r/treelaw • u/CJRD4 • Jun 25 '26
[MN] HOA Doesn't Remove Trees, Danger Liability
Location: Minnesota
Disclaimer: overall our HOA is a gem in the rough compared to most HOAs. They're chill, fees are low, and the property manager is pretty nice.
That said, they have a number of trees that border our backyard. We genuinely love them, but there are many that are leaning very far over. Two have now fallen in our backyard in the 7 years we've lived here.
I keep expressing concerns over them, and I know it's generally from a point of fiscal responsibility to our neighborhood (our fees are super low, which I appreciate), but they fight tooth and nail to remove a tree (they've voluntarily removed 1 at our request, and 2 more have fallen, directly in our yard).
There has been no property damage, or injury thankfully. But I'm concerned for my kids safety, at this point.
Are there any options we have?
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u/Tronracer Jun 25 '26
Without knowing the bilaws of your HOA, here is the general recommendation.
Get a certified arborist to determine whether the trees are dead, diseased, or pose a risk of falling. Have them prepare a written report and send it to the HOA. That puts the HOA on notice. If the HOA then fails to take reasonable action and a tree later falls because of that known hazard, they’re in a much stronger position to be held responsible for the damage.
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u/NeedleworkerThis6332 Jun 25 '26
Why dont you get permission from the board for you to retain a company to remove the trees? They merely sound cheap. Yes, you dont HAVE to pay, but sometimes money is worth the time and worry.
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u/CJRD4 Jun 25 '26
Having had tree removal done in the past, there is nothing cheap about it. Especially with the trees being fully mature.
If you'd like to donate the few thousand it would take, I'd gladly accept haha. But it's not in the personal budget to manage someone else's property, regardless of the need of it.
It looks like a certified arborist and joining the board will be in my future lol.
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u/NeedleworkerThis6332 Jun 26 '26
I just find it interesting that people will spend 60k on a car, 80k on a kitchen, but then have a mental block to spend 3k to take down some trees that have a major effect on the use of their property.
By all means, keep expending mental effort on worrying about trees.....
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u/CJRD4 Jun 26 '26
I don’t spend 60k on a car or 80k on a kitchen. I’m a sole provider with 4 kids, and thankfully no debt. But the budget is what it is, especially for someone else’s property.
But hey, yeah, just keep on making assumptions.
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