Neighbor's avocado tree (which touches my fence) branches have grown under some of my concrete, which it has raised & broken in multiple places. It's probably getting into some pipes, too. {Tenant conveniently comments, "someone can trip on that & break their neck} I spoke to the neighbor/"tenant" today. He took my name & #, SAID he'd have the owner call me. Still waiting. If i have the ground branches cut & cement repaired, wouldn't they just grow back? I'd rather the tenant remove the tree entirely. Any suggestions/ things I need to consider?

Put everything in writing with a proof of mailing. My neighbors ficus root traveled 74 feet under my slab and did damaged to my home. His insurance paid $74,000.00

to repair the damage. We both had the same excellent insurance company.

I have had these tree and root problems with neighbors and also my city with their trees.

The first sign of root intrusion raising my concrete (driveway, sidewalk, walkway or foundation -- I write a letter that is PUTTING THEM ON NOTICE! That if they ignore the situation or refuse to give me permission to remove the root (regardless if is harms their tree or not), They will be held responsible.

Then I get a professional to give me a letter telling me how fast the roots grown and how long before the damage is so great that I'll have to replace my concrete.

Then I'll have my attorney send them a demand bill for a tree service to dig up my side of the boundary and remove the roots.

In one case the neighbor said if I so much as touch his tree ( on his side) he would shoot me. I then filed a police report.

Then I began to stock some supplies on my driveway so the neighbor asked what I was doing. I said the I'm going to cur the roots on my side that are going under the driveway. TO try to insure after the roots car cut that your tree won't fall onto your house, I'm running some cable to hold the tree from falling. But I'm not sure if I did the math right. There's a 50% chance that you will be homeless by sometimes next month.

Find out how your state tackles property lines. Here in Pa, a property line isn't just on the ground but it reaches up in the air and below the ground.

So even if the tree is clearly on the neighbor's property, the roots could be on your side of the line - thus becoming your roots.

Think of it this way - when leaves fall off of that tree and fall into your yard - whose leaves are they at that point? Would the neighbor ever come over and rake those leaves up in your yard?

[[[[[...... I'd rather the tenant remove the tree entirely.....]]]]

The tenant had better not remove the tree entirely. If he does, he will be billed for the damage, which would be many thousands of dollars for an avocado tree.

General rule of thumb, you can remove branches that hang over onto your property but only to the point that you don't damage the tree. I would assume that also applied to roots, so you could cut a few of the roots and remove them where they reach the concrete, but I suggest that you cut the minimum number of roots and only in the exact place where they are causing problems.