Neighbor planted broadleaf trees that will clog my gutters (property, expensive, borrow)
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My neighbor just planted about 5 broadleaf trees right at the property line. In my part of the country, they grow rapidly and will reach 200' tall with a 50' diameter crown. It'll take 50 years to get that large, but in another 5 or 10 years they'll be large enough to drop a ton of leaves on my property.
Because of how our houses are situated (the back of his property faces my property line, and we live on two different strees), I don't know him nor do I ever see him. Likely, he'll be oblivious to the mess that his trees will create every fall.
Can I bill him for the cleanup costs that his trees are creating?
Eventually the trees will extend above my roofline, and the dropped leaves will have to be cleaned from the roof each fall to prevent water damage.
No, trimming vertically along the property line won't solve the problem.
Don't lots of leaves blow on your property anyway? They travel pretty far and if you don't want any of them you need to go live in a desert or something.
You'd better clarify that you are referring to a cap that goes on the top of the gutter and not a security guard. OP seems to have trouble with the concept of trees.
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As long as the trees aren't hanging over or on your property, you can't do anything about it. Your neighbor isn't responsible for leaves that may or may not blow in your house's general direction. I suggest you enjoy the view and occasionally clean your gutters.
I'm not talking blowing on my property. The crown of the tree will directly extend 25' over my property line and over house (I have about 4' between the property line and my house). These are broadleaf Maple trees.
Perhaps I give him the option of helping with the leaf cleanup or I'll trim the overhanging branches back to the property line.
Fortunately, I have a few years before it will be a problem.
The other issue, and probably the one more concerning, is the trees are planted right next to a concrete retaining wall that divides our property (mine is 4 feet lower than theirs), and if the tree roots push out against the retaining wall, they could do expensive damage. I've read conflicting information about whether tree roots push horizontally like they do vertically (such as under a sidewalk), but it is worrisome that they are that close to a retaining wall.
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