Someone has cut my grass and now wants money

[SliceOfCakeCupOfTea]

I'm working from home today today and heard the noise of a lawn mower out the front. I didn't really give it much thought and just moved into one of the back rooms.

I've just had a young bloke knock on the door and he explained that he's accidentally 'done my garden' instead of my neighbours. We live in a semi and it's the neighbour we are attached to. Our front gardens are separated by a knee high wall. Neighbour is out (car is gone and they aren't answering their door so I assume they're out) but the lad wants paying for cutting my grass. Since neighbour pre-paid him and they're aren't in, he's now saying that I owe him money because he has provided me with a service.

Neighbours garden is just grass surrounded by the wall. My garden is a bit more wild with plant boarders all around and a couple of small trees and bushes. The lad has cut my grass, trimmed the edges, tidied some of the bushes etc. It's obviously a bigger job than what he was hired for.

I don't want to pay because I didn't ask him to do this. Nor am I too happy with the job he's done anyways. He's saying that his time needs compensating and if our houses were clearly marked then the mistake wouldn't have happened. He's also saying that since I'm home and could hear the lawn mower, I should have said something instead of 'letting' him carry on 'doing my garden'.

AIBU?

@Hippoh is there something you’re just not getting here 😂

🙄
If she had been out... not heard him working, then fair play in not paying. But just not buying the whole I heard them but assumed it was not my garden despite having full access to windows to check.

I'm not saying she deliberately lured them to her garden, but she did take advantage of the situation and said nothing.

But didn’t she say that she was working at the back of the house ? And even if she did hear work going on, she hadn’t booked a gardener herself so had no reason to think it was anything to do with her. And the real point is, that she didn’t engage him, there is no contract, and it was his mistake.

I'm guessing somebody is trying to do a stealth boast that their mansion and grounds are sooooo large that any noise will be related to their property and cannot understand the concept of neighbour noise from living in bog standard semi, terrace or housing estates.

Or just a bog standard annoying," I'm bored", twat. Or maybe even both 🤔

I'm guessing somebody is trying to do a stealth boast that their mansion and grounds are sooooo large that any noise will be related to their property and cannot understand the concept of neighbour noise from living in bog standard semi, terrace or housing estates.

Err, no, my front garden and window are verrrrrry near to each other, consequently I would know if someone was in my garden??

I admit to being annoying, that comes from differing opinions...but I'm not the twat in this conversation.

Would you know if someone was in your front garden if you were busy working from home at the back of the house, hadn’t booked any work to be done, and were not otherwise expecting anyone to be in your front garden ? Why would you take any notice of noise coming from the front, given that you’re living in a semi detached with next door neighbours’ garden in close proximity ? She was busy and had no reason to think anything was amiss. Not a reason to pay a cf for work she didn’t want. And if she was taking advantage she wouldn’t be asking for advice as to whether to pay him anything or not.

When I'm out in my back garden (which is quite often) I often hear my next door neighbour on his ride on mower in summer. They have a large garden surrounding their house with tall fences. It would never occur to me to check that no-one is cutting my grass. Why would I when I haven't arranged for anyone to do so?

Are you saying that every time you hear a noise outside your house you look out the window?
Every time you hear a lawn mower, car door close, cat meow, someone speaking etc, you look out the window to check it isn't happening in your garden/driveway/doorstep?

The ultimate curtain twitcher! At least there'll be no crimes gone unsolved in your street I suppose!

If it helps I've also sat in the house while someone broke into my car which was parked on my drive way. I just assumed the car door thumps were coming from next door whose drive way is also only separated by a knee high wall.

Are you saying that every time you hear a noise outside your house you look out the window?
Every time you hear a lawn mower, car door close, cat meow, someone speaking etc, you look out the window to check it isn't happening in your garden/driveway/doorstep?

The ultimate curtain twitcher! At least there'll be no crimes gone unsolved in your street I suppose!

Yes... that is obviously what I'm saying 😂

Or could I be saying that if someone was in my garden for 2 hours while I was in the next room I would probably notice? 👀