Is Landlord responsible for Garden?

fluffnutter

I'm finding this interesting actually. I live next door to a rental property and the tenants don't do anything to maintain the garden. I have a vague interest in this because I'm trying to tackle a bindweed problem that originates from their garden. I was discussing the other day with the OH who was responsible for the garden... interesting... in the scheme of things, it's no biggie, but I'm interested to hear that tenants are expected to maintain the garden. It's a tip next door!

vuvuzela

fluffnutter wrote: »

I'm finding this interesting actually. I live next door to a rental property and the tenants don't do anything to maintain the garden. I have a vague interest in this because I'm trying to tackle a bindweed problem that originates from their garden. I was discussing the other day with the OH who was responsible for the garden... interesting... in the scheme of things, it's no biggie, but I'm interested to hear that tenants are expected to maintain the garden. It's a tip next door!

Last time I rented, there was a clause explicitly giving me responsibility for maintaining the garden.
Landlord said he'd do some of the work but then lied to the EA when it came down to actually doing it and said he had not said that in front of me and a witness. The miserable !!!!!.

pinkshoes

On the basis that a tenant is entitled to quiet enjoyment of the property i.e. the LL isn't allowed to just rock up and look round, then I'd say it's always a tenants job to look after the garden, as otherwise it gives the LL an excuse of why he's at the property.

£7.50 is 2 pints of beer. Hardly worth bickering with the LL over!

spend_thrift

Lomax, my question is how much is the £7.50 worth *to you*?

Weigh up the pros and cons of falling out with your landlord against the impact not having that money will have on you. Decide if it is worth it for you. If that's your food money for a week, then clearly it is going to be more important than if you can simply write it off as an annoyance that doesn't affect your day to day life.

It might be worth talking with the landlord or the letting agency to clarify whose responsibility maintaining the garden is, and what is covered by the landlord generally and get it in writing. Say that the other tenants aren't pulling their weight with the cost of cleaning products and that you're paying for everything yourself.

You might find that the landlord is willing to negotiate. He might be happy to pay for things like petrol, but only if it is agreed with him in advance.

Locky

LoMax, does the lawnmower belong to the landlord? If so, it would appear that you're expected to maintain the garden.

When I was living in a shared house, as a student, we didn't have a lawnmower so the garden was the responsibility of the landlord. (It did state this in our tenancy agreement too.) Someone would just turn up when the grass was really high and remove it with a strimmer!

dodger1

If I rented a property with a garden I would automatically keep the garden tidy as long as the LL has supplied the tools necessary for the job. Any fuel (electicity or petrol) I would expect to be at my expense.

silvercar

In the same way you supply the toilet cleaner, I would expect you to supply the petrol.

Soot2006

I have always automatically maintained the garden when renting -- just basic maintenance, nothing exciting.
One year, a strange man (lovely bloke, but unexpected!) knocked on the door - he was the LL's son and asked if we needed him to mow the lawn. He said he popped by 4 times a year in spring-summer to offer as most tenants didn't do it. We had a cup of tea and went on his way and I didn't see him again as the garden was no problem for me. A bit unusual, but obviously has worked for LL in the past!

Jenniefour

Interesting - perhaps lease is open to interpretation. I am in rented at the moment and it states specifically in the tenancy contract that the responsibility for maintaining the garden is mine - but landlady regularly sends around her own gardener to trim hedges, bushes and so on! I do the weeding and generally keeping tidy - no lawn to mow. But I think I would be mowing away if there was one - simply so I could enjoy the garden.

FATBALLZ

House gains dirt, grass gains length. The tenants are responsible for removing the excess in both cases.