Yes I'm a nosey old curtain twitcher but can the council make you tidy your garden?

[Pipbin]

We are owner occupied but the houses either side of us are LA houses.
Neither neighbour has ever really bothered much with their back or front gardens. In the year we've been here neither has done any gardening.

This last week, both neighbours have started doing some serious gardening, clearing weeds, mowing lawns, etc.
Is this just coincidence or has the council said something to them? Can they do that?
To be honest I didn't mind that they were a mess, it meant that they didn't use their gardens and ours was quiet.

It's usually an obligation of the tenancy agreement to keep the garden clean and tidy, it's quite common to send warning letters to ask a tenant to tidy their garden ... But if this doesn't work it is very rare for council to proceed with legal action unless garden is a public health hazard

Yes they can, it's a breach of your tenancy not to maintain the garden. They probably wouldn't be evicted for it unless it became a matter of health and safety (i.e. so much rubbish in the garden rats were becoming a problem) but they can certainly be made to do it. I think to be honest it's one of the problems with the social housing stock we have that people are put in properties that they wouldn't necessarily choose - not everyone wants to spend ages maintaining two gardens - and I say that as someone who's worked in social housing for 15 years.

Yep. Social housing estate here and we get stinky letters about the gardens regularly. Everyone tips out and tides up then some wait for the next letter before they go out again.

The gardens are untidy, but not full of rubbish, just over grown really.
How would the council know? Do they come round and inspect?
They wouldn't think I dobbed them in would they?

Estate managers and housing officers do inspect randomly, yes, they've no way of knowing it's you.

tbh I don't think its always for lack of trying...social tenants often are on benefits/lack money to make changes/buy gardening equipment etc
my neighbour has just recently started to sort hers out, after 3yrs! but it was left in a state before she moved in, and shes a single parent.

yes HA frequently do neighbourhood inspections, at least in my county anyway.

But it wasn't me! I don't want them out in their gardens!

I did notice that their front gates and railings were painted by the council last week. I wonder if the chaps who did the painting said something?

And Smelly, I agree, gardening is expensive and if you are on a limited budget the garden is going to be low on the list.