Crane from the neighbor on my property

Quite simple, someone wants to save money, then I set the conditions. And that includes releasing me from liabilities, in writing, BEFORE anything happens, so that everything is clearly settled AFTERWARD. And I do consider Katja's example quite relevant. The first bulk material is then placed somewhere else, then you don't want to be fussy and say nothing, and the next day the next pile is lying somewhere else.

If I clarify in writing beforehand where things can be placed and why (oral is sufficient for that), then the neighbor will also be more aware that he must treat my property as his own and instruct the construction contractor accordingly if things are placed/dumped incorrectly.

An A4 sheet is enough for that.

And, if you are basically doing a barter deal, namely that you yourself, in the course of your construction work, can also use parts of the neighbor's property, then I would also write that in there including the planned period. Because I plan in such a way to save money, which the neighbor now also wants to save. And then afterwards there won't be much crying because the lawn turf is already laid.

You don't pee on your general contractor's leg if he hasn't even set a stone yet. Especially since he personally didn't expect the simple-minded excavator driver either. Better to clarify something like that exactly beforehand. It preserves the friendship

But do you pee on your neighbor's leg, next to whom I have to live for the next 50 years?

I’m not bothering anyone if I write down the things that were agreed verbally on a sheet and everyone signs it.

Here in the countryside, a handshake is still something like a contract that everyone has to stick to, with us thankfully (still) no such nonsense is needed. "Done is done," as they say. I understand if that's no longer the case in the prosperous areas of Germany, but thankfully I don't have to live there either.

It was the same with my neighbor. They dug away quite a bit of his property. A handshake was enough for me. But it certainly depends on the people involved.

It was exactly the same with my neighbor. They dug away quite a bit from his property.
A handshake was enough for me. But it certainly depends on the people involved.

I just think you have to live next to each other for the coming decades, and if someone comes up with a contract as their first official action, I personally find that quite unsympathetic.

But the OP now has two views and can decide what is best for their situation.