Prima di tutto, un po’ di contesto. Ai Vivaqua è consentito l’accesso al retro dei giardini di ogni casa sul nostro lato della strada poiché le loro tubature corrono sotto quella parte del giardino. A nessuno è consentito avere alcun tipo di costruzione in quella parte del giardino (capannoni, strutture per l’arrampicata dei bambini, ecc.).
Inoltre, installano e gestiscono l’accesso ai giardini tramite cancelli sicuri di cui solo loro hanno la chiave. Tutto questo va bene ed è scritto nell’acte de propriété. Non abbiamo mai avuto problemi con questo.
Tuttavia, questa settimana hanno inviato una lettera a ogni casa insistendo affinché tutti tagliassero tutte le loro siepi fino a due metri. Credo che questa sia una regola che il comune dovrebbe far rispettare (anche se non l’hanno MAI fatto) anche se non riesco a trovare nulla a riguardo nel sito web del comune
Sono riluttante a farlo per un paio di motivi.
- È costoso (circa 1500 euro)
- Ridurrebbe la privacy. I vicini sul retro avrebbero una linea di vista diretta sulla camera da letto principale e sul soggiorno
Vivaqua ha i diritti o qualsiasi base giuridica per richiederlo? Un giardiniere ci ha già detto che l’altezza delle siepi non ha nulla a che fare con la profondità delle radici, quindi non può essere per questo motivo.
Sono tentato di discutere con Vivaqua che se vogliono tagliare quelle dannate cose, possono benissimo farlo da soli gratuitamente!
Foto del giardino – Vivaqua può accedere alla parte compresa tra la linea rossa e la siepe posteriore tramite cancelli posti sul lato sinistro e destro del giardino. Il trampolino è consentito poiché non è una costruzione fissa
Vivaqua have asked all houses on our street to cut hedges down to 2 meters. Can they?
byu/ginolard inbelgium
di ginolard
18 commenti
Ignore them.
I don’t know about your commune, but where I live there is a mandated height limit for hedges of 2m. If yours is the same, then yes, they can demand it. And if they have to do it for you, they will send you a bill for the work.
Why don’t you ask them what their basis is?
If there is a maximum height in the plan de lotissement or in the ppas, you’ll need to comply at your expenses.
Usually there are reasons for the rules (safety rules, urbanistic rules, etc. etc.), try to understand the one affecting your garden, maybe you’ll agree with it.
For the vis-a-vis… A quick trip to ikea, some venetian blinds and the thrill of sitting well behind in the room, with a broken leg and some binoculars…
>Additionally, they install and manage access to the gardens via secure gates that only they have a key to. This is all fine and is written in the the acte de propriété.
can you explain this? do Vivaqua own the houses? is it social housing?
I’d like to understand why Vivaqua – and only them – can access those gates into your gardens. that does not seem legal, unless they own the places.
Dude how many hectares are you on that it’s €1500 to get your hedge clipped? €10/m is already pricey.
In any case a 2m max height isn’t specific to your commune, it’s all of Flanders.
I’d be surprised if you were legally obligated to do as they say **unless** the hedges interfere with their access to their installations
As to communes enforcing this kind of meaningless rules, it basically depends whether there is a stubborn prick living nearby and drowning them in complaints in which case they either review the rule or actually make people fix whatever needs fixing
They can certainly ask just as I can ask you for a trillion dollars. Are you obligated to obey? That’s another matter. in your case there’s usually loosely phrased legislation such “has to take reasonable measures to allow access”. What “reasonable” means in this case is always up for debate. That’s what you need to figure out!
Long shot maybe, but: the taller the plant, the more root growth. Perhaps they’re worried those roots might damage their pipes?
Commune should be the one to enforce.
However, you ( in this case Vivaqua) can take it to court. (Justice de Paix)
Otherwise you could have a rule that your neighbour is breaking and if he is best buddies with the major he can ignore it and you would have no means of enforcing it.
The question than becomes, will a judge just look at the law or also ask Vivaqua to prove how it’s impacting them. That I do not know
Edit for clarity
You’re in for some construction work in your yard. They probably need access for the machines to dig and change the pipeline.
If it is not allowed to have any sort of construction, is it really allowed to have trees, or high hedges?
How far from the plot boundary is your hedge?
There´s also federal law in the subject.
Nieuw Burgerlijk Wetboek (artikel 3.133 en 3.134)[Nieuw Burgerlijk Wetboek (artikel 3.133 en 3.134)](https://legalnews.be/bouw-vastgoed/nieuwe-afstandsregels-beplantingen-en-snoeiing-van-overhangende-takken-doorstaan-grondwettelijke-toetsing-aternio/).
And maybe Vivaque does have the right to demand what they´re demanding. Just ask them for their justification.
OP updated with pic of garden for some clearer explanation
From another jurisdiction, but anyone can “enforce” the existing law/regulations on you by reporting you to the proper authorities.
The general rule is that a hedge along the street is maximum 2m high. (Unless you have a specific ruling for your lot or by the municipality).
Usually it’s not really enforced, but if anyone (neighbour, city, company…) complains about it or asks for it to be trimmed, you have to trim it.
Yeah, no. Vivaqua can’t enforce shit here. Most of the time, there’s a clause ‘non-aedificando’ on the servitude, but they own the underground. Therefore, they aren’t propriétaires of nay neighboring parcels.
Yes, the VeldWetboek or more recently the Nieuw Burgerlijk Wetboek states a max height of 2 meters for hedges within a 2m limit from the parcel limit or the rooilijn (limit with the public domain), but only the owner of the parcel or the commune can really claim it. Neither can enforce it, by the way – not unilaterally. For the neighbor – he has to go through the justice de paix, the commune can enforce it via their GAS/SAC (sanction administrative). Vivaqua though, jack shit. But I’ve worked with them for many years now, and they overstep their bounds quite often. I mostly tell them to fuck off, but on the other hand I’m a department chief at a community/gemeente. So I wouldn’t advise to tell them to fuck of. Just do whatever. You won’t get fined. Worst case, they go through with it at justice de paix. I’d rather doubt it. A lot of the time, it’s one of their cantonniers who goes on a solo crusade.
Lil edit: when in doubt, service urbanisme/grondgebiedszaken in your commune.
Google :
https://navigator.emis.vito.be/detail?woId=14381
Took less than 2 seconds to find.