Gardeners in Croydon.

One garden, one agreed decision-maker

For a shared outdoor space, identify who can approve spending and changes to planting. A resident’s preferred cutback may not be the agreed brief for the whole property. Ask the managing agent, landlord or residents’ representative to confirm the task list where necessary. Provide that list to each gardener, along with access times and any restrictions, so providers quote for an authorised job rather than several conflicting requests.

Check the Croydon rule for communal-bin properties

Croydon’s current garden-waste service is available to households receiving individual-bin collections. The council says properties with shared or communal rubbish bins, such as blocks of flats, cannot use that service. This matters before a shared-garden tidy: do not assume the communal bin store provides a green-waste route. Request a removal arrangement in the gardening quote, or confirm a suitable alternative with the person managing the property.

Source: Croydon Council →

Photograph changes of level and the loading route

If a Purley or Coulsdon garden has steps, terraces or a steep section, show those features rather than relying on a picture taken from above. Identify where the equipment can enter and where cuttings must be carried. For a smaller Norbury or Thornton Heath garden, explain any passage through the house. These are property-specific questions; a postcode alone does not reveal the practical work involved.

Separate a tenancy handover from long-term maintenance

For a rental garden, request the precise handover condition and date instead of a broad makeover. Mark planting to keep and distinguish necessary tidy-up work from optional improvements. An illustrative brief might request the path cleared, the accessible lawn cut and loose green waste removed, with heavier pruning quoted separately. Once the reset is complete, ongoing maintenance can be discussed against the garden’s actual needs rather than the condition before clearance.