Neighbours gardeners (diagram) [Title edited by MNHQ]

[thesqueezedlemon]

We all love a diagram accompanied thread dont we? We bought this house 2 years ago. It's a terraced house and my neighbours and I share a passage to access the rear of the property. We get on with the neighbours, my problem isn't with them. My problem is with their gardeners. They used to do our garden for the previous owner but we like to do our own gardening so that didn't continue when we moved in.
The neighbours have two unlocked gates (as shown in diagram) so they decide to use our driveway to drag their heavy lawnmower and various other equipment numerous times (represented by stars) This happens every fortnight. Back and forth back and forth....
We have a newly installed gravel driveway (used to be a garden) and the lawnmower etc leave deep tracks in the stones and drags stones onto the pavement.

Today I heard them arrive. I immediately went and moved my car to block the shared passage entrance from my side. Yes it was very passive aggressive but I don't like confrontation.
They still squeezed past my car and walked over my driveway 6 times but they had to take the lawnmower down 'their customers path' you know the one that wants them there. Unlike me!
Today feels like a small victory. I want them to know it is unacceptable to use my property like this.

To make matters worse. We removed all our hedges at the front. Our properties are now separated by next doors hedge. The gardeners cut their hedges but on my side leave a one inch overgrowth on my side. Presumably because we don't employ them. The hedge doesn't belong to me. I don't expect them to cut the entire side but to leave a small overgrowth on the top is pathetic.
This is another reason why I'm now making a stand.

AIBU?

NB: image not to scale obvs just a rough sketch haha.

Does the path to the right hand side of neighbor give access to their garden?

If so, just go and say to neighbor that the gardeners are fucking up the drive way and not keeping to the 'path' bit so can they get their gardeners to use the path on the other side.

Also ask neighbors if they are happy about the way their gardeners have cut the hedge.

Nice diagram!
YANBU - just go out and speak to them and ask them to use the neighbour's alleyway? If they previously did your garden too they probably just got used to going in that way.

They have a path that goes from the road, round their garden towards the passage. The gardeners decide not to use this because there are two unlocked gates. Not my problem. I consider what they're doing as trespassing.

Oh no it's a block of 4 houses. The passage on the right of neighbours house is for the end house. Sorry it is a bit confusing.

Tell the gardeners not to. Your neighbour employs their services but they can't be held responsible for how they behave. Is there another route the gardeners can take, I'm the lone voice on mumsnet who gets confused by diagrams .

Sorry my reply was late. I'm on desktop.

Put a gate in, lock it.

Nice diagram. Are the dotted lines the locked gates? I think I would have a kind word with your neighbour, asking them to tell the gardener that your drive is not to be used in future and could they unlock their gates to give access to the gardeners? They've obviously got used to it and are carrying on as normal.

As for the hedge, surely it will be just as much an eyesore for the neighbour to see the overgrowth as it is for you, so if you can bear it, I would leave that for a bit to see if they do anything about it. Alternatively, cut your side at your leisure, not just when their gardeners have left the overgrowth.

I've thought about putting a gate in but because we removed our hedge it would need to be quite a wide gate and put on a strange angle fixed to a post. I thinm itll look a bit daft and dont want to deface my property due to inconsiderate people.

I think you need Light's dad to have a stern word

Both gates are unlocked child they're just closed and the gardeners would have to open them (terrible isn't it 😉)
We do cut the inch of overgrowth, it takes about a minute to do but it is the principle. Surely it's harder for them to avoid the edge than it would be to just trim the whole thing. Argghh!

I'd leave the hedge on badness tbh.

And yes the dotted lines are the gates.

Why didn't you just ask them not to drag their equipment over your drive ?

I wouldn't speak to the gardeners. Your neighbours have employed them. I would just speak to your neighbours about the issues, calmly, and ask them to instruct the gardeners appropriately.

Conversation is not confrontation. Just speak to them nicely!

If they don't respond satisfactorily, then speak to the neighbour.

I'm not the most outgoing or assertive person but really, the lengths some MNetters will go to to avoid normal, everyday, human interaction astounds me.

We do cut the inch of overgrowth, it takes about a minute to do but it is the principle. Surely it's harder for them to avoid the edge than it would be to just trim the whole thing
You would think that, wouldn't you?

I think they are just trying to prove a point in their own pathetic little way.

You aren't unreasonable to want them not to ruin your gravel drive, but you are unreasonable not to go and talk to them about it.

I would say casually to the gardeners 'can you not cut across my driveway please?' then pop back in doors so there's no chance of an argument etc, then next time f they do it, say something to the neighbours but in a very relaxed way-keep it on the downlow to start, not worth falling out over it but its down to the gardeners I think.

"Hi, wouldn't you mind not accessing the passage across my driveway as its getting damaged. Thanks!"

Surely that's a lot easier than installing awkward gates and growing hedges etc

If I was your neighbour I'd tell them to use my path. As I'd be paying them to cut my hedge I wouldn't be impressed if they left a bit. If they didn't, they'd be told not to come back. My gardener is always respectful of my neighbour's and asked if I wanted the neighbour's side cut too my neighbour's are cunts so nope. They're not doing themselves any favours as their reputation should be how they get business. Three of my clients have taken on the gardener because they were so impressed with them. You should definitely talk to your neighbours as I'm sure, if they're decent people, they will tell them to behave.

I am not confrontational at all but even I could manage to say to the gardeners "excuse me, can you not bring your equipment across my drive to do Brenda's garden. Her path is round the other side and you can see what a mess it makes of our gravel. Many thanks"

Who can disagree with that?