Garden boundaries

The first stop would be the commune planning department to get the facts. They tend to differ from one commune to another. I certainly wouldn't trust a lawyer working for someone else to do this.

He should also make it quite clear to the neighbor that using a lawyer on such a minor matter is rude, arrogant, and a totally unnecessary expense. Normal neighbors just knock on the door and discuss things.

More than 20 years ago, freshly arrived to Belgium and not knowing the rules, my ex started mowing the lawn on a Sunday. (WSP). In less than 10 mns, the police knocked our door to remind us of the rules. Apparently our next door neighbor called them. All he had to do was to tell us to stop and we would have stopped. Many Belgians are like that. They can't handle face to face confrontation. They follow everything behind those white curtains ;-))) They have no neighborhood solidarity. Good luck with the idiot.

Take two pictures, one from a distance and one close up and go ask at the commune as J said. After that you will know where you stand.

A few years ago now I planted a long hedge and although I don't remember why, I do remember having to make sure that it was planted at least 50cm from the boundary.

Your neighbour, I believe, will have the right to prune it back to the boundary line on their side. The 50cm should mean that there is sufficient plant left to avoid die-back, which is sensible.

You can of course go 'halves' with a neighbour and plant a hedge by mutual consent on the boundary line, but if your neighbour moves and you get a right ar*e moving in then good luck. Agreeing hedge heights, or even hedge existence instead of a practical green (ugly) fence could be problematical.

Incidentally, if you want to go scrumping then any fruit overhanging a public path is not the property of the owner of the tree. So I have been informed.

After a quick search this is what I have found:
Planter

La loi distingue plusieurs catégories de plantations et, notamment, les arbres à haute et à basse tige, dont la classification dépend de la taille à l’âge adulte. Ainsi, les arbres à haute tige sont ceux qui atteindront une hauteur supérieure à 2 m 50 à l’âge adulte. Il y a donc lieu de vous interroger dès la plantation sur la catégorie à laquelle appartiennent les arbres que vous envisagez de laisser pousser dans votre jardin, dès lors que les règles qui s’y appliquent diffèrent.

En effet, les arbres à haute tige doivent être plantés à 2 m de la limite mitoyenne entre les propriétés, tandis que les arbres à basse tige, plus communément appelés arbustes, ne doivent être distants que de 50 cm de cette limite. Il en va de même pour les haies privatives. Il est important que cette distance soit respectée car dans l’hypothèse où elle ne le serait pas, le voisin pourrait exiger l’abattage de l’arbre.

Source: http://www.notaire.be/acheter-louer-emprunter/vente-ou-achat-de-gre-a-gr...

Hope this helps

regards,
NFR

As others note above, your first point of call should absolutely be the commune planning department . You mention that no one has complained for 10 years. If these are established trees, then ironically, there may also be local laws preventing you from chopping them down. In my commune, technically you're not allowed to chop down any tree that is more than 10 years old without permission from the commune.

A friend of mine, in a very similar situation, went to their comune and discussed the problem. The commune then suggested that they all (inc. the neighbors lawyer) go together to the commune and do a meeting together with the planning department. The commune told them to leave the trees as they were.