Liability for storm damage

Questioner

A storm blew over a tree in our garden. The tree belongs to the neighbors, but they are both no longer alive. When the municipality asked who was liable, they consulted the land registry, but they could not find any heirs. Who is now responsible for removing the tree? The council said we had to clear it ourselves.

Lawyer

The Dutch state, if there is no longer an owner of the property plus everything on it, is then the designated entity. You can clear at the expense of the owner, whom I would approach first for this,