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Five ways street trees affect your home!
If you’re considering buying a home in a tree lined street like this, you need to know how trees can affect houses on the street. Here’s just a few,
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Property value: Street trees can have a positive impact on property values. Studies have shown that houses with street trees have a higher market value than houses without street trees.
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Energy efficiency: Street trees can help to reduce energy costs by providing shade and reducing the amount of heat absorbed by houses. This can help to keep houses cooler in the summer and reduce the need for air conditioning.
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Aesthetics: Street trees can enhance the appearance of a street and contribute to a more pleasant and inviting neighborhood.
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Environmental benefits: Street trees can help to improve air and water quality, reduce storm water runoff, and provide habitat for wildlife.
- Some species can grow too large and cause damage to the roads, footpaths and sewers and storm water drains of houses or businesses on the street.
It’s important to note that while street trees have many benefits, they also require maintenance and care to ensure they are healthy and safe.
In Sydney Australia, local Councils as the owners, are responsible for maintaining the street trees on their property, including pruning, watering and removing dead branches or fallen leaves, and the maintenance of the blocked drains they cause.
It’s important they select the right species of tree for the location and space available, as some species can grow too large and cause damage to the roads, footpaths and sewers and storm water drains of houses or businesses on the street.
Read our previous posts about street trees and how blocked drains are managed by Randwick Council, Waverley Council and Woollahra Council here.
Randwick Council trees are blocking my drains
Blocked drains are a large part of our workday; every day! And 85% of blocked drains are caused by tree roots. Our home is Coogee Randwick, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney Australia.
Tree-lined streets in Randwick Council are the reason for a lot of the blocked drains that we attend to. They damage the sewer drains and stormwater pipes that take wastewater off your property.
Many homeowners hold the council responsible for their blockage and have expectations that the council will clear their blocked drains for free because they own the trees.
Well in some cases they do.
But, Randwick Council gets their income from you the ratepayer and as you’d expect they have guidelines for spending ratepayers money to fix your blocked drains.
If you live in one of these Sydney suburbs managed by Randwick Council including Centennial Park, Chifley, Coogee, Kensington, Kingsford, Little Bay, Malabar, Maroubra, Matraville, Pagewood, Phillip Bay, Port Botany and Randwick, click here to see Randwick Council Sewerage Stormwater Drain Blockage Policy.
The top points are that you the homeowner:
- Must have a sewer service diagram for your home
- Must maintain your sewer pipes.
- Must prevent sewer blockages
- Must prevent sewerage from escaping into the environment
- Maybe entitled to the Council plumber clearing your blocked drain