Landscaped areas

On estates there will be areas of grass, shrubs, flowers, hedges and trees. Some of these belong to, and are maintained, by us. Other areas are the responsibility of local councils or the county council. If we are responsibility, we will:

• Cut the grass every two weeks between April and October (if the weather allows us to to). We do not normally pick up the grass cuttings because of the cost and the problem of disposing of them. We have made this decision after consulting our tenants.
• Cut the hedges twice a year;
• Regularly maintain shrubs and flowerbeds during the growing season and carry out winter maintenance; and
• Prune trees where necessary to prevent damage to structures, blocked gutters and extreme nuisance, and to keep them healthy. We will not cut down trees unless they are dead or dangerous. Many trees have preservation orders on them, which restricts what we can do.

Gardens

If you have your own garden, you must keep it tidy. The garden may be fenced or it may be open-plan. If you live in a flat, make sure that you know if any area is your responsibility. If you are not sure, please check with us.

Untidy and overgrown gardens can spoil the appearance of an estate or may even become a health hazard. We will regularly inspect our estates and contact tenants who don’t maintain their gardens. If you then fail to take action, we may do the work and charge you for it.

If you live in sheltered accommodation, we will maintain any open-plan gardens. If you have a fenced garden, it is your responsibility to maintain it. If you have difficulty doing so, our Handypersons scheme may be able to help you.

If you have a large mature tree in your garden, we will carry out any necessary pruning. You should let us know if work needs to be carried out.

If you want to make changes to your garden, for example, putting up or removing a fence, you should get our permission first. In open-plan areas, you may not be able to put up fencing because of planning regulations.

If you have the use of a shared garden, along with the other tenants of the neighbouring properties, we will maintain this area. However, please contact us if you want to take care of part the gardens yourself. If it can be arranged without disturbing other tenants or affecting the maintenance of the rest of the area, we will be happy for you to do this.

Allotments

If you are a keen gardener we have some allotments which you are able to rent for a small amount. We currently have allotment plots in East Cowton, Thirsk, Sowerby, Easingwold, Topcliffe and Husthwaite, Please contact us to register on the waiting list.