Over grown garden

[UserInfinityplus1]

Neighbors garden backs on to ours (separated by a fence) and it is completely overgrown - like Day of the Triffids overgrown. It's blocking out all the light from our garden and one particular tree smells really strongly.

Some of the houses are Housing Authority and some are privately owned. I think the neighbour's house is Housing Authority because a couple of years ago their fence blew down and the Housing Authority came to repair it.

Would I be unreasonable to phone the Housing Authority and ask them to sort it out? Would they even do this?

I'm not going to go round to the neighbour and ask them to do it because a) I think it's gone way past that (it's a professional job now as way to overgrown) and b) I don't know them and wouldn't feel
Comfortable knocking on the door.

one particular tree smells really strongly. How does doing a bit of gardening make a tree stop smelling ?

My garden is very overgrown i simply don't have the time to do it with 5 kids, I looked for. Gardener but they wanted £70 for a tiny garden! Which I simply can't afford. My council wouldn't be interested in any complain ts.

Sorry but I’m my experience HAs are very busy and most likely won’t get involved with a complaint like this unless it was about anti social behaviour etc.

Have you ever seen the neighbors? Any chance they are elderly/disabled etc?

All HA's are different, mine says you have to keep your garden in good order. they would send a gardener out to do a rough job if they were struggling, but as a one off, not a regular thing.
Age UK or another charity might be able to help them as well.

I'm not sure, I think it could be argued it's anti social to let your garden become so overgrown it impacts on their neighbours negatively and is unsightly.

So even if they only deal with anti social behaviour, I think this could be described as anti social behaviour.

Wow don't be put off by other peeps opinions 🙄😀 you know if it worries you ......you are asking for advice, some people are just opinionated 😜 If you read through your replies avoiding the 'opinion' ones I think you've had some good advice. Do you have any idea who lives there? If you feel intimidated by the whole problem could you try speaking with the neighbour's either side of you and the over grown gArden maybe would you feel more comfortable within a group.

Nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade ..... I'm a firm believer it's not what we do rather the way we do it that counts..... I personally think it would be good to establish the reason behind the neglected garden that way a suitable reaction can be established

We had similar with our ex ndn. We rang the HA who came out and told them that they were in breach of their tenancy so ndn got someone in to strim the lot who then found a dead cat amongst the rubbish

A tree smells?

How very dare it!

does the housing association seriously go into everyone's individual garden and mow their lawns jasey what a waste of money , no its not the same a
everywhere the housing association mow the communal grass verges, and the flats opposite my house have a large communal garden which the housing association maintains , but we responsible for our own gardens .

You're not being unreasonable. I had the exact same with my ex NDN and it was a nightmare. Rats and more rats. Under the overgrown brambles was piles of household waste (boak).

Anyway, in our area the local council have an Eyesore gardens team. Neighbours the other side reported him, since he's a council tenant on disability benefits they just deal with it for him now. Approx once per year a team come round with chainsaws and hack it back, free of charge.

Suggest you have a look on your council website and take it from there...

HA will get involved. Tell them you've seen rats and they will soon sort it out,

I live in an HA property and they definitely wouldn’t do our gardens. When I moved in, mine was already overgrown, no grass, mainly brambles and various weeds. I tried to sort it out but the small amount of time I had to spend on it literally barely made a dent. It grew faster than I could get anywhere with it. It stayed that way for about 3 years. In the end it cost me £900 (by far the cheapest quote I had) to get it all cleared. Looks lovely now and I’m glad I did it but if I had been on a low income I just wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.

You may well find it’s not deliberate neglect by the neighbours and they just don’t have the time/means to deal with it. You may just have to learn to live with it.

I have one each side like this, I actually like my neighbours so I can't say much but yes it is annoying.
Generally if I want the mass of ivy and bindweed to stop pushing my fence over I have to ask them if I can get rid of it myself and they always say I can.
I go over there and hack it all back once a year in spring and that seems to do the trick.
Some people just don't care about their gardens and don't want to do anything about it. I don't know what the answer is I'm afraid. I guess you could have a friendly chat and see if you can come up with some arrangement.

YANBU. My MIL had this issue with her neighbour. It's not the neighbours fault (she is infirm) but an overgrown urban garden provides a lot of cover for rats which were becoming a nuisance. DSIL reported to to the councils environmental health department (even. both homes being owner occupied). The council liased with NDNs care team and the garden was cleared by a local charity.

YANBU

HA cut gardens I'm ringing mine now then coz they've never done mine.