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Property/DIY

Garden Clearance Responsibility?

28 replies

NakedMum33and3rd · 23/07/2016 11:24

We should be exchanging on our property next week and then completely the week after. We have just been to measure up at the property (it is vacant). The owners have completely cleared the house since we last viewed it which is great
However, garden is completely overgrown. With all the sunshine and rain it is like a jungle. There are quite a few trees in the garden and you just cannot get in it. Both front and back.
When we made it offer it was March time and the garden was never bare but you could easily walk around it.
I mentioned this in passing to the estate agent when we went to hand back the keys and she said she could speak to the vendor.
I don't want to rock the boat so close to exchange but it is going to be thousands of pounds sorting this out otherwise.
Is it the vendors responsibility to keep the garden presentable?

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JT05 · 23/07/2016 12:26

WI would have thought the vendor's. If they sale does not go through ( not suggesting it won't!) then an unkemp garden will put people off.


But it doesn't sound like they're gardeners, so I'd just blitz it when I got the keys!

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JT05 · 23/07/2016 12:28

Sorry, 'unkempt'. The trees would have been there before when you made your offer. A strimmer will easily sort out long grass and weeds!

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SpidersFromMars · 23/07/2016 12:32

All you can ask of them is to mow and strim the grass - they won't be doing thousands of pounds of work on the garden, for you to enjoy.

Our garden was full of knee high bramble and weeds, but it's fixable if you can put the time in. We certainly didn't have thousands to spend!

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HarrietSchulenberg · 23/07/2016 12:53

Depends on how much you want the house, and how much they want to sell. Either way it's hardly going to cost thousands to tidy it up, unless you're planning to get a landscape gardener.
Be careful, though, as if you push them to clear and tidy it they might not have time to remove the waste and create a lovely compost heap in the middle of the lawn Smile.

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NakedMum33and3rd · 23/07/2016 13:12

It was more the removal of all the foliage. There are privet hedges all the way around the back and front garden which have Gina crazy. The garden is like a field.

Was thinking it would cost a lot to remove it all as it certainly wouldn't fit in the garden bin.
We def wouldn't pull out. We love the house. We were just curious when the estate agent said that.

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NakedMum33and3rd · 23/07/2016 13:18

I guess it's more that they haven't taken care of it so it is all massively over grown. DH and I both work full time and we have two young children so wouldn't be able to do it ourselves so their would be a cost attached. We have a gardener who takes care of our current garden and we wouldn't leave it in a state for our new owners.
I was curious if it is a usual thing to make your garden presentable (same as cleaning the house) when you move out.

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wowfudge · 23/07/2016 13:22

The garden should not be a jungle - have a word with your solicitor about it prior to exchange. You are quite right about it being time consuming and potentially expensive to get rid of the waste.

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LIZS · 23/07/2016 13:26

They aren't obliged to clear the garden or clean the house, as long as there isn't rubbish. We insisted fences were reinstated after a storm but basically it was sold as seen at exchange.

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notthe1Parrot · 23/07/2016 13:28

When we have moved into a property, we have always found that "leaving the house presentable" has merely meant that the rubbish from inside has been moved into the garden ....... eg lots of black bags, old chairs etc.

We just accepted that, and sorted it out (over time).

On each occasion, we didn't want to rock the boat and maybe lose the house.

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NakedMum33and3rd · 23/07/2016 13:31

The first picture is what it looked like when we viewed it and had our offer accepted.

The last one is today.

Garden Clearance Responsibility?
Garden Clearance Responsibility?
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NakedMum33and3rd · 23/07/2016 13:33

First is original. Last two today.

Garden Clearance Responsibility?
Garden Clearance Responsibility?
Garden Clearance Responsibility?
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Tiggeryoubastard · 23/07/2016 13:36

Don't be so silly. Of course it's not going to cost thousands. Confused are you always so over dramatic?

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Happydappy99 · 23/07/2016 13:37

It doesn't look too bad, could you borrow some electric hedge trimmers so you can cut it all back a bit? You can take all the clippings to the tip if they won't fit in the bin.

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LIZS · 23/07/2016 13:41

It's not that bad. Main difference is that trees and shrubs are on leaf. A few goes with strimmer and shears will sort the worst of it out. Maybe get your gardener to do the initial work.

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NakedMum33and3rd · 23/07/2016 13:41

That's helpful tigger.
Where we live things tend to cost more than average. When we got our previous much smaller garden cut back and cleared and it was not nearly as bad as this it cost £600 so I am going off experience.
As I said before we are not massively time rich at the moment so would def need to get someone in to do this.
As I also said before it was the estate agent who said it would something she would speak to the vendors about. We were actually going to accept it as it was but if I can save some money then why not?

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MalcolmTuckersEyebrows · 23/07/2016 14:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NakedMum33and3rd · 23/07/2016 14:19

Good idea Malcolm! Thanks.

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AnaisWatterson · 23/07/2016 14:21

You saw it in winter and now it's in leaf. Come Autumn it will fall off onto your lawn. I'd just suck it up and get a gardener in to give it a good prune now. To be honest nesting season has just finished so they couldn't have cut a lot of it back earlier anyway. It won't cost thousands.

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engineersthumb · 24/07/2016 09:08

Hi A cheap hedge trimmer is about £30 and a Saturday spent pruning, trimming and mowing would sort that garden out. Just take the pruings to the tip rather than the bin. A cheap impact shredder is about £50 and turns a huge pile of branched into half a bag... love mine!
My wife and I work full time, are refurbing the house, have a toddler + 1 due soon so I understand not having much time but just crack on and it won't take so long. Congratulations on the new house.

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OldFarticus · 24/07/2016 09:14

We had this at our house. Our gardener charges 12 pounds an hour so he has been clearing and I have been shredding/burning it. (Lots of ours is ivy so no good for pulping). We have over an acre and I wouldn't expect to pay as much as you are esttimating OP. (Disclaimer: we are not in the SE).

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LifeIsGoodish · 24/07/2016 09:27

The garden in summer looks pretty much as you would expect from the picture in winter. If you bought as seen I certainly wouldn't expect the sellers to have done anything with it.

Why do anything right away? Your dc looks like they're having a good time exploring a child-size jungle. Over the summer, explore the garden and tie ribbons onto any plants you want to keep. Rake up leaves in the autumn (to avoid disturbing hibernating animals later). Buy garden tools in the autumn when garden centres are trying to shift summer stock, and have a big prune after he leaves have dropped.

Alternatively, ask your gardener to continue working in your new place and just do a bit at a time, rather than a major clear-out.

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yomellamoHelly · 24/07/2016 09:56

Don't think it's that bad tbh.
Ours was quite something when we moved in. Cost £600 to sort out (SW London). Professional gardener and his labourer for a few days with all their power tools and clearing the waste they created (3 massive trucks worth to dump).
Landscaping and returfing would cost the thousands you imagine not clearing.
Think I'd suck it up as the state of the garden would have put others off and that's your gain.

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Runningupthathill82 · 24/07/2016 13:13

Doesn't look that bad at all OP. Our garden was more overgrown than that when we moved in. Spent a day cutting the lot back, borrowed a friend's big car to take all the green waste to the tip. Job done.

You're being a bit OTT IMO, and I find it weird you'd even think of bringing this up with the estate agent.

We cleared and cut back our garden before moving out but, from experience, most people certainly don't.

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NakedMum33and3rd · 24/07/2016 13:26

Thanks for the helpful comments everyone.
Running, if you had read the post you would have seen that it was the estate agent who brought it up, not us. We were will to accept it in its current state but the estate agent said that we shouldn't have to.

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Runningupthathill82 · 24/07/2016 13:38

Er...no. I did read the post.

In your OP you said: "I mentioned this in passing to the estate agent when we went to hand back the keys and she said she could speak to the vendor."

Which sounds like you brought it up. Sorry if I've missed an update, but from that OP it clearly states it was you who first raised it.

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