Are the local Authority allowed to tell you to tidy your garden up even if you have bought your home?

[schneebly]

?

DH bought house from LA a few years ago and now we have moved to England to a house which is tied to DH's job here. We still have the house in Scotland but are hopefully selling it to my dad soon. The garden is pretty overgrown because we are not there to tend it and we cant really afford to pay someone to keep on top of it. BIL collected some mail for us and said we have a letter from the council telling us that we have 14 days to tidy up our garden - can they do this? I mean it is not full of rubbish or anything - just really overgrown.

anyone?

Maybe the council hasn't realised that you have bought the house?

I know our council occasionally go round cutting back hedges/plants etc which are hanging over onto pavements - they also issue notices if a wall or fence looks as though it may fall.

Message withdrawn

Dont know but im glad im not your "neighbour" the state of your garden will devalue their houses if they want to sell.

Dont you know any teens you slip a couple of quid and get them to tidy it for you?

hmmm maybe Mercy...will call them!

Cod - how am I supposed to do that when the house is in Argyll and I am in Merseyside!?? Hmm? I am not driving 7 feckin hours just to cut the grass ffs!

I get letters occasionally from the council telling me I have to tidy up my overhanging bush (PMSL) as it may be a danger to pedestrians...
I can sort of see the point of that as the offending bush (a buddliah tree) does go wild in summer and overhangs the footpath.
But I am a little at them telling you to tidy up your garden tbh, if it's not rubbish, just overgrown.
I'd give them a ring and see what the score is. it might be that they consider trees etc near the road to be some sort of health and safety issue.

yes they are - if you are causing a nuisance to neighbours.

When was hte last time you saw garden? I'd be surprised if they are getting in touch just because your grass needs cut!

FMF There are trees and bushes in the garden but they dont overhang. I will definitely ring them.

Nervousal - it may be the case that a neighbour has complained at it's unsightliness! I saw it fairly recently but was on a very quick trip to visit family and didnt think that leaving the grass to grow a bit would be an issue.

I should call them - will get the number from BIL

Message withdrawn

i think they can and if you dont do it they might do it and send you a bill presumably the neighbours complained

Might have to call on a favour from my brother I think! He works on a golf course and is good at cutting grass. I was just quite surprised that they think long grass is a big deal!

I expect it would have arised from a complaint by a beighbour.

or arisen

Yep get your brother to do it...thats what they are for isnt it?

I really dont blame your neighbour tbh id do the same (if I had the time to care)

My mums neighbours garden is very overgrown. And we were under the impression that there was nothing that my mum could do about it.

an idiot down our road has decided to grow rambling roses intertwining along her iron railings .. they look absolutely stunning

they are also at small children's eye height and are she doesn't keep the shooting out branches with thorns in check

I often 'huff' past her house loudly exclaiming 'be careful of the thorny roses'

(but if I see her I go 'good morning' cheerily and say nothing)

Yes I dont think I would like to live next door to a house with a rambling garden - it is just hard to deal with when we are so far away. TBH I though we would be rid of it by now - need to get our arses in gear and get it sold on to my dad.

I think they can if it is bothering neighbours (or neighbours say it is affecting their house price or something). In extreme cases, I think the council can tidy it up and bill you for it - I vaguely remember reading about a case in my local paper years ago.

I seem to remember seeing something too where the council did a garden then charged a premium for it so I wouldnt regard this as a hollow threat.

Get your brother to help, or as someone said, pay for it to be tidied (can't imagine it would be much). If I were you, wouldn't want to be 'advertising' to the world that the house is unoccupied.

If our dad's buing it, could he not go round and tend it?

It's the time of year for hayfever and rodent's breeding so it is important to keep grass a bit lower than meadow height.

Check the deeds to the property. If it was purchased from the LA, I suspect you'll find that there is a covenant on the deeds that you are obliged to keep the property in a certain condition, and even specific provision regarding the state of the garden.

how do you know it isn't full of rubbish if you don't see it very often?

Would agree with Freckle. When the LA disponed the property to you then there was prob an entry in the Burdens section of your Title Sheet to say that you must keep the property/garden in a good state etc.....you may want to check this.....do you think that someone has complained??

could your dad not move in now while you're selling it to him? presumably you know him well enough to trust him??!!!