To wish my neighbour would keep their garden nicer

[GesticulatesWildly]

We both moved into our houses within 6 months of each other, about four years ago. They are council properties, and we both rent. They are a nice family generally, and we help each other out in a neighbourly way. They both work but both have flexible hours. I honestly like them, but oh my god, their garden. There are huge piles of bin bags, old bikes, a rotting sofa, broken toys and dog poo everywhere.

They have three young DC who don't get to play out because it's clearly not safe or clean. They cut the grass they can get to every so often but there are huge stabby thorny things that come through the gaps in the fence into my garden which requires weekly culling on my part so that my kids don't hurt themselves on them. Their grass is currently about a metre tall and is also coming through the fence which irrationally incenses me.

My garden isn't posh, but it's safe and clean for my DC and I do make the effort to keep it nice. I'm looking into putting some sort of mesh situation up on my side of our shared fence so I can stop getting so annoyed about it but it frustrates me that I should have to spend money because they can't be bothered, and it upsets me that their kids can't play out (I have invited them round to play at ours loads over the years and they're always pleased to come).

It's also part of the tenancy agreement to keep your garden tidy but if I ring the council to complain, they'll know it was me and it would destroy what is a nice neighbourly relationship. I'd offer to do it for them, but I don't have time (3 DC, 1 FT job 0 partner).

AIBU to be annoyed about this? WWYD?

If you're both social housing you can report it to the landlord.... When you rent you're supposed to keep your house and garden in a decent condition.

This works on mine. https://amzn.to/3pvEGs6

If the thorny things are brambles, nothing will stop them bar digging them up regularly. Mesh etc won’t make a blind bit of difference.

With regards to weeds, I agree it’s frustrating but you can’t regulate other people’s attitude to weeds.

The junk and dog muck are likely contrary to their rental terms, and reporting them is the only thing that will change the state of their garden

The risk of your neighbours having an unkempt garden is there may potentially be rats too!

The old stuff was good but I've found the new stuff very weak.

I think you can go round with a nice cold bottle of white as a present and ask them if they can please shift the dog crap and binbags as it smells in the heat

And stealth weed killer for sure

Oh yes - and you can say you thought you saw a rat to add drama

How sad that they have a garden for their DC to play out in, but they can’t be bothered to keep it clean & usable. The dog poo thing is disgusting. Some people have no shame.

Thank you everyone! Nice to know am not alone in feeling sad for the DC, and thank you for saving me money in not buying mesh to stop stabby thorny things coming through [side note: would weed suppressant fabric work? I might post in the gardening thread and ask].

OMG why hadn't I thought of rats though. I wouldn't care, I'd put bird seed on the table at the bottom of my garden and wondered why it had gone quickish when I hadn't seen any birds on there 😱

Christ. I'm going to have to say something aren't I?

A good way to tell is if there are rat runs through the grass- dips where the grass is lower down- they tend to stick to their routes.

my neighbour is elderly and her garden was very overgrown- i had to call the council out after seeing some

OP weed suppressant membrane wouldn't work if it is thistles/spiky as the weeds will make holes on it.

Weed suppressant membrane stops light going onto the ground. I've used it to help clean up bindweed and other pernicious weeds roots in my garden after I cut the weeds down and dug as much up as I could.

And stop putting bird seed out!

I doubt they’d notice but if they’re encroaching onto your space you can. You can get weed killer that just kills the foliage you spray but not the plant

It's likely there are rats in your neighbour's garden as they love to eat dog shit. I would stop putting food out for the birds and double check they can't get into your house via drains etc.

I would probably be tempted to tell them your saw a rat in their garden and ask them if they can take care of the dog poo and bin bags of rubbish so it doesn't become a big problem for them and you. If you have any spare room in your wheelie bin, you could offer for them to put a bag or two in there.

The ones which are affecting you (coming through fence) I would either - tell them directly that you're having to try to stop it but it keeps coming through and give them a bottle of weed killer/a strimmer, or - do what I've done before and just dowse it in killer when they're all out... I didn't want to have the convo and sound like I was saying 'what to do' so I figured they probably wouldn't notice if it died and dealt with it that way. Have done the same to Ivy that was coming over to my house before and put killer all over it and at the routes then once it was brown and very much dead I just pulled it all down... never got mentioned or replaced

I am a coward though lol and both were in the past before everyone seemed to have some sort of ring doorbell or CCTV, not sure if I could do that now!

Report them to the landlord / council / environmental health.

I did with one of my neighbours. Their garden was disgusting (old nappies, rats, dog shit and rubbish everywhere). Several skip loads of crap were removed from their garden.

The summer had never smelled as sweet afterwards.

Report to council, they won't say it was you.

If its a council house it's unlikely environmental health can help as they are also the council and they won't enforce against themselves. The housing officer should help though.
If budget allows you could get pest control to test bait. Pest control often reported where they thought the problems were stemming from leaving the suffering neighbour off the hook.
If there are bin bags and shit out there you WILL have rats.

Yes I would be upset never mind annoyed. Laziness too imo

Rats eat dog crap.
Go round & tell them you saw rats.

You can get rolls of raffia bamboo fencing and that will stop their weeds entering yours.and its not see thro.either. so will hide their crappy yuck..will need to be stapled securely or fixed with strong Gorrilla tape.google it for tips. They also need a skip.surely.

How sad for those children, having a garden so dirty and full of rubbish they can't use it safely. I wonder what condition the house is in? Do you think the children are being cared for properly?

Dog poo is a major health hazard. Not picking up is pure laziness, and disrespectful to neighbours. Why should you have to smell dog excrement or look at bin bags and rotting furniture when you use your garden?

Maybe they're overwhelmed but it sounds like they can't be bothered. They're treating the garden like a place to store rubbish. Why don't they take it to the tip or pay someone to clear it?

I'd report to environmental health, the council etc. Maybe they don't realise how rude and antisocial it is to neglect garden to this extent? I'd be tempted to anonymously report to children's services too, as a garden this neglected and unsanitary suggests a chaotic lifestyle or neglect.

They're also being very disrespectful to the council, this will cause lasting damage to the garden. I expect they'll leave all the junk when they move out so it becomes the council's problem or the poor tenant who moves in.

How would they know it was you? Presumably other neighbours can see into their garden too?

I would say you saw rats. Rats are neophobic, ie don't like change, so one of the easiest ways to discourage them from gardens is the change things. Eg clear it up!