Anyone here who are landlord/landlady? At least some advice/opinion please!

[kevintheorangecarrot]

I live in a rented property (through letting agent). When we moved in the garden was a mess and plants was all dead and just crumbling away, so with this lockdown and beautiful weather, I've decided to venture out there and seen a lot of dead plants, weeds, it honestly looked a mess and there was nothing to maintain. The landlords shed has plenty of gardening tools so I decided to just rip out all the old plants and grow my own veg on one plot (I will pot new plants / flowers in when I move out of the property ) and also pot some new flowers etc on the other parts.

I am maintaining and keeping the lawn trimmed etc. It says on my tenancy agreement that it is my responsibility to maintain the garden but not to change or alter the layout.. now I am kicking myself! If a tenant did this.. would this piss you off? The letting agents are closed so I wouldn't be able to ring/email them to ask.

I would be delighted if it was me! And I'd be happy you were enjoying the property.

Have you added a path? A shed? Of not then you haven't altered the layout. Just planted some different stuff. I wouldn't panic if I were you x

You're clearly looking after the place...

You haven’t altered the layout, it’s just some plants.

Id be chuffed that you were taking the time and effort to look after the property.
I would think that the tenancy would be aimed more about indoors not changing rooms around??

No extreme alterations but I mean I've taken out all plants and stuff that the landlord probably put in there and grown, even though they were dead anyway

Not particularly, although I would not appreciate it if you dug up the lawn or changed the size of the beds. I would expect you to weed the garden anyway. However did you take a picture of the garden before you pulled up the dead plants, and are you sure they were dead?

Your landlord will be happy you've improved it.

I'd maybe be cross if you'd uprooted a load of grass to plant your own stuff, but otherwise I'd be happy you were enjoying the garden!

Contractual responsibility for maintaining but not changing the layout just means do cut the grass and do some weeding; don't move paths around or dig a pond or anything hard to change back.

To me, altering the layout would mean cutting new borders or similar. Our tenants rent the house and also the garden-I wouldn’t have an issue with it

Taking off dead plants and replacing them with new ones is totally fine. Adding new structures such as decks and fountains would not. No need to worry.

I put the existing plants in the inventory for my tenants, as I didn't want them to be removed! Personally, I wouldn't be happy if I hadn't been asked. My tenants have previously asked to change things and I agreed.

I have to be so careful with my landlord about the garden. When I moved in it was a state. Yet he cares about certain plants. For example some flower beds were so badly overgrown and full of weeds it would have been so much easier to rip it all out and start again. But I checked with him and no he wanted me to keep the lavender so I had to pain stakingly dig around them! I have improved the garden massively but have had to check every little thing with him through email. Obviously it's done now, the majority of landlords would be happy with you. But from now on I would check these things.

As a landlady I'd be delighted you got rid of the dead rubbish and made some use of the garden.
As a tenant, we've done some massive trimming and planted loads in tubs (because ours dogs would dig any veg up). In fact, the repotting has worked with the first shoots of potatoes!

I would only be annoyed if you ripped out plants which hadn't started to shoot yet, and were actually still alive. Great aunts prized rose or something. I also be annoyed if the grassy area had been converted to a vegie patch.

If its in an existing garden bed, then I'd have no issues as its seems like you are looking after it. I'm sure it will look much better afterwards.  I hope you took photos beforehand though incase there are any issues.

I'd be delighted! Our lovely tenants have done some painting of the fence and outside window sills etc. since they've been in lock down

I don’t think “”layout “ refers to the planting up of the garden, it’s not a permanent structure or alteration.
I would be delighted that the garden is being so well tended to and appreciated.

I'm a LL I don't think the layout is altered at all.

I would not mind a bit

At this time of year, quite a few perennial plants can look dead, but really they are just waiting for the warmer weather.

Are you an experienced enough gardener to recognise that this was definitely not the case, or are you a well intentioned novice who has piled in with good, but misguided intentions?

I am a landlord by the way and I let my tenants do what they like in the garden, provided they don’t change the hard landscaping. One of my houses had a really gorgeous, low maintenance, Mediterranean style garden when I got it, but my tenants have pretty much destroyed it with ghastly bedding. I just let them get on with it; it’s their garden to enjoy while they are paying the rent.

When I did the same, my landlord was so pleased he let me off a weeks rent!
(Full disclosure: This was about 30 years ago and the rent was £52 pw which was fuck all even then)

Do you have photos showing that the plants were dead on the inventory or does the landlord think they are still thriving? Are you 100% sure they are dead? I have a few plants that are only just starting to wake up after winter...

I wouldn't be happy if my tenants didn't ask permission and started digging new flower beds, changing planting, changed the hard landscaping, or planted things that are invasive (eg poppies or bamboo), climbers that might damage walls or fences (eg ivy) or will grow large and might need expensive removal (eg trees or large shrubs). I wouldn't care if they planted a few annual bedding plants in empty flower beds without asking.

Mixed reviews then.... and no unfortunately I never did take photos. I should've done! I just done it on a whim really. They was definitely dead plants. A couple was ok but they were so small and flat, had no life to them really! The rest just crumbled like fine powder. Completely covered in weeds as well and rotten leaves around it. I'm not an expert at gardening, but I do look after the property and keep it maintained and in habitable and clean condition. I will inform the letting agent once they're back up and running again.

As far as I’m concerned, the garden is entirely at the disposal of the tenants. Mine can do as they please. We repaired the broken path/step and filled in a small pond, I’m sure they didn’t want a murky puddle containing lots of random fish with tiny dc.