justtherenters
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California
Our lease specifically includes yard and pool care in the cost of our rent. The first few weeks the gardener/pool man came by as he should have to do the work. While pruning a tree, he not only did a shoddy job, but he put a hole in the siding of the house, in addition to flattening a lot of the bushes in the yard. Four months later and those bushes still haven't recovered. Anyway he was fired as soon as the landlord was notified about this by the lady renting the cottage on the property.
The landlord turned around and hired her daughter and son-in-law. The first couple weeks they did come by, but it was at random times on random days. This was unsettling because doing the work involves going into the back yard. Not so comfortable the day I was in the living room in just a towel with the blinds open and suddenly the daughter and her 3 kids and husband come into full view. I confronted them about the need for a regular day and time so that, at the least, I could make sure my dogs are inside when they get here if I'm not home.
Since then, them coming by has been hit and miss. They've sometimes claimed to have come by but the gate to the back was locked from the inside (we've actually nailed the latch on the inside into the open position, so it can't be locked from the inside), sometimes claimed they can't do any work because of dog poo in the yard (that time they actually were here, and got here literally just as my husband was walking back inside from poo-duty), among other excuses. Of course they haven't done the front yard even though the complaint is about the back yard. Several times they've claimed to have come over and been unable to get in the yard, but I was here, and they didn't come by at all!
For the last four weeks, no one has come by at all, and the weeks are knee-high in some places and the gravel in the front is nearly covered with weeds. The pool isn't doing so hot, and it's not covered. Not good news with this weather.
So my concerns are if we could end up on the hook if the pool ends up ruined (it's an above-ground pool that's 15 years old with a plastic liner, not a sturdy in-ground pool) from lack of proper chlorine maintenance or for the state of the yard when we do leave.
Should we suck it up and do the yard and pool care ourselves, though we're paying for it in rent and would have to buy all the tools and chemicals? If we do, can we charge for the work when we leave? Would we be best off not doing anything because we're weren't supposed to have to? If the pool ends up ruined because we do nothing, would be we on the hook for buying a new one? What are our options? The landlord has said she's going to find someone new, but it's been weeks and the yard looks like crap and I wouldn't swim in the pool as it is even if it was in the dead of summer.
Our lease specifically includes yard and pool care in the cost of our rent. The first few weeks the gardener/pool man came by as he should have to do the work. While pruning a tree, he not only did a shoddy job, but he put a hole in the siding of the house, in addition to flattening a lot of the bushes in the yard. Four months later and those bushes still haven't recovered. Anyway he was fired as soon as the landlord was notified about this by the lady renting the cottage on the property.
The landlord turned around and hired her daughter and son-in-law. The first couple weeks they did come by, but it was at random times on random days. This was unsettling because doing the work involves going into the back yard. Not so comfortable the day I was in the living room in just a towel with the blinds open and suddenly the daughter and her 3 kids and husband come into full view. I confronted them about the need for a regular day and time so that, at the least, I could make sure my dogs are inside when they get here if I'm not home.
Since then, them coming by has been hit and miss. They've sometimes claimed to have come by but the gate to the back was locked from the inside (we've actually nailed the latch on the inside into the open position, so it can't be locked from the inside), sometimes claimed they can't do any work because of dog poo in the yard (that time they actually were here, and got here literally just as my husband was walking back inside from poo-duty), among other excuses. Of course they haven't done the front yard even though the complaint is about the back yard. Several times they've claimed to have come over and been unable to get in the yard, but I was here, and they didn't come by at all!
For the last four weeks, no one has come by at all, and the weeks are knee-high in some places and the gravel in the front is nearly covered with weeds. The pool isn't doing so hot, and it's not covered. Not good news with this weather.
So my concerns are if we could end up on the hook if the pool ends up ruined (it's an above-ground pool that's 15 years old with a plastic liner, not a sturdy in-ground pool) from lack of proper chlorine maintenance or for the state of the yard when we do leave.
Should we suck it up and do the yard and pool care ourselves, though we're paying for it in rent and would have to buy all the tools and chemicals? If we do, can we charge for the work when we leave? Would we be best off not doing anything because we're weren't supposed to have to? If the pool ends up ruined because we do nothing, would be we on the hook for buying a new one? What are our options? The landlord has said she's going to find someone new, but it's been weeks and the yard looks like crap and I wouldn't swim in the pool as it is even if it was in the dead of summer.