A gardener in the UK divulged to Reddit that their landlord "destroyed" their garden.
The Redditor was hoping to borrow some hedge cutters to trim back their overgrown clematis plant, only to be met with near-complete destruction of the plant and surrounding garden.
Commenters commiserated with the original poster by sharing their bad landlord tales.
One user said, "Landlords can be so absurd. I woke up one morning, looked out, and our front garden was being paved - entirely, fence to fence! No warning, just… gardengeddon."
"It's such a pain when landlords pull stunts like this," another agreed. "Came home to dead plants that had been torn up and slung around."
The landlord ultimately blamed the garden destruction on a fight with his wife. Nevertheless, with stories like these, tenants typically get told there's nothing they can do since it's not "their property" and "the landlord can do what they want."
Tenants from various locations have struggled with adopting money-saving, eco-friendly lifestyle changes because of their landlords. One tenant found that their landlord used weed killer on the pollinator-friendly garden they planted. Another renter in Canada was shocked when their landlord cut down every tree in their backyard. Even an owner of an electric vehicle was barred from charging the car at their apartment of 15 years.
Even homeowners suffer from these issues due to homeowners' associations causing a ruckus with solar panel installations and landscaping requirements.
The gardener on Reddit ultimately received an apology from their landlord with an offer to replace the greenery that was destroyed.
What protections do tenants have? Think about incorporating a garden maintenance clause in your lease agreement. This can ensure any changes you make to the lawn or garden will be respected and will protect you in the event your landlord decides to go rogue on your garden.
If you're already in an established contract, check out our HOA guide for inspiration on how to approach your landlords about changing already established rules.
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