As part of your tenancy or leaseholder agreement, you’re responsible for keeping your own private garden tidy and cared for. Trees in your garden are also your responsibility, but there are some exceptions. Please check with us first if you have concerns about the trees you have, and our Tree Officers will come and take a look.
It is the responsibility of YHG to maintain the communal gardens. This is done either by an inhouse grounds maintenance team or subcontractors. Trees maintenance is not included in the responsibilities of the grounds maintenance teams, however this is still the responsibility of YHG and is managed separately by YHG Tree Officers. You can view the grounds maintenance programme of works here.
Bird nesting season
Bird nesting season officially runs from February to August. It’s recommended that tree and hedge cutting should be done outside of the nesting season. However, in reality the nesting period may start earlier and run for longer. Please bear this in mind if you need to prune the trees in your garden.
We’re responsible for looking after trees in communal areas. As a responsible landlord, we must also avoid disrupting nesting birds. This would be an infringement of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and a breach of the European Habitats Directive 1992/Nesting Birds Directive.
When tree maintenance needs to be done during the nesting season, a survey will be carried out by our contractors before any work is considered or started. We’ll postpone work if we find any nesting birds. In the unlikely event that we’ve missed a nest and we come across one, we’ll stop work and return once the chicks have fledged.
An old nest that’s no longer being used is not protected by law.
Trees
Tree works
We have designated Tree Officers who survey trees in communal areas. They complete risk assessments on trees and arrange for maintenance works to be carried out. Works on trees will not be carried out for the following reasons: trees blocking light; leaf/blossom/fruit or sap fall; satellite or communication reception blocks; bird droppings or insect/wildlife issues. Please read the YHG tree policy here for further details.
Coppicing trees
We also carry out coppicing when needed but not on a seasonal basis. This is a woodland management technique of felling trees at the base and allowing them to regrow and protect flora and fauna such as hedgehogs and bluebells. It also allows us to assess our trees. Coppicing usually takes place between November and February to ensure the birds are not nesting and the leaves have fallen.
Trees causing damage to your property or another YHG property
We'd attend to a tree if it was damaging our housing stock and would require details of the type of extent of the potential structural damage before attending.
If a tree or any part of a tree has fallen or is at immediate risk of falling on to any YHG property, please call Your Response immediately on 0345 345 0272.
Communal cleaning and windows
It’s our responsibility to clean corridors, staircases, landings, lifts, communal kitchens, bin areas, porches and rubbish chute rooms (not including the chutes). You can view cleaning and window cleaning programmes here, or check out the public noticeboards where you live.