Fined for chopping down neighbour’s trees

Beautiful sun weather forecast neighbour's treesBeautiful sun. Photo: Norway Today Media

Man must pay NOK 490,000 for chopping down his neighbour’s trees

A man who chopped down the neighbour’s trees to get an ocean view has been sentenced to pay a fine of 492,300 kroner in compensation and costs.

 

A married couple at Svartskog, in Oppegård municipality, took out a lawsuit against a neighbour after he chopped down three trees on their property without obtaining their permission.

Their neighbour has been sentenced to pay them a weighty compensation of around NOK 110,000 a year, in addition to NOK 160,000 in costs, reported Østlandets Blad newspaper.

‘It’s completely insane. Fortunately, I’m insured, so it’s the insurance company that covers the costs, but that the court came up with such an enormous fine is totally wild. These aren’t any unique trees. Today, you don’t even notice that they’re gone,’ said Finn Kjellid, the defendant who was taken to court.

In the summer of 2015, Kjellid used a neighbour as a messenger to ask if it was okay to cut some trees on a common neighbour’s property, which was owned by a company.

Classic neighbour dispute

The third party was involved as the neighbourhood was already waiting for an answer. After this, the stories take different directions.
Kjellid believes he acted in good faith, and the trees were in neighbouring land where permission had been obtained.

In what has been characterised as ‘the classic neighbour dispute ‘par excellence’ of Norwegian tradition’, the neighbours maintained that they never agreed he could cut down the trees he is talking about.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today