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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to take it upon myself to do the neighbours' gardens?

58 replies

morgyworgy · 26/02/2015 12:31

We have lived here for 5 years, lovely terraced period properties, we have neighbours adjoined either side.
Neighbour 1 works in the middle east and returns for a month in the summer and an additional fortnight at any other time. The rest of the time the house is empty.
Neighbour 2 I think either works away or long shifts where he sleeps over for days at a time. I think he has also moved into his gfs. We don't see him from one month to the next. In fact, a courier left a parcel here for him and he came round for it 10 weeks later once he saw the card.
As a result of this, their gardens aren't the best, neighbour 1 is pretty low maintenance and just full of litter, moss on the flags and weeds growing through.
Neighbour 2 is like a jungle. Full of litter (we're town centre) trees overgrown, sky/telephone leads come unpinned, gate broken off and left, ditto the doors to the electric cupboard thing.
Thing is, we have gone up for sale and the photo of the front of the house on the agents website is awful. You can see all the shite in it and neighbour 2 looks like an abandoned ghost house. Agent has said she can crop them out but they will see it if they drive past/view.
A big selling point of my house is the kerb appeal, it's beautiful. But then you see what surrounds it and nobody will buy.

So, aibu to go around, pick up the litter, pull up the weeds, trim some trees, fix the gate, maybe jet wash the paths and wash the windows
DH thinks I'm bonkers. Im not though am I? I just want to sell my house Hmm

OP posts:
LoisWilkersonsLastNerve · 26/02/2015 13:43

WAGS finger fgs

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 26/02/2015 13:45

I reckon note plus action... But just re packing up rubbish... I would not do anything too much...

This has consequences whether your house sells... So it would be unreasonabke imho to object.

Also of they are away.. Your place may have sold before they notice!

BudsBeginingSpringinSight · 26/02/2015 14:18

Yes of course tidy them up. Its not harming anyone, and you can drop a sweet and polite note through their doors which they wont get, to say what and why your doing it.

I would love to buy a house surrounded by people who were never there.

FluffyJawsOfDoom · 26/02/2015 14:21

Put a note through their door saying you're having a photo taken and will tidy the three gardens to help sell your house etc, if they have any objections could they please let you know by X date?

Jacana · 26/02/2015 14:43

Totally agree with fluffy. Good time to do it, too, before the weed growing season gets into full swing.

hamptoncourt · 26/02/2015 15:19

I had to do this OP - not so much the actual gardening, but the tidying up.

I was selling and my neighbours garden was truly disgusting as were they. They used to leave all their DC toys in the front garden night and day. Rubbish strewn everywhere. I once even found a pair of "wet" knickers just lying on the lawn. (vom emoticon)

I got DH to briskly tell them we wanted to keep the "front of the houses looking nice for the viewers" and would they mind if we had a "quick tidy up from time to time" every fucking day

They were a little bit embarrassed I think but agreed readily enough, and still didn't tidy it themselves. We just put all their stuff in a box and left it by the side of their house.

Good luck with the sale.

OttiliaVonBCup · 26/02/2015 15:21

Could you swing round mine once you're finished there?

Pretty please!

PurpleCrazyHorse · 26/02/2015 15:42

I'd put a note through their door and then just tidy up. I wouldn't jet wash anything or fix anything, just do the rubbish and mowing or similar.

LMGTFY · 26/02/2015 15:52

I would start by sticking a note through then clearing the litter as a start, I wouldn't do any real maintenance till I had heard from them. Are you sure none of your other neighbours aren't keeping half an eye on the properties so would know how to contact them? Is there a chance either of them have their mail forwarded (does postie never deliver there?) so if you were to post a letter through Royal Mail they would receive it? Do you have a name and you could look them up on Facebook?

Mousefinkle · 26/02/2015 16:05

Personally I'd do it. You know they're not in and they're not likely to be for weeks if not months and it's definitely going to affect the sale because it makes the area look scruffy really doesn't it? Just bloody do it. If they're anything but thankful then they're fools anyway, it's a kind favour IMO and no one in their right mind wants a messy overgrown garden. It's only their front garden, you're not breaking into their house for heavens sake Grin.

I'd do it, probably at night though because I'm a coward Grin.

SoupDragon · 26/02/2015 16:11

Have you tried this radical new concept called 'talking'?

Have you tried this radical new concept called 'reading'?

OP, on reading the thread title I was thinking "butt out" but given the neighbours are not there I would do some minor tidying up. I probably wouldn't trim trees or jet wash the paving (this can damage it is the condition isn't good) but tidying up isn't so bad.

MaCosta · 26/02/2015 16:18

I live in a very large wooded property with a long driveway through it. My neighbour (who is very rich) has a right of way down my driveway to get to the back of his land. Last year he sent his team of gardeners to come and trim my hedgeway because it was growing 9as they do) and he might scratch his car.

I am not spending money paying someone to cut a woodland hedge and I certainly don't have a team of gardeners myself but it made me furious that he felt he was entitled to do it without asking. Had he offered I would have been pleased that it was being done without me having to worry about it.

Do at least stick a note through the door.

LoisWilkersonsLastNerve · 27/02/2015 14:25

I can't believe you are all saying do it! I would go berserk if someone came into my space and started faffing about! Please ask at least op!

ThatBloodyWoman · 27/02/2015 14:33

Note through the door.
Then rubbish pick,and tidy without substantial repairs/alterations (eg cosmetic stuff like propping gate so it looks tidy,sweeping etc)

I wonder,could you go as far as plonking a couple of tubs out their fronts if you have any planted up (and they aren't too precious to go walkabouts),if they'll improve the place or disguise some problem areas.They're then easily moved when you move.

MadisonMontgomery · 27/02/2015 15:07

Please do ask them, and don't say because it looks a state! When my neighbours put their house up for sale they told me that I had to sort my garden out. Personally I think my garden looks fine, seeing as it is just a frequently cut lawn front & back, but I was sorely tempted to turn it into a rubbish dump just to spite them.

LoisWilkersonsLastNerve · 27/02/2015 15:22

madison
Well yes one persons mess is another's Eden. or some shite

The rest of you are clearly loaded up on hooch.

anya79 · 27/02/2015 15:24

Ppl can be funny i wouldn't without asking.

I had one neighbour who started digging my garden out it was bevoming a jungle the landlord wouldnt slab or turf it we were skint so we were saving up to sort it out. It was a really humid summers day south facing garden. He didnt ask me and this gsrden was bigger than the shoebox size of a house. I was a bit surprised but really greatful its the kindest thing anyone has done for me. He said he had nothing much to do and i was heavily pregnant. I was looking like a whale i guess he fekt sorry for me hes seen this whale pulling out the jungle every few weeks.

I had another neighbour who i suspected had mental healtg issues but she and her sister were infirm and vulnerable. They asked my husband to cut back their hedges she even showed him from a-b. Next morning she heard him in the garden and said "why are you cutting my hedge, and your kid has stepped on my prized flowers. The child was 2 and the flowers were dandelions? lol.when he explained she had no recollection, just like my mother in law. After that we didnt help anymore lest we were accused. She did ask to wash her bedsheets she didnt have a washing machine.i thght better not she may accuse me of stealing them or having ruined them in the,wash?

Frostycake · 27/02/2015 16:18

When I sold my last house I did my next door neighbour's garden and the path and fence near the parking spaces too. I also washed down his windows and watered his plants! He'd moved away and left the house empty. All attempts to get him to fix it fell on deaf ears. It's the only way if that's the case and you want to sell at a good price. My neighbour thanked me once. Confused

LoisWilkersonsLastNerve · 27/02/2015 16:35

Frosty Shock Washed his windows!

Frostycake · 27/02/2015 16:43

Grin Yes!
What can I say? ... I was desperate to sell! (they were filthy too).

TheAnswerIsYes · 27/02/2015 16:58

In your situation I would just do it. They won't know who has done it anyway.

LoisWilkersonsLastNerve · 27/02/2015 17:42

Your all winding the op up aren't you? What if your neighbour has a tidy but odd garden? With a penis sculpture or something in it? gnome collection

LoisWilkersonsLastNerve · 27/02/2015 17:45

I'm picturing some poor mnetter in a gillet and naice scarf being bundled into a police van, shears in hand!

worksallhours · 27/02/2015 17:48

I would be really careful here.

Going into their gardens could be considered trespass. You might get away with removing litter, but mowing a lawn or pruning trees? The trees are your neighbour's property; pruning them could be considered damage and removing cut branches from their property could be considered theft. Same goes for the lawn.

I wouldn't even risk cleaning the windows. What would happen if you accidentally broke one?

I would speak to the neighbours before I did anything. If they are unresponsive, you might be able to get somewhere with neighbour two (jungle garden) if you tell the council you have seen rodents in the garden. The only problem then is that you might have to disclose the complaint to potential buyers.

The problem you have here is that if one of your neighbours kicks off about what you have done, you could be in a very difficult position.

MatildaTheCat · 27/02/2015 17:58

Note through the door then a good tidy up will make a huge difference. I would be tempted to prune etc but can see some people might be funny about that. I bet he doesn't even notice.

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