A Redditor has shared ridiculous, threatening demands from a greedy landlord regarding an unwanted lawn.
In a post to the r/LegalAdviceUK subreddit, a user asked for advice about a difficult situation that their significant other is facing — a conflict with their landlord about paying to water a garden that they did not plant or desire.
The user explains that their significant other's landlord hired a gardener to replace the backyard, which previously only contained "a bit of paving and the old flower beds [that] were barren and just mud," with "pretty crap quality grass that's already looking a bit dead."
The landlord also told the tenants that if they did not water the lawn (and pay for the water), "he will bill them for the gardener, the dead lawn, and for a new one to be laid."
"I'm not particularly liking his threatening behaviours at the moment so would like to know the ins and outs of who has what rights and responsibilities," the user wrote.
The landlord's behavior is especially upsetting considering the monetary and environmental cost of maintaining a traditional grass lawn. Rewilded and native-plant lawns that do not use traditional grass have far greater benefits for your local ecosystem and save money by requiring far less water and maintenance.
Grass alternatives like clover, moss, native plants, and buffalo grass all use far less water than typical lawns. If you're on the fence about switching to a native plant lawn, in 10 years, the change can save over $2,700 and almost two million gallons of water.
Users gave their advice in the comment section.
"It's illegal to not provide 24 hours notice to tenants if you are going to enter (aside from maintenance emergencies)!" one user wrote. "Check the tenancy agreement for this, it may state that the tenants are liable to look after the garden or it may not, the landlord will not have a leg to stand on if you can prove it was not in this condition when first moved in."
"I'd definitely try to get your landlord admitting to this in writing," another user said.
"I would say the first step would be to closely review the lease and see what it says about property and garden maintenance, because even if the grass survives someone's going to have to maintain it at a cost," a third user commented.
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