'The yellow line is where my responsibility ends': Woman "pushes her luck" to get groundskeeper to cut back all her ivy

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  • 01
    'Check the property line? Okay.'
  • 02
    Check the property line? okay. Back when I was responsible for garden and grounds related issues for a housing developer. 'Susan' popped her head over her neighbouring properties fence. (Susan was abrupt and but not quite to 'Karen' level so 'Susan' it is.)
  • 03
    'Are you going to cut back all of these weeds growing over to my side of the fence?' 'Yes I have to recalim this public footpath and those same weeds are on Council (local authority) land but will also be causing me problems if I don't deal with it. I'm actually here to do that now.'
  • 04
    'Because its 'your company' land and I expect it to be cut all the way around (motions to all three sides of her white long garden fence). Look it's all growing over into my garden and it's not been delt with since (your company) bought the land.
  • 05
    'That's actually why I've been hired full time, I'm not part of the development crew, I'm here to maintain areas and deal with issues like this. Today I can clear the ivy from your fence but that triangle of wilderness between yours, ours and the council will have to be next week sometime.'
  • 06
    'You'll be cutting down on the other side? (Motions to where I can't see due to the triangle of wilderness)' 'Actually no, that side is between you and the council. That school on the other side doesn't open for another year so I suggest not waiting until then to contact them.
  • 07
    'Well What am I supposed to do?' 'I'm happy to pull down the ivy for you this once and poison along the fence line, it'll do you for now. (the company I work for is trying to improve relations) and as I've stated, I'll take care of this one side indefinitely.
  • 08
    'I need you to prove you aren't responsible for that side too.' The next day I consult my drawing (map) of the grounds and property line. Turns out I was wrongly informed. My manager expressly forbids me from tackling anything remotely near her fence line.
  • 09
    'Are you back to cut down this area?' 'I'm glad you're here (shows drawing). This it the area in question and its all council property. The yellow line is where my responsibility ends.'
  • 10
    Susan NEVER had anyone cut down the vegetation. Ivy, bramble and nettles absolutely ate her fences over the next 3 years and last time I checked they were replaced a metre inside the property line.
  • 11
    Demi Karen pushes her luck and ends up losing free maintenance along her fence line. She did once ask me to put 'lots of poison' on the offending weeds but all I could offer her was a normal spray that my company provides if she called. I Said they might offer it for the same nominal price I would do a driveway for but she never called.
  • 12
    Signal-Woodpeck... Silly Susan
  • 13
    Mr... Whenever I hear "property line," I think about the first house I bought. It's a long convoluted story, but the basic points are: 1. The previous owner of my property put up a retaining wall and made a corner of the driveway into what technically is the neighbors' property.
  • 14
    2. Realizing this, when I wanted to pave my driveway, I proposed a win-win situation with my neighbor. Arguably favoring him very much. He agreed. 3. Permits submitted, contractor locked in on work, I began my portion of work for this agreement.
  • 15
    4. Five days before work to be done, neighbor said he can't accept the deal. I said, "Be careful, I had this surveyed, and yes, my driveway does slope into your property, but your driveway slopes into mine at the other end by the road. He said BS!
  • 16
    5. I readjust my permit and contract to pave exactly where I can along my property. (Which is nearly all of his current driveway) 6. He loses it. He has no access to his house, as besides his driveway, there's no vehicle access through the roughly 50-yard span between the road and his house.
  • 17
    I really don't like it when I try to go out of my way to make a...difficult?...situation a good one, and get stabbed in the back. I still believe in the honor of a man's handshake, and he let me sweat and spend money beginning my part of the deal. Enjoy your 50-yard trips through swamp, and parking on the road you clown.
  • 18
    Violetsme Tip I learned from my inlaws: If someone is doing maintenance and you'd like them to extend the work to benefit you, you start off offering them a drink. A cup oof coffee in the morning does wonders for having them care just a little more about the quality of the work.
  • 19
    Then, to do slightly more than they technically should, you offer some money under the table. You can usually get it done for way cheaper if they are doing similar work anyway. Most of all, be the person that clearly won't contact their manager, because for those people no rules will be broken.
  • 20
    Even works on the neighbours: if you want the shared fence painted, we can either agree on the color for me to pay half, or you choose anything neutral, make sure my side looks decent too and take these beers. They did it for free and I don't have to sit down and decide on something I really don't care about.

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