Garden etiquette for tenants this summer

When you become a renter, you’re expected to behave in a ‘tenant like manner’ and that extends to outside spaces as much as inside the home. If in any doubt as to what that means, you can refer to your tenancy agreement. It should list the specific garden jobs you’re responsible for, and what your landlord should maintain. If there’s scant detail, contact us and we can obtain written clarification for you.

Basic gardening jobs

The standard basics for a renter include mowing the lawn, cutting back shrubs/bushes, watering during dry spells and keeping areas weed free. If these chores are set out in the tenancy agreement, it is reasonable for the landlord to provide the equipment for the renter to complete the prescribed garden maintenance. 

The landlord should make repairs to fencing, walls and paths, and manage jobs that require specialist equipment or expert knowledge. It’s not a tenant’s job to shimmy up a tree with a chainsaw to lop off decaying branches.

Damage caused by the tenant is a different matter. For example, if you’ve hosted a barbeque and it got out of control, causing a fence panel to catch light, you would be responsible for the repair or replacement.

Upgrading a garden

Gardening is having a revival as a pastime and after a few hours on Instagram or at the garden centre, you may want to improve your outside space. Any permanent changes must be approved by the landlord in writing first. Essentially, you would need permission to plant a tree, dig a vegetable plot, create a pond or add a new border.

The same applies if you want to put up a shed, install a summer house or fit a plumbed-in hot tub. It may sound harsh but most tenancy agreements stipulate that a garden must be handed back in the original state, with alterations avoided or reversed.

The move-able garden

Of course, you can work with what you’ve already got. Adding new plants will bring colour and wildlife to your garden but shrubs, bulbs and perennials are an investment. If you have covered the cost of these, it may be possible to dig them up at the end of the tenancy but it’s a hassle, may damage the garden and kill the plants.

A more manageable and prudent way of gardening in a rental property is by concentrating on pots and hanging baskets. These can be filled with cheap bedding plants and taken with you when you move out – quite possibly with the soil and plants still inside.

If you’ve got a balcony

Even the smallest outside spaces can boost wellbeing. Pots and flower boxes make good balcony additions but they should be added with caution. Pots should be lightweight as they can get heavy, especially when filled with well- watered soil. 

Opt for plastic or fibreglass over terracotta and wood, to reduce the weight and strain on your balcony. You can lessen weight further by half filling pots with pine cones, polystyrene and even bubble wrap, topped with a specialist basket and container compost.

Watering is another issue. Saturating a balcony may encourage rot over time, while excess water cascading down may become a nuisance for those living below. A saucer under each pot will catch overflow and facilitate the preferred method of watering from the bottom up.

A note on anti-social behaviour

Warmer days and longer evenings have been proven to cause a spike in anti-social behaviour. If it is serious and persistent, it could be a reason for a landlord to serve tenants a warning or even start the eviction process. 

Regular garden parties that keep neighbours awake, dogs left barking in gardens and excessive loud music are common summer complaints. Anti-social behaviour can also constitute fly tipping as would be  letting invasive, non-native plants, such as Japanese knotweed, grow.

Bonfires: summer’s hot topic

Finally, the contentious issue of bonfires. They are not illegal but you are not allowed to burn domestic waste if it causes pollution or harms people’s health. A local council can investigate smoke and fumes that are classed as a ‘statutory nuisance’ – qualified as a bonfire that ‘unreasonably and substantially interferes with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises’ or ‘injures health or be likely to injure health.’ Smoke that drifts across a road and endangers traffic can also result in a fine.

In the most persistent and serious cases, a bonfire ‘abatement notice’ can be served to the tenant. If the rules outlined are not followed, the person having the bonfire can be fined.

If you’re unsure about any of your tenant responsibilities - or would like to see some available rental properties with gardens - get in touch.