There comes a point when asking nicely starts to feel like a waste of time.

One homeowner is starting to feel that way after a limb from his neighbor’s tree knocked down his fence.

Right after it happened, the neighbors apologized and said they’d get quotes, so he gave them time to sort it out.

But five months later, he’s followed up four times and spent $340 on temporary fencing, while the repairs still haven’t happened.

Now, his wife thinks he should put something in writing, but he’s worried a letter will turn a neighborly problem into a lasting dispute.

Read on to see what you think he should do.

Their tree took out my fence in May and they’ve been getting quotes ever sinc

A limb came down in a storm in May and took about eighteen feet of privacy fence with it.

It’s their tree. It’s four feet inside their line, and the trunk is the size of a car.

They were apologetic, and it was a real apology, and I still mostly believe it was real. He said he’d get quotes.

Each time, it seems the guy has a good excuse.

May, June, July, August, September. The fence is still on the ground. I have a dog, and I have been walking her on a lead in my own back garden for five months.

I’ve asked four times. Every time, there’s an actual answer. The tree guy never called back, the insurance wanted something, his mother’s been ill, which she has been. I’ve seen the ambulance twice.

I put up temporary fencing in July. $340 of my money on their damage, and I did it quietly because I need the dog contained, and I do not want a war with people I will see every day for the next twenty years.

Unfortunately, he and his wife have different opinions.

My wife thinks I should put something in writing.

My view is that the moment I do, this becomes a legal relationship instead of a neighbor relationship, and it does not go back afterwards.

At what point is the letter simply the right move, and I’m just being a coward about it?

Yikes! You really do need to choose your battles wisely. So, he may be onto something.

Let’s see how the readers over at Reddit would handle it.

Apparently, it would be his own problem in Michigan.

According to this comment, it’s the neighbor’s fence.

In this person’s state, the fence would be the neighbor’s problem.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who finds his parking spot at a hocket game in jeopardy from a rude driver.

Yet another person who thinks he should fix the fence himself.

Waiting around isn’t getting his fence fixed.

Before chasing the neighbors again, he should find out who’s actually responsible rather than assume it’s them because it’s their tree.

From there, he can decide whether to pursue it or arrange the repairs himself.

Either way, he needs a plan that doesn’t involve another five months of chasing them for answers.