Not paying for garden work

My husband is a gardener with regular clients. He always calls or messages before going round to check they still want him.on that day, particularly at the start of the season. The error is with the previous owner and the gardener here, not you.

Can you explain to me how I was trying to stop you posting what you want?

If you want to keep telling people who are not arguing that the OP should pay that the OP shouldn't pay, you can. However if you keep doing it to people making an entirely different argument as though you've somehow answered the point they made, expect to have it pointed out to you. Because what it looks like is you either don't understand what they are saying, or you are constantly moving the goalposts. But you carry on!

And my comment was in relation to the fact that no gardener I have ever employed has been okay with coming at such irregular, seasonal intervals, or they would be broke half the year. I guess we all have different lives and lived experiences.

I agree, and have said so upthread. My comment was in relation to the fact the gardener hadn’t been for a few months.

You don't have any idea how much they value having their lawn mowed for them or how much they are being asked to pay, so you can't possibly reach the conclusion it's "a bit tight".
If they are time rich and cash poor and enjoy mowing the lawn any amount is too much.

Are you the thread warden now?

Please understand I will post when and what I want, regardless. Do you expect every poster to recognise your name and your position on the matter? I do now.

You did the right thing. I wouldn't be paying for it either and it isn't beneficial for you because it isn't something you wanted.

Please understand that people pointing out to you that the delay is not unusual are not in any way saying that the OP should pay.

People can disagree with you on one thing without disagreeing with you on everything. And if you've reached the same conclusion as me but due to faulty reasoning, I can point out your faulty reasoning without questioning the conclusion.

So do we. We're not bothered about the front. But we have a solid gate on the side so that no one can get round the back.

Yes it’s not for the op to pay. It’s not any fault of the gardener.

I didn't think it was "unpleasant" at all. You just said "I would pay" without qualification in a manner that obviously suggests the OP should pay. If you mean to say you would pay because your personal circumstances mean you would derive benefit from it, then you should qualify it by saying that, to make it clear that's nothing to do with the OP.
If you tell someone "Well I would pay for them" when they've had a bill for 500 kilos of potatoes dumped on their front lawn, you have to add the information that your name is McCain.

Then they had plenty of time between when they put the house on the market, sold it to the OP, and mid-May coming around, to cancel whatever arrangement they might have had with this gardener. Not OP's problem.

We have a garden out the front.
The postman needs access so anyone can walk through the front gate.
Not all properties are the same and OP has mentioned a front garden

What?! I’m obviously talking about her back garden. Surely that’s a security issue, no?

I agree, we had a couple of gardeners (professional outfit, sign written van etc, well recommended locally), to clear MIL's garden last November (clearing dropped leaves, cutting back shrubs, clearing weeds etc) as she'd been unable to do any gardening at all during the year. They only charged £100 for a full morning's work - 2 blokes (owner and lad) 3 hours, and they took away all the cuttings etc. £500 is an absolute rip off. Though we were surprised that ours charged so little - we'd expected maybe a couple of hundred quid.

He had an arrangement with the previous owners and for the previous two years the house had been empty. I would say the house looking lived in might have tipped him off there had been a change of circumstances. In any case, it is not the OP's bill to pay.

YANBU, you did not engage him to do the work. This is 100% on the people who did not cancel him.

Also, if he knew the property was up for sale, he should have checked with them that they did still own it before starting work on it again.

I agree. Had it been our house, he simply wouldn't have been able to access our garden without ladders as the side gates are locked and the fences all around the garden are pretty high (not to mention some prickly shrubs around the boundary). Surely the garden would be better if secure to help stop burglaries too!

Actually, since there's no contract between OP and the gardener, I think this is a case of "quantum lucratus est", not quantum meruit

https://legal-resources.uslegalforms.com/i/in-quantum-lucratus-est

But, if they did a decent job and saved the bother of eg mowing the lawn, I think it's a bit tight not to agree to pay half

It was £200-300. Not a huge amount, but that’s not the point.

People could come through my gate into my garden. Do I have to stop that as well? I'd appreciate you letting me know before you enforce it, as you are clearly the Garden Access Czar.

You're being completely reasonable its not your fault its the old owners and the gardeners fault personally wouldn't pay either. You'd think the gardener would check before the first job of the year to find things like this out.

To the poster who paid £500 for 2 gardeners for half a day you were well and truly shafted.

Going rate is £20 or £25 1 hour professional gardener with power mower and all his own tools.

Mine visits monthly I pay £20 or £40 if 2 hrs occasionally needed.

£500 is just crazy.

I mean he could, if "he" was the same guy that knew the house was supposed to be empty, and not someone just sent down with a list of jobs to do. If that was so then, best business practice, he would have checked. However he still just did the work he was contracted to do and legally he's owed the money. Additionally, if anyone wants to argue he shouldn't have, the previous owner can - it's nothing to do with the OP.

How did he gain access to your garden? That needs to stop.