Our Grounds Maintenance Service: FAQs

We understand that our communal outdoor spaces matter and that it’s important our tenants are able to enjoy being outside and feel proud of where they live. This is why Nehemiah invests in providing a grounds maintenance service for all our housing communities. 

However, there are times when things don’t go according to plan and perhaps the outdoor spaces are not as tidy as you’d like or the upkeep work is carried out at an inconvenient time for you. This is why we’ve put together some FAQs, to cover the most frequent feedback on our grounds maintenance service and help you understand what’s really going on with the work involved to maintain your communal areas.

Do You Only Cut The Grass?

No – our grounds maintenance service is about much more than simply cutting the grass once in a while.

We have a regular schedule of tasks that our team follows, depending on the season. Each activity takes place at different times during the year and with varying frequency – for example, grass cutting will happen often during Spring and Summer whereas hedge cutting will happen several times in a year.

What Does Your Grounds Maintenance Service Include?

In addition to mowing, our service include:

• Weeding
• Hedge work (pruning, trimming)
• Leaf clearance
• Moss removal
• Litter picking

Do You Cut The Grass Weekly?

Not every week, no, and the frequency will depend on the time of year.

Between March and October, we’ll cut the grass every 2-3 weeks on average. In Winter, grass cutting will stop entirely. 

If the weather is bad, this will lead to a schedule change and our team will carry out alternative tasks appropriate for the weather conditions until they’re able to perform the original task.

Why Haven’t You Taken All The Grass Cuttings Away?

We do take the majority of grass cuttings but leave a small amount to refuel the soil with nutrients. We always make sure the area is left neat and tidy, with the paths and kerbs left clear for safety.

Why Wasn’t My Communal Area Taken Care Of This Week?

Sometimes, our team isn’t able to fulfil its maintenance commitments and a communal area might not be taken care of when it should. Reasons for this happening include staff absence or issues such as fly tipping, locked gates or dangerous obstructions causing delays to our weekly schedule. Occasionally, biodiversity issues such as nesting birds can cause us to rearrange our plans.

Whatever the reason, we will always make rearrangements when needed.

Why Hasn’t Much Been Done This Week?

We pride ourselves on working hard and ensuring our tenants live in comfortable, safe housing – and our approach to grounds maintenance is no different. Our team strive to fulfil all their tasks every week, but this isn’t always possible.

There are many reasons why our team isn’t able to do as much one week, including:

• Obstructions
• Weather
• Broken tools
• Team absence

We will always try to catch up on any missed sessions to ensure your communal outdoor space continues to look neat and tidy.

Nehemiah Is Here To Help & Support

We are proud of our housing and the fact we provide comfortable and affordable homes together with communal outdoor spaces for all our tenants.

Our team works hard to keep your shared outdoor areas looking healthy, tidy and cheerful, and we hope you enjoy all our outdoor areas. If you notice any issue or mess or fly tipping in your local communal area, there is an website and app called Love Clean Streets. The Love Clean Streets App is a user-friendly platform that allows local residents to report street cleaning issues, littering, graffiti, and other environmental concerns directly to local authorities. Its primary goal is to promote community participation in keeping the areas in which we live clean, making it easier for local authorities to respond promptly and efficiently to issues raised by residents. Learn more about it here

If you’d like to speak to us about your feedback on our grounds maintenance service or our communal outdoor spaces in general, you can contact your Housing Officer or call us on 0121 358 0966 or email haveyoursay@nehemiah.co.uk and we will do all we can to help.