iamnumerate Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Is it normal for Landlords to ask tenants to water the garden and do light maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinAndPlatonic Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 i think it reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCountOfNowhere Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Holy #### do your garden you lazy man. Do you want your landlord to clean your bog too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 I think it's a reasonable question. Many landlords take the piss so why not ask these things ? Many - including where I stay now - store things in boxrooms/cupboards which is totally against the tenancy agreement. If I were the op - I would state that I won't be using the garden so won't be keeping it maintained. Stick it back in these ***** court for a change. Tenants in the UK need to grow some balls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeeky Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Cut the grass and weeding, definitely. Watering boarders maybe, but I wouldn't expect to have a sprinkler on the lawn. It's your garden at the end of the day, you are paying to use it, so I would make sure I can use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wherebee Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Why wouldn't you enjoy doing gardening? freak. Every place I rented that had a garden I saw it as giving me a free gym. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nnails Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 lets hope there is not a hosepipe ban later in the summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sPinwheel Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 At least remove the dog poo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerinako Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamnumerate Posted July 3, 2015 Author Share Posted July 3, 2015 I was asking on behalf of someone else, thanks for all the replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Grande Fromage Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Tell ya mate to read his obligations on the tenancy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acer Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 I believe it is quite normal. Certainly, every tenancy I have had has included maintaining the gardens and other stuff. Where I am now, I am also expected to clean windows once a month, keep gutters clean, and I'm also responsible for replacing defective light bulbs and tap washers, On moving into a new place, it might be worth getting photographic evidence of the state of the garden at the start of the tenancy. "Tidiness" of a garden can be subjective, and could be used by an EA as an excuse to keep part of a tenant's deposit at the end of the tenancy. That was certainly what they tried on me when I left my last place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GloomMonger Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 I believe it is quite normal. Certainly, every tenancy I have had has included maintaining the gardens and other stuff. Where I am now, I am also expected to clean windows once a month, keep gutters clean, and I'm also responsible for replacing defective light bulbs and tap washers, On moving into a new place, it might be worth getting photographic evidence of the state of the garden at the start of the tenancy. "Tidiness" of a garden can be subjective, and could be used by an EA as an excuse to keep part of a tenant's deposit at the end of the tenancy. That was certainly what they tried on me when I left my last place. Did they succeed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acer Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 (edited) No. Luckily, the landlord called them off. I was disappointed to be accused of letting the garden become overgrown, given the work I'd put into it. While I lived there, I totally renovated the lawn, removed several shrubs and a hedge killed by one severe winter and replaced them with other plants, felled a medium sized eucaluptus (also killed by the severe winter) and removed the debris, as well as carrying out all the routine lawn mowing, trimming and weeding that arose. The replacement shrubs were all grown by me from cuttings I had taken from various plants at work, and all the materials, like compost, lawn fertiliser and treatments, etc, were bought by me. This was all in full view of the landlord, who lived opposite, and with whom I generally got on with. Apparently, when the woman from the letting agent came round to do an end of tenancy inspection with the landlord, she was commenting that the garden was overgrown before she'd even got out of her car, so I got the impression that this was a bit of a standard line for her. In due course, I got a letter saying that she'd be employing someone to do the work if I did not. I ended up doing a little bit more work until the landlord was happy, but when this letting agent came round again, she was suggesting they make me do all sorts of other stuff, like jet washing all paved areas etc. It was at this point that the landlord called her off. Left to her own devices, I am convinced she would have kept on dreaming up more reasons not to return my deposit, then employed a contractor to do a bit of work and billed me for that work plus an admin fee for herself. Edited July 5, 2015 by acer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Unless they've defined 'maintained' in great detail Id just burn the lot and put some paving slabs down. Hate gardening. Id be fcked if Ill do someone else's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 I believe it is quite normal. Certainly, every tenancy I have had has included maintaining the gardens and other stuff. Where I am now, I am also expected to clean windows once a month, keep gutters clean, and I'm also responsible for replacing defective light bulbs and tap washers, On moving into a new place, it might be worth getting photographic evidence of the state of the garden at the start of the tenancy. "Tidiness" of a garden can be subjective, and could be used by an EA as an excuse to keep part of a tenant's deposit at the end of the tenancy. That was certainly what they tried on me when I left my last place. I can't believe you believe all of that. Clean your Windows once a month as a contractual term? Beggars belief. Ditto on the gutters and taps. Building fabric was never my problem as far as I was concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 A contract means nothing in legal terns if its not 'reasonable'. Your tenancy agreement could state "every 3 weeks you will jump off your roof". If you sign it - doesn't mean you actually have to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I can't believe you believe all of that. Clean your Windows once a month as a contractual term? Beggars belief. Ditto on the gutters and taps. Building fabric was never my problem as far as I was concerned. I'd hope most of that gets thrown away under "Doesn't matter as long as you give it back in a reasonable state."As for gardens IMO mowing the lawn, weeding, and keeping bushes and so on under control sounds reasonable. If there's anything large enough to justify getting someone in to deal with it then I'd not be too inclined. My fear was always overdoing things and making a mess with too much hacking so I probably didn't keep things quite as tidy as I could but the landlord didn't complain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy T Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 I've never had a tenancy agreement where garden/outdoor maintenance was expected. You live inside the house, and clean up any mess you make, that's fair & accepted. If you don't use the garden or don't create any mess there, how can you be expected to do work on it? Mowing the lawn and weeding/pruning? FFS they are taking the piss! Landlords should pay a gardener to do it or come around and do it therselves, my landlords have done this (at least the ones who cared about their garden anyway) Feel free to keep increasing the value of you LL's property while they sit on their a*se. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Mowing the lawn is hardly increasing the value; I really don't see it as fundamentally different to vacuuming the inside. You've rented the garden as well as the house, if you don't use it that's up to you. Although it'll still fall under the "doesn't really matter as long as you give it back in the same condition you got it in" criteria. I'd rather do it myself than have someone turn up regularly at my home. If I rent it is my home; the landlord is only responsible when any of the parts I'm renting break. If nothing breaks then he can damned well stay away and leave me in peace (which he did). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Just got my inventory for the flat I just moved into. "Please refrain from wearing high heels on wooden flooring and take off outdoor shoes in the flat, especially on carpets" What the actual ******. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sPinwheel Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Just got my inventory for the flat I just moved into. "Please refrain from wearing high heels on wooden flooring and take off outdoor shoes in the flat, especially on carpets" What the actual ******. Please tiptoe on the newly laid lawn. And NO ball games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) Please ensure you wipe your **** properly when doing a dump in MY toilet. And if you really have to have a ham shank in MY shower please ensure the baby gravy all goes down the plughole.... These people really just don't get the 'business' they are meant to be running. Edited July 8, 2015 by ccc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Just got my inventory for the flat I just moved into. "Please refrain from wearing high heels on wooden flooring and take off outdoor shoes in the flat, especially on carpets" What the actual ******. Nothing about firing guns inside though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy T Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Mowing the lawn is hardly increasing the value; I really don't see it as fundamentally different to vacuuming the inside. You've rented the garden as well as the house, if you don't use it that's up to you. Although it'll still fall under the "doesn't really matter as long as you give it back in the same condition you got it in" criteria. I'd rather do it myself than have someone turn up regularly at my home. If I rent it is my home; the landlord is only responsible when any of the parts I'm renting break. If nothing breaks then he can damned well stay away and leave me in peace (which he did). Carpets & laminate don't grow like grass does. Most people have a vacuum cleaner or brush, but why should one be expected to purchase a lawnmower etc. to maintain a LL's garden? Does yours provide you with all the gardening equipment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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