Overgrown or untidy gardens
We often receive complaints about overgrown, unkempt and untidy gardens. The garden or land can become unsightly or attract other environmental crimes, such as fly-tipping.
Report an overgrown or untidy garden
Your rights
Your rights when it comes to neighbours' gardens are governed by a number of laws. An unkempt or slightly overgrown garden isn't enough to enable you to take action unless it's contravening the law.
Taking action yourself
There are strict laws on what you can and cannot do. You cannot trespass onto the gardens of neighbours to remove any rubbish or foliage.
If a neighbour's hedge, brambles or tree are causing problems on your side of the boundary, you are entitled to prune or remove anything that comes over onto your side of the boundary - although, by law, you should offer any clippings back to your neighbour.
However, some trees have a tree preservation order placed upon them and you can be fined if you remove anything other than dead wood.
It is the responsibility of individual owners to ensure that they do not allow their land to deteriorate to the point where the only option is enforcement action.
We have a range of powers to deal with untidy gardens or land if there is material that is likely to rot (such as discarded foodstuffs, faeces, nappies, dead animals) and it is causing a nuisance to neighbours or attracting vermin such as rats or mice.
Inert materials which are just unsightly are unlikely to be causing a statutory nuisance.
We also have powers to help maintain the standard of the local environment. Land or buildings in an unsightly condition that may be "detrimental to the amenity of the neighbourhood" can be dealt with under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
We can serve a Section 215 notice on the owner or occupier in cases where the condition and the appearance of the property or land are detrimental to the surrounding area or neighbourhood. The section 215 notice requires proper maintenance of the property or land in question, and it specifies what steps are required to remedy the problem within a specific time period. An appeal may be lodged against the section 215 notice to the magistrates' court. The non-compliance with a section 215 notice is an offence.