Not paying for garden work

Agree. You don’t need to do anything. It’s up to the gardener to get his payment from the people who hired him. If they don’t pay he can make a claim for the people who hired him to pay up.

What would you pay for a solicitors letter (not cheap) when you can just do nothing at all?

She’s not happy with the work though, she likes and wants to do her garden herself. She has spent money on garden equipment that she probably wouldn’t have if she was planning to employ a gardener. She also says if she was planning on hiring a gardener it would be her old one so this guy who’s trying to get her to pay half wouldn’t be getting the gig regardless.

Why don't you have the solicitor who did the conveyancing write them a letter saying you won't be paying for anything arranged by them outwith anything arranged during the purchase, including gardening? If they are disorganised, this could easily reoccur.

I don't think you should pay for something you didn't book - it muddies the water.

<Idly wonders whether, if all the "poor gardener, I would pay half" posters clubbed together with a couple of quid each, there'd be enough to pay said half>

Not morally obliged at all. This really isn’t the OP’s problem. The gardener effectively trespassed on her property because they weren’t able to communicate with the previous owner who they had a contract with for whatever reason.

If you can afford it then pay up. If you are happy with the work, pay up.

You are 100% NOT unreasonable! You don't need to pay anything.

"You're benefiting, so pay half" is ridiculous. Shall I go around the neighbourhood and book jobs for strangers, then claim they need to pay half because they're benefiting from the result?! Insane 🤣

Up to you if you'd LIKE to pay half out of the goodness of your heart, if you can afford it, if the price is very cheap, and if the guy did a good job. But that would be a million percent a goodwill gesture and nothing more.

Sure they do. But why on earth does that mean OP should pay any of this? She should use her money to pay for the things she missed.

Oh just pay half and sort it out from there. Things get missed and forgotten during a house move.

The previous owners need to be decent and pay in full.

The work was done to your house without your knowledge / agreement. The previous owner is totally responsible. Yes, of course you could give him something towards the cost if 1) you can afford it and 2) the work is done well and is useful, but in no way are you obliged to pay in full for a service someone else wanted and booked without you knowing a thing about it!

I don’t understand any comment that says you should pay half! The previous owners booked him, agreed the price, and didn’t cancel - 100% on them! So cheeky of them to send the gardener back to you. They should have apologised, paid him in full and then approached your themselves to see if you would be happy to pay anything as a gesture of goodwill. You still would have been well within your right to say no though!

I didn't do that or anything like that, but you're welcome! What did you think I did? I mean I know what I did, but I'd really hesitate to make a guess at what you think I did that caused you to say that as I have seen how extraordinarily gifted you are are misinterpreting everything. I know the quote you're referring to, what did you think it meant?

Well I will leave you to sticking pins in your doll, while you're arguing against Latin terms in contract law. That one was particularly entertaining. 👌

Good god no, there's probably only one person in the world that I know more about the law than. It was good of you to come!

Dog.with.a.bone.

First year LLB is it?

Oh no, I'm much more right than you are. Throughout this thread you've reached levels of wrongness on multiple points that most people can only dream of.
I'd forgotten about them cancelling the contract without telling the gardener before you just reminded me!

I said the previous owners would no longer consider themselves having a contract with the gardener. Well actually no, they wouldn't even think of it to that extent. They forgot or couldn't be bothered to cancel. So yes, the gardener can pursue them in the small claims. Or he could take it all as seriously as you and go all guns blazing and hire himself a top contract lawyer. The OP can then sit it out and say I'm not party to the contract. I've argued that she might want to pay half as a compromise for the work already being done. She's made it clear she's not happy with paying it but asked if she was being unreasonable. Now wind yer neck in because you're no more right than I am.

Why do you feel the OP owes it to the previous owners to "be decent" and pay half their bill?

Be decent, and pay half.

You stand by your opinion in the face of the facts! Because you have a right to your opinion!

Do you still stand by your earlier opinion that the contract the previous owners had with the gardener passed to the OP when she bought the house?

I stand by my opinion. OK.

How much is half ?