Not paying for garden work

[gardendramas5]

I’m pretty sure I’m not being unreasonable but I just want to see what other people think.

I purchased my house December last year. It was empty for at least 2 years (ex rental)

The previous owners kept the front and back garden tidy whilst it was on the market, no idea if it was them that did the work or if they paid someone. Both gardens are quite large. I started doing all of this myself when I took ownership.

Anyway, I’ve been away for the last week with family and came home on Wednesday to freshly cut grass, weeds pulled etc. I asked my neighbours if they had seen anyone but they were at work. It turns out that the previous owners hired a company to do the work and hadn’t notified them that they’d sold the house last year. I only found this out yesterday as the gardener turned up with the invoice. I explained I wasn’t aware of this arrangement and that he would have to invoice the previous owners for the work (I was polite and apologised for the inconvenience but made it clear I hadn’t asked for this work to be done and wasn’t prepared to pay for it either)

He knocked on again this morning and explained that he’d spoken to them yesterday and that they agreed to pay half (because it was their error) but that I should pay the rest because I’m the one benefiting from the work. I told him no sorry I’m not paying and he needs to take it up with them.

I do feel bad for the gardener, but it’s their fault. I didn't ask for this. They were awkward during the conveyancing process too so this doesn’t surprise me. AIBU?

Why thank you, you've summed me right up.

Out of interest how much does he want?

I would say legally his contract was with the previous owner and therefore he needs to pursue the full debt with them. Morally you could argue you have been the beneficiary but again, not through choice. If he has agreed that the previous occupier can pay half then that doesn’t mean he has the right to demand you pay the other half. That would depend on your good will and it sounds like you don’t feel like the work was required so the good will isn’t there.

Very generous of you. Just get the gardener’s bank details and get on with it.

There’s 2 parties at fault here, to a lesser or greater extent, and neither one is op.

The gardener should have checked his services were still required after a long hiatus and the previous owner should have cancelled his services when the house sold.

The 2 parties should find a solution between themselves and leave op out of it. As I said upthread, I did the same thing with a window cleaner. I’d never have expected anyone else to share the cost of my mistake, however sparkly their windows were.

Where has the gardener been until now? Surely he should have been doing work before this and if not they should have expected a jungle, didn't they notice the garden was perfectly tidy already? How much is the bill? If it's not much I would pay half, if it's a lot no way.

I doubt the OP has any legal obligation to pay the gardener. This reminds me of a work colleague who got home to find her garage had been re-roofed. It turns out the builder got the wrong street, but still wanted her to contribute.

As an aside I wonder if the poster is in a position to claim trespass and criminal damage? He has gone on her land uninvited and has taken plants and chopped grass etc without permission. Surely legally I would have no right to wander into some random person’s garden and start hacking away at stuff? It’s then even more galling to be asked to pay for the service as well!

And did she?

Are you classy, then? I thought you were something else.

Block the access to the back garden and call the previous owner before doing everything.

I absolutely wouldn't pay this. I do sympathise with the gardener but hopefully the old homeowners will do the right thing and pay his bill.

I mean forgetting criminal, they could certainly sue if they could prove damage and loss.
.

.... why?

Seasons!

That's quite the response. I can absolutely see why you wouldn't!!!!😂

For those saying it’s not the gardeners fault - of course it is! He doesn’t work over winter, so when it comes to spring and he’s back working again, he should contact his clients and make sure they still want his services. It really is that simple - 1 phone call to each client. Similarly, in this particular case, the client should have contacted him and cancelled their contract. So the 50/50 split here is between the gardener and the previous owners.

Completely on the previous owners who owe the gardener for work they continued to contract.

Previous owners are CF's to think you should pay for their mistake.

Poor gardener though.

We are midway through May. That is five and a half months since OP bought the house. It is also midway through a season. None of the timing makes sense.

And in any case, OP did not request and does not need a gardener's services or anyone to mow her lawns. It is up to him to chase it up with the previous owner who forgot to cancel his extremely odd 'schedule'.

The point they are making is that the OP is no more liable, morally or legally, to pay the bill than you are. So if you are so upset about "the poor gardener" (who can and should get his money from the original owners who owe it to him), you pay.

A few people on this thread don't know the meaning of "goodwill" in a business transaction context.

The OP does not require goodwill with either the gardener or the previous house owners. You are essentially suggesting she give away her own money for a service and relationship she had no need for now or any need for in the future.

Nail on the head. No benefit at all in creating some "goodwill" for people you never see or need again. The gardener would create more goodwill for himself if he accepted he's made a mistake, leave the OP alone, and forget about it. There's more likelihood of the OP engaging him herself or recommending him to someone else in the future if he acted honourably and responsibly rather than going back to harass the OP! As it is, there's probably no way the OP will recommend him now. So the gardener has actually caused himself some "negative goodwill" by being a dick about all this!

Not sure why you are addressing that second paragraph to me. Of course the OP shouldn't pay. But the fact the gardener didnt turn up from December to May is not unusual, especially in an empty house - it's clearly what the previous owner had contracted them for.

It's clear to you. It makes no sense to me to have a gardener contracted to come every 5 or 6 months. That's not how any gardener I have dealt with has functioned. I wasn't addressing the second paragraph to you personally, I was responding to your one word post that assumed a lot, saying "Seasons."

Tell the gardener to take it up with the previous owners as the contract is in their name. They failed to stop the contract so it’s their problem.

I've been cutting my lawns since March