Here is another good what do you do situation ?
 

My shop neighbors a Church. They have 5 really ugly pine trees that hang out over the roof of my shop.
One of them fell, it is tangled in the other trees, but coming down on my roof any day now .
I called them a month ago, and my father spoke with the pastor personally over a month ago. The pastor said he would take care of it . The pastor lives on site, and the church is 100 yards from my shop .
When I called, I offered to split the cost with them . I thought that fair? Am I out of line ?
I was just out test driving an 87 Carrera, and noticed , that tree is going through my roof in the next week or so. It is really leaning , and the only thing holding it from crashing through my roof is a few rotten dead branches on the tree next to it . Looks dangerous
I guess, I should send them a letter in writing to cma? .
I mean, Ill take a new roof, but Id rather not it get all messy with the Church, and insurance companies .
That tree falling on my truck a few years back really opened up my eyes to these situations . $500.00 would make this problem go away.
I am almost willing to pay for it all , but they are not my trees, and not really my business to cut them down without permission, and there are also power lines tangled up in them, so we need some professionals with insurance .
One more call? , a polite knock on his door this afternoon? , or let the chips fall where they may?

Call the power company, if their lines are in danger of coming down they will remove the tree.

How about a call to your insurance company? They might be interested in righting the situation before it costs them money.

yup,but make sure they know that the next breeze is likely to make it worse. Since the last TS blew thru here the power company and arborists have been here every day.

Church collections are down due to COVID. One face to face conversation maybe? Pay for it and consider it a debt he can repay late (or not).

That situation would push my buttons for sure.

I’d go to church Sunday, stand up and speak my mind - with humility. Maybe drop some scripture about procrastinating. :) (James’ 4-17?)

the Lord works in mysterious ways, and apparently also very slowly

I would take down the tree(s) that are in imminent danger of falling. Then tell him he owes you half, not immediately, but eventually.

If he pays up you are good. If he doesn't, no big deal.

And tell him God is watching.

If you do nothing the aggravation is going to more than 500 bucks.

I would talk to them and if they are short of funds I would have the job done and chalk the cost up to charity or a business expense.

God is watching, I like that .
Kind of an odd fellow. I don't think he likes me. I have snow plowed their parking lot for free for 20 years. Never once, a thank you . He is always pretty standoffish. I wave to him every time I see him, he rarely waves back.
Strange people those Christians .

Be the last in the congregation to get the tithings dish. Then take it and say, “thanks preach, I’ll bring you back any change”.

:)

Anybody remember this thread ?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1017545-my-neighbor-made-news.html?highlight=neighbor+made+news
Yep, thats them

But FF will have the exposure if something bad happens no? Shouldn’t the church be on board from the start?

Like if the power line snaps, the church can say, “not me (my child) thine neighbor was trespassing “.

Looking for a silver lining - if you pay for removal, might you be able to deduct it as a charitable contribution?

Something tells me the cost to you of it falling on your roof would far exceed the current $500 est on getting it taken care of now.

God is watching both of you on this one.

This^
Since it's their property, they are responsible.
Propose to them that you will pay to have professionals remove the tree, and in return you get a statement from them showing it as a charitable contribution.

They should jump at that quickly.

That my friend, is a great idea.

Hard to know what the church's financial status is.

I've seen some that have TONS of money but are very careful how they spend it.

Others are barely getting by.

Then there are all those in between.

Point being - I wouldn't necessarily let them off the hook financially unless you have some inside info to go on - such as through direct convo with the pastor.

Since you have already had the conversation with the pastor/church about getting the tree removed - without any resistance - I would go into "persistence mode". Meaning call the pastor, talk in person to him, and/or email/write a letter to him ASAP and make sure you emphasize - THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW.

If you see progress - fine.

If not - go at it again with him. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Amen.

I'd stay on it every day of the week until something gets done.

If you have someone who can take the tree down, all you need is to get him and the pastor together. Then persist as noted.

Next issue is the money. Make sure if it's someone you know doing the job they get a deposit. I know that sounds a bit rude but it's all part of the deal.

Business is business.

A tree falling on your shop roof is not something anyone wants.

Get on it, Fred......good luck, buddy!

Do you have pics....if not, take some. Here, unless there is neglect (dead tree, etc.), any damage or removal on your side of the property line is yours to deal with (including your insurance co.). If the tree is healthy....it's all on you, if unhealthy, document with pics and a letter...

....and pray :D

Good luck Fred!

All of these trees are dead , have been dead for years now . That is why I reached out to the church.
I learned about all this stuff when my neighbors tree fell on my tow truck project 2 years ago . I had to really fight to get them to pay for it , and learned a lot about how this plays out. and how the insurance companies assign blame .
I got those rotten mothers to pay up . 6 thousand dollar a year policy, and they tried to squirrell out out of a 3500 dollar repair on an item , that was clearly covered according to the wording in my policy . Then I dropped them
I hate to fight, but when I am right, I am right

How much time has passed since talking to the Minister ?

That was my thought.
The church's insurance company might want to know about it too.

Over a month.

Would a tree falling on your roof be considered an act of god?

;)

Try arranging this with the pastor before having the tree removed.
Get an estimate for removal.
Pay for the removal and ask the pastor for a tax donation receipt for the whole amount of removing the tree. Better something than nothing.

Send certified letter To church voicing your concerns.
Call your own insurance company and ask the to come look at situation. Ask preacher to be present.

In Florida anything over your property is ok to remove.

Maybe pay for the entire job, take the deduction as a charitable donation? (Check with your CPA first.)

I would talk to him at your earliest convenience. Stress the urgency without being hardcore.

As to the charitable donation I would write a check to the church as a donation and have the church pay the contractor if you trust that scenario and he agrees.

(with threads like these I answer before reading the other posts)

If it's only $500 I'd pay someone to fix the problem.

If the tree falls on your roof $500 will seem cheap compared to the inconvenience of fixing your roof.

And I'd bet the church is not flush with money right now.

+1

Fred does not live in a densely populated area so $500 is probably real money to the church even without covid.

That depends. I've known of places where if any part of a tree crossed over your property line, that was your problem. So, potentially, you could have the portion that is crossing over your property line cut and the rest is there problem.

^^^^ Yep...I think it's like that in most places. And "your" insurance will likely not pay for removal unless it lands on your insured structure. I do my own removal... learned this from others' experiences.

Really odd the Pastor hasn't responded. Possibly the church just doesn't have the money, especially in the current economic climate. And maybe by not responding, he doesn't have to say why. Sometimes people give you the answer by not saying anything.

You know, often the greatest gift is to serve others. If you cut the tree that is the immediate issue yourself, you'll serve not only the church, also all the people that attend it.

I was looking at it today before I left , I think I can chain it around the trunk, and drag it with my truck , and not hit my roof, or the power lines . I have to go into work in the morning tomorrow early to finish up something.
I am going to have my morning coffee up there , and ponder it .
It is coming down one way or another. Like I said, its already broke, just hanging up in the other trees. The most dangerous kind . No way I am cutting it .
Thanks for the replies . Ill get a few pics

Im guessing they don't have the scratch either . I actually know one of the members really well, and he is a muscle bound workhorse. I think Ill ask him for a hand .

I'd get the opinion of the power company first before I would attempt to take it down.

Absolutely.

No one is questioning your ability to do it, but if things go Allman Brothers, you are on the hook.

I'd pay the licensed folks to do the work, then work it out.

Good luck. I hate this kind of stuff.

My next door neighbor is a pastor. I know how you feel. Most demanding and cheap family in the neighborhood. They dont do their own work either. ask around and wait till someone volunteers. God will provide

This. In writing.
If it's already leaning on wires, it might not be legal for anyone to mess with it.
(plus free is good)

Churches are businesses, nothing more or less. If they have pay, they have to pay.

I just had a tree removed in my back yard and the contractor couldn’t remove anything within ten feet of the power lines- main one, not the line going to my house. The power company’s contractor came out first and took the branches that where in that ten foot area, left them all on the ground and my hired company took down the rest of the tree and hauled it all away.

This is in St Paul MN; Xcel power.

I dont agree with that statement at all....

And that’s why they get away without paying property taxes.

If I think I’m Gods spokesman on Earth, why shouldn’t I get a pass on paying for anything too?

Why’s my belief less valuable than their belief?
Do I need a few credulous people to agree? If so what’s the cutoff?
The Mormons started upstate with a few wagons. What was the headcount before they qualified?