A Redditor facing some friction with a property manager took to r/HousingUK for advice.
"He comes over for a mid-term inspection, tells us that the garden is unkempt," the original poster wrote.
"Tells us he will be back in 3 weeks to see that the 'issues have been rectified.' Bear in mind that we mowed the lawn and trimmed the bushes a week prior," they continued.
"Would this constitute breaking the contract agreement? You're not meant to disturb the tenants like this unnecessarily, making demands about the garden is reasonable when we're going to move out but it's mid-tenancy, and the garden IS being looked after."
The poster went on to detail that the manager was the landlord's father, and that all the tenants were women, which they feared may have contributed to the manager's condescending attitude. The poster was also concerned that the manager was seeking more aggressive landscaping, effectively asking that they chopped down the hedges.
Landlords and homeowners associations have been known to go overboard with their landscape management, often causing irreparable harm to plant life on properties. In turn, this weakens the ability of yards to act as good homes for pollinators and protect against erosion.
These kinds of actions can include chopping vegetation until it's effectively dead, removing perfectly healthy trees, and uprooting vegetable gardens. Worst of all, this landscaping is regularly done on specious legal grounds without the knowledge or consent of tenants.
Reddit community members were largely on the original poster's side and offered advice.
"Your contract will simply state that the garden needs to be kept in 'good order' i.e. tidy. Lawn cut fairly regularly, weeds cleared from patio, bushes not overgrown etc," the top commenter said. "If they want the garden to look like something from the Chelsea Flower Show, they need to be paying for it."
"Next time they try this tell them you pay the rent for 'quiet enjoyment' of the property — this does not include having what you do with your weekends dictated too," another user wrote. "There is no right for access unless in an emergency such as a gas leak not a patch of weeds."
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