Mother devastated after returning home to find property completely unrecognizable: 'Sue him'

Mother devastated after returning home to find property completely unrecognizable: 'Sue him'

Zachary Ehrmann

Mon, December 15, 2025 at 2:15 AM UTC

2 min read

A Victorian homeowner was shocked to learn her neighbor had trespassed onto her property and cut down a major portion of a tree that provided privacy between their homes — then applied a mysterious black liquid to the stumps.

A Redditor posted the story on behalf of their mother, who lives in Victoria, Australia, to the r/AusPropertyChat forum. Their neighbor cut down a significant part of the tree without permission and applied the black liquid to the remaining stumps, claiming it would "heal" the tree.

However, arborists informed the family that such substances should never be applied, as trees self-heal naturally, leaving the original poster to ask the community what to do next.

A Redditor shared how their mom's neighbor trespassed onto their property and cut down a significant part of a tree. — Photo Credit: Reddit

The homeowner confronted her neighbor, leading to a tense conversation. He later left her money, which she refused to accept.

"If that tree is on her land sue him for a replacement tree, [you're] looking at maybe 10k minimum," advised one commenter.

The OP's frustration is understandable. Trees play an important role in combating our planet's overheating, absorbing carbon from the air and providing natural shade that reduces energy costs, in addition to naturally beautifying your space.

Sadly, neighbors can sometimes make it hard to maintain your private green space. Interfering with property owners' trees or other climate-friendly home improvements (such as solar panels or native landscaping) can create barriers to environmental progress — a practice that's also frequently been deployed by homeowners associations in the U.S.

For homeowners facing similar obstacles, documenting everything helps to create a paper trail. Some Redditors noted that the OP could contact their local council about the unapproved tree removal, as Victoria has tree protection controls that may have been violated.

"There are new tree protection controls throughout the whole of Vic. Check out Clause 52.37 of the relevant council planning scheme. Being near to the rear of the site, it's likely the works contravene the controls," shared one commenter.

All in all, the comments were full of support for the homeowner's loss, along with ideas as to what to do next.

"Police report for criminal damage and trespass," said one person. "Contact an arborist to establish damage and cost to the tree."

"The neighbour has trespassed and then damaged her property — you can get your mum help from a lawyer/community legal service on this basis," added someone else.

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