part of the garden making it uneven. Is it possible to level part of the garden to lay new grass, can we put new grass without levelling? Does anyone also know if you can trim a TPO tree? Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hostafan1

Check out TPO restriction with the local council BEFORE you make an offer.
My understanding is that even pulling off a leaf CAN be a breach . Seems to depend on the individual council/ Tree officer / dogma

Janie B

That tree looks very close to the house... I would get it thoroughly checked before you go ahead with the purchase... are there any signs of subsidence or cracks in the house? How old is the house? The tree? Did the house have all permissions to be built so close to the tree, with correct depth of foundations (if the tree was there first)? What type of tree is it, and what is the "behaviour" of such a tree (is it a heavy drinker, e.g.)? Have the previous owners applied for (and been refused) permission to fell the tree? Or to "manage" it (raise the crown, e.g.)? Was the TPO put on as a result of such a request? We are in the process of dealing with a tree in our garden that is causing problems to our neighbour's property. It can be a long and expensive process... Best to go into any purchase with as much info as possible (forewarned is forearmed etc) ... 

Hostafan1

My GUT feeling is to find another house

pansyface

Yes. Even though there is national legislation there is still a lot of local interpretation as what constitutes “lopping”.

A qualified local tree surgeon would be able to help you navigate the bureaucratic tangle, but obviously only once you had bought the property.

TPOs bring out a lot of angst in neighbours too. You may be inheriting a saga of neighbourly disagreements.

Plus, it looks like a lime tree, so you are going to have the most wonderfully perfumed flowers for a short time in summer, which are going to attract bees from far and wide. And the nectar will also attract greenfly which will drip honeydew all over the ground and anything else beneath the tree.

Loxley

You can deck around a tree to create level areas, but digging or raising the soil level would affect the roots and cause problems for the tree (and if it goes into a decline it can start shedding limbs etc...) If you decide to make an offer, you'll want a structural survey to be sure the house isn't being affected. It looks an old house, and if cracks aren't appearing by now you wonder if they ever will...

The house looks great, and I wouldn't mind a large tree in my garden. But there are issues and complications to be aware of, I might think twice about the property.

Pauline 7

The inside needs pretty much next to nothing doing to it.........or have they 'papered over the cracks' so to speak. 

pansyface

Oh Pauline, you old cynic.😊

lucyfrancesca96

Thank you all for the comments. The tree seems definitely a cause of concern.

KT53

I would speak to the relevant authority to see if the TPO can be removed because of proximity to the house.  I wouldn't buy a property with a tree of that size so close to the house.

Pauline 7

pansyface said:

Oh Pauline, you old cynic.😊

Never a truer word said in jest, so they say.