Q&A

A selection of property related questions answered

Can I get tall trees cut back by local authority?

Every year at this time my neighbours and I are faced with the problem of removing sackfuls of fallen leaves from our garden. These leaves come from sycamore trees, now 40 feet high, growing on the other side of our back wall. These trees also block the sunlight during the summer.

Some years ago the ESB pruned the trees as they were interfering with electric wires running above the back wall but they have regrown. Is there anything we can do to have these trees trimmed or removed?

Local authorities don't have the resources to routinely tackle every tree in their catchment area so what most do is put together a list of trees that have to be pruned each year.

The list is compiled in a variety of ways, but as a member of the public you can contact your local authority and put in your request for pruning.

Tree pruning takes place between November and March and is the responsibility of the Parks Department of your local authority. Look in your phone book for the relevant number.

If the branches of the trees were growing into your garden you could lop them off (or rather, given the height, have them professionally pruned by an experienced tree surgeon).

You can't insist that the trees on the neighbouring property can be cut down just because of leaves or shade. Leaves can be annoying but, if you look at it a different way, trees are nature's great calendar - they're the most beautiful way of marking the change in the seasons. And you are lucky to live in an area where there are mature trees - many people in new estates or inner city developments would be green with envy.

Youth organisations are always looking for fundraising ideas - could you contact your local scout troupe, for example, and see if they are interested in organising a leaf collection for a nominal donation from each homeowner?

Trees do so much to purify the environment that any mess they cause should be forgiven.

Landlord wants rent in cash

My landlord has insisted that I pay my rent in cash. He comes around weekly. My boss has told me that I can get a tax break from paying rent. How do I do this?

I mentioned it to my landlord and he said he knew nothing about it. I am not from Ireland and find it difficult to get information.

In the bad old days it was routine for landlords in Ireland to collect rent in cash - it was a way of evading paying tax on the income. That's dying out now because the whole rental sector has become much more professional and landlords are coming to realise that there are so many ways that Revenue can find out about their nice little earner that it's just not worth it.

As a PAYE worker in rented accommodation you are entitled to claim a tax credit on the rent you pay. You should fill in a renta1 form which you can download from www.revenue.ie.

Look also at www.oasis.gov.ie, a government website with citizen's information, and an excellent source of information for renters is the Threshold website: www.threshold.ie.

It has a leaflet in Chinese, French, Polish and Russian which explains to tenants what their rights are.

Send your queries to Property Questions, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street, Dublin 2 or email propertyquestions@irish-times.ie

Unfortunately, it is not possible to respond to all questions. The above is a representative sample of queries received. This column is a readers' service and is not intended to replace professional advice. No individual correspondence will be entered into.