Not paying for garden work

The previous owners should pay!!
Your garden has been done,without you asking, and without you even knowing that the previous owners used a gardener and they expect you to pay because they forgot to cancel him?
Nope!

So then the OP is out of pocket? Why is that more fair?

Its amusing all the people saying that the OP should pay because its not the gardeners fault - its not the OP's fault either?! So why should she lose out instead of the gardener? The 'benefit' she's supposedly recieved isn't a benefit if she didn't want it doing, took pleasure in doing it herself, or can't afford a third party to do it.

He doesn't need to lose out and neither does the OP.

He can easily return this to the previous owners, as can the OP via her solicitor. If the don't cooperate, small claims.

Legally you don’t have to pay, morally I think you should. Poor gardener will be out of pocket if you don’t and that’s unfair even though it’s not your fault. I’d pay.

If the gardener genuinely was a regular worker there previously, then he'd have known it was for sale. There'd have been a for sale sign. Probably a "sold" sign. Such signs are in place often for months. Where's the guy been for the last few months? Did he never notice the sale signs?

IF, and it's a big IF, he genuinely didn't know, and IF he genuinely was a regular gardener last year, then it's still entirely on him that he screwed up. After effectively several months of not going near, suddenly rocking up and doing work is incompetent at best and he needs to chalk it up to experience and poor organisation.

Personally, as said upthread, I'd be more inclined to think he knew exactly what he was doing and was trying it on.

Bloody hell that’s ridiculous. It’s so unfair that someone can do that and you have to cough up. Was it a lot of money you had to pay out? I hope whoever made that decision in court comes home one day to find their whole house painted and a new fence put up and a bill they are expected to pay because someone told the handyman they would be good for it. 🙄

No previous owners pay and gardener should be chasing them not you. He has a contract with previous owners, be it verbal or otherwise and if he has had no dealing with you then should not be approaching you asking for payment / half payment. Previous owners should pay him in full and then ask you if you are willing to reimburse half … if it’s no then they have to accept that. Surprised gardener is prepared to chase backwards and forward between you chasing money, he should have insisted the previous owners pay him in full when he spoke to them.

The issue is with the client, not the specific garden, where it is or who it belongs too. The gardener needs to insist to his (previous) client and say he will take it to small claims court if not paid. I'd feel sorry for the gardener too – you can kindly advise him what to do, but do not pay him.

If he was keeping it tidy and presentable while the property was for sale, a gap of presumably at least six months seems improbable.
Realistically, you wouldn't need to do much in the garden after October, OP purchased the property in December - if nothing had been done by mid May the garden would be looking pretty wild an unkempt by now.
Sounds to me as if the gardener was chancing his arm to keep the job.

You're not legally obliged to pay but if it was me I would pay half. It's saved you some work and some time. Gardeners work hard.

@Spirallingdownwards
@SwingTheMonkey

Oh thanks, I misread. In that case I wouldn't pay (although I'd feel a bit sorry for him).

Not your problem. It’s not like it’s a permanent benefit as grass grows. Tell the gardener he will need to take previous owners to small claims court to recover the money. You don’t owe the previous owners anything.

Gardener should have made contact with the previous owners to check they wanted it done before he did the work. What if they didn’t want it done and were away?

not your problem.

YANBU. The seller’s responsibility. I’m forever forgetting to cancel things and I would never expect the current owner to pay if I’d done that.

I also think it’s out of order for them to claim you’ve benefited from someone coming onto your property without you knowing. I would feel very uncomfortable about what has happened if I was in your shoes. It’s not for you to now have to play nice with the gardener, it’s between the gardener and the sellers.

I do grounds/ gardening for a living.

When the gardener showed up, it will have been very obvious that someone had been maintaining the garden. If no one had, the grass would be knee-high by now, borders would have large weeds, etc. That would have been the, "Wait, let's ring the client" moment.

The gardener sounds disorganised at best (why haven't they checked in with the client, or come before now?) or a chancer at worst.

I wouldn't pay.

She didn’t say that? She said she’d already used a gardener at her old property that she’d use again if she wanted one in the future.

No she says if she were to use a gardener she already knows one and that it is the one she already knows she woukd hire not their guy.

YANBU at all! Not your contract. Nothing to do with you.

Nonsense - legally the prior owners had the contract. Morally they shouldn't be lumbering the OP with their obligations. It's May - she has been their 5 months. They had ample time to cancel.

Bollocks to morally the OP should pay.

What happens if next a hog roast provider tips up to do the prior owner's annual garden party should she pay for that? What if an annual Christmas turkey is delivered, should she pay for that? Extreme examples I knkw but just the same answer. No she did not contract with the gardener. The onus is legally and morally on the prior owner to pay.

Everyone suggesting OP should pay is failing to consider that they neither contracted for the work to be completed, nor do they necessarily have the funds available to pay for it.
This is a dispute between the previous owners & the company. OP is just the lucky beneficiary of their poor admin.

That would certainly be what I would do in his position.

Obviously the previous owner should pay in full, he should pursue them to do so.

But you say that if you do want a gardener in future, you would choose him. He may be reluctant to work for you in future if this ends up leaving him out of pocket. And he has done work you're seemingly pleased with so I might pay the half. It's up to you.

This is a hell no from me.

Their contract their liability.

Stand firm.

Legally, it’s not your bill to pay. But morally I think you should go halves. It’s a one off. And you are benefitting from his work.

I did the same thing as your previous owners and forgot to tell the window cleaner we’d moved out. He contacted me after he’d been to clean the windows in our old house and I, of course, paid him. It was entirely my mistake and I can’t begin to imagine what sort of CF I’d be to ask the new owners to split the bill because they now had nice, clean windows.