Tenant and looking after the garden

[emski1972]

I am a reluctant landlady and I rent out a ground floor flat with a garden. The lady who owns the top flat has been in touch to say he is not looking after the garden... I've asked him and he's cut it back. She's complained again...do I have to go and sort it out or is he responsible????

What does it say in the lease?

If it says in the tenancy agreement that the tenant is responsible he is, if it doesn't mention it you are.

It might just be easier to send in a gardener - and adjust the rent accordingly.

If it says in the tenancy agreement that the tenant is responsible he is, if it doesn't mention it you are.

The agent told me that it is basically unreasonbale to make the tenant responsible for the garden which I thought was a bit shit and a cp out (rent a house with a garden, surely expect to maintain the garden??)

Anyway, I paid a gardener to go and sort it 4x a year, do the hedge and lawn.

Not helpful, but ther eare no rules on what 'maintaining the garden' means so its probably easier if you go and sort it out.

If your tenant has no interest could you rent garden to the other neighbour for a very small fee, in exchange they upkeep and have full use. Our friend has a similar arrangement where a few fields are looked after by a neighbour.

Have they the skills and tools to do so?

What does the tenancy agreement state about the garden?

How frequently are inspections carried out? What is the tenant like in other ways: is the rent paid on time, the flat looked after, any issues flagged up in a timely manner?

This sounds to me as though you need to strike a balance between ensuring the tenant is reminded of his obligations under the tenancy agreement and letting him live there in peace.

Have the place inspected and ask for photographs of the condition, including the garden.

My garden is in the tenancy.
I have seen a lot that come with a gardener, presumably because of things like this.
Personally I think if you rent somewhere with a garden you are responsible for maintaining it, if you can't /don't have the tools get a gardener.
But if he's reluctant/ hasn't got the tools, I'd probably be inclined to get a gardener before the weeds take over and annoy the neighbours too much.
If it was sorted this time would he maintain it do you think?

Agree that it's down to what it says in the tenancy agreement.
But does the flat come with enough room to reasonably store a lawnmower and other tools? Ie a cellar, shed, similar? If not, then that does make it harder for the tenant.
FWIW, I've rented places where I was responsible for a garden and places where the lAndlord was. Both are fine, it just needs to be clear.

I've rented 2 places with gardens. One stated that we were responsible for the garden, but that meant the LL had to provide and maintain a lawnmower. The other one didn't mention it, and the LL had a gardener come round about every 6 weeks.

If I inventory a property with a garden I do always look for the lawnmower and mention its presence/absence on the inventory.

If it isn't in your contract then your tenant doesn't have to deal with it.

I rent and I 'maintain' the garden. It's not overgrown and I'm happy with the way it looks. My neighbours can see it's way better than when I moved in, but they would like it to be tidier to fit in with their idea of how their street should look. The landlord has provided a lawnmower but nothing else, and the gardener provided by the letting agents before I moved in was halfhearted to say the least.

Maintaining a garden and keeping the neighbours happy are not necessarily the same thing.

Imo a LL usually states the garden area must be kept tidy and free of rubbish but doesn't expect the tenant to cut the grass or tend shrubs etc.
I am guessing it's reasonable to ask that your tenant refrain from lighting bonfires or flicking cigarette butts or piling up recycling etc but I would say it's up to you to arrange garden maintenance.

If I inventory a property with a garden I do always look for the lawnmower and mention its presence/absence on the inventory. You'd have fun with mine then; we have a flower bed/shrubs and no grass at the front of the house, and two patios (no grass) at the back.

I pay for the gardener for my let out house, just because it is easier and stops my neighbour ringing up and being rude to the letting agent and firing shitogram emails off to me about it, frothing with indignation about the height of the plants. She was exactly the same when I lived there though, so I told her to sort it out as I didn't have time.

Oh, alright then... a garden with a lawn... of real grass. I have done 2 recently with fake grass. One was really good, they left instructions for the tenants that started... Do Not Use A Lawn Mower. The other looked like it had been nicked off a fruit and veg stall

I dont understand why anyone would rent a place with a garden and not expect to maintain it! For starters it means you dont have landlord (or someone they have paid) popping round every week from april to September! That being said if you are a LL letting a place with a garden you should ensure there is a shed and a lawnmower.

We rent abroad and it costs us about €650 per annum for the gardener to come and trim all the hedges, trim back the trees etc, and the l/l insists on it; she even emails me to remind me that the hedges need their first trim (they bloody only get one at that price!).

We had to buy a lawnmower when we moved abroad, not needing one in the UK, so will gift it to someone when we leave, as we still won't need it when we get back!

If you rent a property with a garden/lawn, surely you expect to have to mow the lawn and remove weeds from borders? Just as you would if you owned such a property.

Not to Chelsea standard and maybe not to the neighbours standard, but neat and tidy. If my tenants wouldnt do this, then Id insist on a gardener which would be at their cost.