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Original poster

Neighbours messy jungle of a garden what can I do?

70 replies

Whyyyyyyyohhhhhwhyyyyyy · 14/11/2021 10:31

Without being to outing, I live next door to a privately owned house which is rented out in the private sector, the landlord has put a fence 1/4 of the way down his garden blocking off the remainder 3/4 (our gardens are HUGE) Now this wouldn't be a problem if for the last 4 years he hadn't left the blocked off side become what can only be described as a jungle, brambles/weeds/bushes have all taken over and are now spilling into my garden, I cannot do any work in my own garden until his is sorted out because I need fences and no one can put a fence along my boundary line because of said jungle taking over and setting roots into and over my boundary line, it is becoming more than just a jungle as God knows what has made its home in the mess, and I fear it won't be long now until whatever pest (mice/rats etc) start to come onto my land/infest my property, the landlord and the estate agent have both been made aware of it and a year on NOTHING has been done, in that year it has grown even more out of control, I've spoken to environmental health and they've told me because its privately owned they can't do anything (I'm pretty sure that's to fob me off). The state of it is negatively affecting my mental health as I can't do anything to my own garden whilst his is in the state it is for the reasons mentioned above.

What can I do?

OP posts:

Berkeys · 14/11/2021 10:33

You have a nature reserve next door, how lovely! Embrace it! Fence your bit off.

Eechuffingnuff · 14/11/2021 10:33

Mind your own business. Put up a fence and stop making excuses

Pumpkinsonparade · 14/11/2021 10:34

Just cut back what is hanging into your garden.

Wombat49 · 14/11/2021 10:35

Get it cleared to your boundary line, then fence.

purplesequins · 14/11/2021 10:35

nothing.
unless it's invasive species (like japanese knotweed) it's their property to do as they want.
you can always add a fence inside your own boundary.

CloseYourEyesAndSee · 14/11/2021 10:36

Why can't you get a Gardner to cut back the bit coming in to your garden and then get a fence in?

hellsbells99 · 14/11/2021 10:36

Phone environmental health and say there are rats there

musicalfrog · 14/11/2021 10:36

Yes! Gardens need to be more like this. It's a wildlife haven when we are building housing estates on so much natural habitat. Embrace it OP and join in!

Eechuffingnuff · 14/11/2021 10:36

Oh and i just saw the bit about your mental health

Be careful that you don't fixate on this as a problem. It isn't reasonable for this to affect your mental health in a significant way and it is likely that you're fixating on this as its easier to put all the blame on someone else than other problems. Look into resolving that separately

LefttoherownDevizes · 14/11/2021 10:36

They will not clear your garden, all you can do is clear your own space and erect a fence along your boundary

Mantlemoose · 14/11/2021 10:37

Absolutely everything already said!

wavingwhilstdrowning · 14/11/2021 10:37

Stop being so dramatic about an overgrown garden. Rats, mice, squirrels, foxes etc live everywhere - they are our natural wildlife and won't do any harm. Get a fence put up and if this is genuinely effecting your mental health please get some support and/or counselling. A huge garden - even next to an overgrown one - is a blessing, a luxury, a huge benefit to you and your family.

Mantlemoose · 14/11/2021 10:38

Apart from hellsbells

stormelf · 14/11/2021 10:50

We are in exactly the same situation. Private rented garden next door where garden has been split half way across with back turning into over grown mess. To be honest it's not really affected us as much as we have a shed along that boundary so don't really see the brambles. The brambles are great for blackberries though. Every year we've had a great supply of them! The fence panels have broken in places and we've had to do our best to patch them up. It isn't our boundary but the fence was put in by previous owner of our house so we will replace them in due course.

We have had rats and mice etc that do live in the over grown garden, however we also live in a village very close to woodland and fields so rats and mice are in the area anyway.

Our one major issue was that behind our houses is an alley way and people were fly tipping their rubbish into the over grown garden (only had low wire fence). After complaints from us and other neighbours the landlord put a proper 6ft fence at the back so at least this issue has been sorted.

Callisto1 · 14/11/2021 10:51

Is anyone dumping food waste into the garden? Mice and rats won't really be attracted if it's only overgrown shrubs and brambles. They much prefer our rubbish! So it's not really an environmental health hazard.

If it bothers you plant some sort of hedge to keep it contained or hack it back and get a fence. I can understand it's annoying since you have to keep cutting it back, but honestly you could have much worse!

mumwon · 14/11/2021 10:59

um -if its a long overgrown back garden & you want to get your bit of the garden back - why not spray weed killer discretely on & next to the bit on your side? I doubt the LL or the tenants would know or care
I wouldn't worry about rats though & even so , getting environmental health in treat rats from the council -in our country they would tell you to pay for it.

Original poster

Whyyyyyyyohhhhhwhyyyyyy · 14/11/2021 11:06

I wish I could pictures but they are so outing, the brambles and bushes and weeds tower over my 5ft4 frame, I've hacked and hacked for all its worth but still cannot get under control because the mass of the vegetation falls straight back its destroyed my old fence I had, and pushed it down, all fence installers I've had a quote from etc have all said until it's under control any fence installed will just collapse from the sheer amount of mess, and they can't fence it all as I have the roots of one of their trees directly across the boundary.

The landlord promised to have it cleared last year and he's done nothing, not a single thing bar chop some fir trees down because the council got on to him about it because the public was complaining as they took up more than half of the pavement..

As far as embrace it and it must be so lovely NO come live next door to the property and tell me how amazing it is when your dealing with it. It's not a wildlife reserve, it's a garden, and so should be kept under control

Of course people are chucking food waste and litter into it, why wouldn't they? It looks like an absolute state so people treat it like a bin, it's an eyesore. If it was my garden I would be given a hefty fine and made to clear it in a certain time frame.

OP posts:

SomePosters · 14/11/2021 11:07

Why would you think have any right to dictate what someone does in their own garden?

Entitled privilege

It’s not the Councils job to enforce your wishes on your neighbors

Cant do ANY work in your huge garden because next door…

I think you need to focus on controlling things that are yours to control and stop obsessing with what you’ve no right to try and control.

GettingUntrapped · 14/11/2021 11:15

Why don't people get it that anything growing into their garden from a neighbour is their own problem to deal with.
Just cut it back, dig out any roots and get on with it.
Blaming neighbours is the wrong approach.
Once you have dealt with it, then maintenance is fairly easy if you keep on top of it.
Let go of the idea that it's your neighbours or their landlord doing something to you.

SpookyPumpkinPants · 14/11/2021 11:16

Are you in a council house (sorry whatever the current term is for social housing)? Can you not go through them to get it sorted out?

Have you contacted the LL recently to ask WHEN they're going to sort it out? Fencing a 'garden' part off for tenants & leaving the massive overgrown jungle to impact you is not on!

I'd leave the Estate Agent out if it, complete waste of your energy!

stayathomer · 14/11/2021 11:17

There's a difference between a wildlife reserve garden and one that's been left with no trimming and just allowing parts to rot and decay. I would agree though that your main option is finding a way to cut back what impacts you and getting that fence up, the rest of it obviously is just never going to be done. Sorry op (and sorry you got such unhelpful, bitter, moody people on here!!!)

Original poster

Whyyyyyyyohhhhhwhyyyyyy · 14/11/2021 11:18

Can I ask those who think I'm being 'entitled' etc what do you envision when I say messy garden? A couple of weeds maybe? An unkempt Bush? A few blackberry brambles perhaps?

Nope if that was all it was I'd be happy, but it's really not, in the sealed off garden, there is or sorry was a decent sized shed and a large greenhouse.... you cannot SEE them anymore they have been completely engulfed by vegetation, the weeds/bushes/brambles TOWER above me, and are taller than the 6ft fence HE erected to seal off 3/4 of the garden, there isn't a clear inch of ground on that garden, the ENTIRE thing has been taken over!
My old fence has collapsed from the weight of the vegetation growing against it so its had to be removed.

OP posts:

Original poster

Whyyyyyyyohhhhhwhyyyyyy · 14/11/2021 11:21

Sod it here's the LEAST outing photo

Neighbours messy jungle of a garden what can I do?

OP posts:

LivingLaVidaBabyShower · 14/11/2021 11:28

Controversial opinion but if i were you...

Personally i'd say sod it and sort it myself as they have checked out.

i would lift/remove the fence
hand clear the overgrowth back into their side by about 1m or so along the boundary (we inherited a horrendously overgrown garden and the progress was depressingly slow so likely a few weekends work)
i'd then lay some weed matting along the section their side
then more weed matting your side.
on their side I'd dowse the boarder beyond the weed matting in gluso-whats-it-called weedkiller
install your nice new fence and make sure its concrete posts with panels you can lift out.
each spring/Autumn lift a panel get in their side and cut it back

The i am 5"4 thing is a load of crap
I am 5"3 and was clearing stuff 8-10 ft high plus. Get a ladder and get on with it.

A potentially nice alternative is you could ask the landlord to "rent the garden" and extend your own

Ariela · 14/11/2021 11:28

I'd tell the landlord next door the vegetation has pushed your fence over, and ask would he be happy if you pruned it back inside his boundary 2ft so you can re-erect your fence.

I'd then dig up the 2ft strip, put down black plastic to prevent regrowth, and put up a new fence.

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