On Friday, 1 May 2026, heavy rain and strong wind hit Kota Bekasi. Reports of fallen trees came in from seven kelurahan across Jatiasih and Jatisampurna districts. Some trunks blocked roads outright.
“Because of heavy rain and strong wind. Based on the reports that came in, (the fallen trees) are spread across 7 kelurahan in Jatiasih and Jatisampurna,” said Wisnu, acting head of emergency and logistics at the Kota Bekasi disaster agency (BPBD), that day. BPBD crews cut up the fallen trunks to clear them.
That was May, at the tail end of the rainy season. After a long dry spell, dead branches become a risk too.
1. A Drought at Its Highest Alert
On 10 September 2026, BMKG placed Kota Bekasi and Kabupaten Bekasi at the Awas (highest) level of its meteorological drought early warning. “Meteorological drought happens when rainfall sits far below normal over a given period,” said Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan, BMKG’s Deputy for Climatology.
Trees that go without water for months tend to shed twigs and branches. A dead branch dries out, stops flexing, and can hang on until the first windy rain loads it. The rest of the tree may still be green, which is why these branches get missed.
Before the rain comes, look up and note which trees shade your roof, carport or walkway, and who owns each one.
2. A Neighbour’s Tree Hanging Over Your Yard
For a neighbour’s branches, the usual reference is the Indonesian Civil Code (KUHPerdata), Articles 665 and 666. In the widely used Subekti and Tjitrosudibio translation:
- Article 665 prohibits planting tall-growing trees and hedges too close to the boundary. The distance follows special regulations or local custom. Where neither exists, it is twenty telapak (an old foot measure) for tall trees and five for hedges.
- Article 666 lets the neighbour demand that trees planted closer than that be removed. For branches reaching over your yard, you can demand that the owner cut them after a first warning, provided you do not step onto the neighbour’s land yourself. The translation of this sentence is clumsy, and some readers take it as a right to cut the branch yourself from your side after that warning.
The Basic Agrarian Law (UU 5/1960) revoked Book II of the Civil Code insofar as it concerns land, water and natural resources, except the mortgage provisions. Articles 665 and 666 sit in Book II, so some legal scholars question whether the tree-distance and overhanging-branch rules still apply. In practice, lawyers and legal Q&A services still cite them when answering residents’ questions. The compensation rules are not caught up in that debate, because they sit in Book III.
3. If a Branch Breaks and Causes Damage, Who Pays?
Two Civil Code articles do the work:
- Article 1365: any unlawful act that causes loss to another obliges the person whose fault caused the loss to compensate it.
- Article 1367(1): a person is also liable for loss caused by things under their supervision.
A tree in your neighbour’s yard is under your neighbour’s supervision. If a clearly dead branch is left in place after they were told, then snaps onto your roof or car, your position is far stronger than if a healthy tree came down in wind nobody could have predicted.
Hukumonline’s legal clinic cites Supreme Court decision No. 1022 K/PDT/2006, which ordered a dangerous neighbouring tree cut down. The court route exists, though a dispute over one branch rarely gets that far.
Older articles on neighbours’ trees often quote Article 201 of the Criminal Code (KUHP). Since 2 January 2026, the old KUHP has been replaced by the national Criminal Code (UU 1/2023), so that article number can’t be carried over as is. For branch disputes, the route is almost always civil and negotiated, not criminal.
4. Send the First Warning Now
Article 666 mentions a first warning. Article 1365 needs fault. Both need proof that the tree’s owner knew. That makes the weeks before the rain the right time to talk.
- Photograph the branch from your own yard. Show the dry branch sitting above your roof, carport or walkway. Keep the date.
- Talk in person first, then send a written message. A polite WhatsApp (“Pak, the dry mango branch over my carport looks likely to snap when the rain starts. Could it be trimmed this week?”) is already a dated record.
- Offer a middle ground. Splitting the tree-trimmer’s fee usually settles things faster than trading legal articles. You will be living next to each other for years.
- If it stalls, take it to the RT/RW. We cover the mediation route in neighbour disputes in a cluster and RT/RW mediation.
Don’t climb the fence or enter the neighbour’s yard to cut it yourself. Article 666 requires that you not set foot on their land.
5. Street and Estate Trees: Who Do You Call?
Trees along public roads and in city parks are the city’s to maintain. Kota Bekasi’s Environment Agency (DLH) handles fallen trees together with the roads and water resources agency and the fire department, and asks residents to report dangerous trees through the city government’s official complaint channel. Report before the branch breaks, with a photo and a location pin, not after it blocks the road.
Inside a cluster, the answer depends on the status of the common facilities. Until the estate’s infrastructure and facilities (PSU) are handed over to the city, parks and street trees inside it remain the developer’s or estate manager’s responsibility. A report to a city agency can stall because the land isn’t yet a city asset. How to check that status: PSU handover in a cluster and checking common-area status in the site plan.
6. Trees in Your Own Yard
Article 1367 cuts both ways. If a branch from your tree breaks a neighbour’s canopy, you are the one who pays. Three things to check this week:
- Branches with no leaves at all while the rest of the tree is green.
- Branches hanging over the roof, gutters, or the power line into the house.
- Cracks or peeling bark where a large branch meets the trunk.
For branches near power lines, don’t cut them yourself. Call PLN or a trimmer used to working near the grid.
A standard Indonesian home fire policy covers fire, lightning, explosion, falling aircraft and smoke. Damage from a falling tree is not on that list, so if you want it covered, ask about a specific policy extension. We compare policy options in bundled vs individual home insurance.
On a small plot, it pays to decide this early. The Emerald 70 house at Kingspoint Private Residences, Jl. Raya Perjuangan, Bekasi Utara, sits on 47.25 m² of land measuring 4.5 m × 10.5 m: two storeys, 70 m² of floor area, bored-pile foundation, around Rp 700 million including VAT, with instalments from Rp 5 million a month, in a flood-free area about 5 minutes from Bekasi Station. A front yard that size suits low planting or large pots better than a shade tree whose canopy will one day cross the fence. Planting ideas are in front gardens for cluster homes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cut a neighbour’s branch that hangs over my yard?
Under Article 666 of the Civil Code, you can demand that the owner cut overhanging branches after a first warning, provided you do not enter their yard. The safest route: warn in writing, keep photos, and ask the owner to trim it or agree on a shared trim.
Who pays if a neighbour’s tree falls on my house?
The basis is Articles 1365 and 1367(1) of the Civil Code: whoever supervises the tree, usually the owner, is liable for the loss it causes, especially where there is negligence. A written warning before the incident strengthens your position.
Where do I report a tree at risk of falling in Kota Bekasi?
For trees on public roads and in city parks, the Kota Bekasi Environment Agency (DLH) via the city government’s official complaint channel. For trees inside a cluster whose PSU has not been handed over, the developer or estate manager.
Want to see the front yard before you choose?
The Kingspoint team can show you the front-yard dimensions of the ready-stock Emerald 70 house on Jl. Raya Perjuangan, Bekasi Utara, and who maintains the gardens and street trees inside the estate.
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