Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

To want my neighbour to cut grass or get someone to do it for him??....

23 replies

lisad123 · 04/06/2007 21:11

My new neighbours moved in a few months back and he seemed ok. He moved in with his 10 year old son and told me they had lived in a hostel for last year, seemed very nice

Since he moved in he has "friends" staying (I think from hostel) most nights, shouting and swearing at 10 year old till 11pm, his 3 other children stay at weekend and they are up till atleast 11=12pm.
The have a big lab dog (i love dogs that howls till god knows what time and gets into my garden and knocks things flying.

Howevwer, final straw is that they have not cut the grass the whole time here. The front garden is starting to creep onto my drive, and the back garden looks like a jungle.

Would you call the council? or talk to neighbour?

Lisa

OP posts:

DeviousDaffodil · 04/06/2007 21:12

Offer to lend him your lawnmower?

zookeeper · 04/06/2007 21:14

Could you say you saw a rat in his garden? Maybe it would shame him into cutting the grass

Lovecat · 04/06/2007 21:16

I think that you can anonymously report them to the council if it's obstructing the pavement - I know someone did this to us a few years back over our tree (much to my embarrassment, I'd been meaning to trim it back and kept forgetting so the leaves were drooping at head-height over the pavement). Council then writes a stroppy letter demanding you rectify it or they will do it and charge you accordingly. Out came the shears!

The other alternative (which may/may not work depending on your LA) is to call the street-cleaning dept anonymously and say you saw rats in there - they usually act pretty quickly issuing letters in that case - my dad did this with his neighbours when the grass got about 2ft high and they soon strimmed it down after that.

maisym · 04/06/2007 21:17

how old are his other kids? are they old enough to cut the grass? Could you offer your lawn mower?

I suppose really his garden is his business though. The problem seems the noise.

Lovecat · 04/06/2007 21:17

x-posted with zookeeper...

FrannyandZooey · 04/06/2007 21:19

God, our neighbours on one side are like this - I never would have DREAMT of saying anything about it, let alone calling the council

I would be annoyed about the noise and the dog but I honestly don't think how he has his garden is ANY of your business

LIZS · 04/06/2007 21:20

phew , thought you were my neighbour for one second ! Makes our jungle sound like a well manicured lawn . Who owns the house , could you appeal to the landlord if he doesn't.

FrannyandZooey · 04/06/2007 21:21

But what does it MATTER if his garden is like a jungle? How can it possibly affect you or be any of your business?

musicianswidowAKAmumofmonsters · 04/06/2007 21:22

its not up to you what happenes in their garden. The bits that go on your driveway....cut them. if they want grass 10 feet high they are allowed!

misdee · 04/06/2007 21:22

my garden is a jungle in places.

zookeeper · 04/06/2007 21:23

What an odd question

FrannyandZooey · 04/06/2007 21:31

However

lisa I think you have a right to be annoyed with this neighbour about the noise at night and the dog

would you like any help in sorting those out? I think the council could help you with both of those things

it does sound very stressful; I don't get the fixation on the garden, however different things annoy different people

ViciousSquirrelSpotter · 04/06/2007 21:37

He probably doesn't own a lawnmower

I know that's a bit pathetic, but you could offer to lend him yours. I had a lovely neighbour years ago who knocked on my door one saturday and said: "my lawnmower's out, I've just done mine and I've not put it back in the shed yet, d'you want me to do your's too?" in a really businesslike way. I was so startled that I said "oh yes please" and then realised I ought to have thanked her for the use of her lawnmower.

So I went out and said "I don't want to put you to any trouble, should I do it?" and she said "oh no, I'm in mowing mode now" and at the end of it, she said "I keep it in the shed, if you want, I'll bring it round to you every time I mow mine".

And she did. Then it broke, and I bought the next one and we kept it in her shed. When I moved, I left it to her.

Original poster

lisad123 · 04/06/2007 21:55

We have very little grass, so use the strimmer at the top part so dont have a lawn mower . I know its none of my bussiness, but my bedroom window overlooks his garden, and if im looking out inot the wood that back onto the houses, its not nice. We are also planning to sell the house soon, so guess i am worried about that.
Im ok about the noise most of the time, kids are noisey, and dogs do what they like. Im preggy right now, maybe my hormones are going crazy, but i cant stand seeing the garden in a mess especially when his kids arent allowed to play in top part as grass is too long (heard him yelling this to the kids the other day)

Hmmm, thanks for suggestions, might speak to him tomorrow

OP posts:

FrannyandZooey · 04/06/2007 21:57

Ah selling the house, I can see your concerns there

in that case I might offer to do the lawn as someone described earlier

bookwormmum · 04/06/2007 21:58

If you're selling the house, be careful you don't fall out with him - you might have to declare this.

snowwonder · 04/06/2007 22:02

if he has just moved from a hostel he might have better things in the house to be spending money on and the lawnmower isnt the priority, - although i agree i could be wrong and he could have stacks of cash....

i would talk to him about dogs etc , but to be honest his garden is nothing to do with you

Original poster

lisad123 · 04/06/2007 22:13

but the dog is lovely
I will ask him tomorrow it he wants to borrow strimmer tomorrow, or needs some help. Im not sure if his disabled, as sometimes walks with stick but maybe his hostel friends can help.

OP posts:

goodmorningday · 05/06/2007 09:54

i know that the thing about the garden can seem a bit petty/irrelevant in the grand scheme of life but i'm in a similar position with my neighbour who bought house next to me over 1.5 yrs ago and has done nothing to her garden except lay down plastic sheeting....since then loads of weeds, brambls stinging nettles and chocking ivy has creeped into my garden and it mkes me my garden is my sanctury, i'm a sahm with toddler and new baby and its somewere i can switch off and potter about..hers looks a blood mess and i'm fighting back the tide of weeds that settle in my garden...if i have a coffee morning or bbq everyone comments what a bloody mess it is...thing is i know she spent over 100k doing up the house......

worzsel · 05/06/2007 19:01

Just go round and offer to cut it for them !

We have neighbours here who obviously don't care much for gerdening and if i were trying to sell my house i'd be out there cutting it for them.. lazy buggers ! one of my neighbours gardens like a meadow and really drags the whole street down.

Thank god our direct neighbours decent, i cut his and he cuts mine.. awesome !

filthymindedvixen · 05/06/2007 19:14

Have you been round? It would be a nice neighbourly thing to do, to offer to cut it. I know we couldn't afford a lawn mower for a while after moving in and the lawn was wild! I rather liked it though...

Mrbatters · 05/06/2007 19:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dmo · 05/06/2007 19:32

i always cut my neighbours hedge when i cut mine as he never cuts it
and he pays the boys (my children) 50p to put the leaves in his brown bin for him

i dont mind as the front of the house looks neat and tidy and while i have the hedge timmers out i might aswel

Flip