The thorny issue of gardening in rented properties

Posted 11 June 2018 by Neil Moore

This interesting article from ARLA, gives helpful advice and recommendations, but please do call in and see our Lettings team at GL & Co in Storrington for any questions you have or guidance needed when renting your property.

With summer just around the corner, and the weather finally taking a turn for the better, the attentions of tenants and landlords begin to turn to the garden to make the most of the sunshine. But be aware, gardening can be a thorny issue when it comes to deposit disputes, says Michael Hill, an adjudicator with Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS).  

In 2017, gardening was cited in over 2,000 disputes managed by TDS, that’s about 16% of all tenancy deposit deduction disputes.

Claims for gardening often cause disagreement because of the subjective nature of how a garden may look at its finest, therefore, it’s essential that the obligation placed upon the tenants in the tenancy agreement is detailed and specific. A clause for the tenant to return the garden in a tidy state may cause disagreement between landlords and tenants based on what they consider to be ‘tidy’. 

Ideally, tenancy agreement clauses should detail:

• Which areas of the garden the tenants are responsible for, such as; the front garden, rear garden and any side alleys; continue reading more on this interesting ARLA article, here

Go Back