What should happen if your neighbor doesn't mow the lawn?

Ask the neighbor if they would like you to mow their lawn. Maybe there is a reason they aren’t able to do it themselves.

@SuperMouse it is not my neighbor, not even close. What is the bylaw in different regions?

in our neighborhood, one of the other neighbors will do it. If nobody does it, the city can issue a citation, and then they do it and put a lien on the house.

It depends whether or not your neighbor is able bodied. When I had my surgery my neighbor did mine without asking. Wonderful people!
If you are friends with them ask if they need to borrow a mower while theirs is being repaired.

If they’re jerks then call the police and ask.

Here’s one solution.

@flo i think it varies not only by region, but by neighborhood. Some neighborhoods have CC&R’s and active homeowner’s associations that required neatly trimmed lawns and others don’t. In the last neighborhood I lived in I could have been hassled by the HOA, where I currently live no one cares.

In my city they will send out a lawn crew from one of the schools or highway maintenance depots and mow then send the home owner the bill ( increase on taxes by line item ). Rats and vermin issues allow the city to do it.

I’ve actually been worried about this. Mr. Laureth and I bought a house last fall. It’s totally gutted inside so we’ve been working on it for some time, and we’re nowhere near living in it. We live in a condo now, so we don’t own a lawnmower. Meanwhile, the grass at the new place got so long, that when we asked our new neighbor if we could pay him to mow it for us until we got settled in, he told us it got far too long and we’d need a brush cutter. We don’t have a brush cutter either, so it grows and grows.

Luckily this place is zoned agricultural, and the neighbors on both sides have yards filled with utter crap, so I doubt much would be done. But if anyone complains, I’ll offer them a couple $20s to go ahead and mow these steppes.

There are definitely some areas around here that require properties to maintain aesthetic values. My friend’s dad is a landlord and he got a call from some agency saying that he had to do certain things or else he would face a penalty. (Sorry for the lack of details; I’m not quite sure of them). His property is in a very nice, upper class part of town. Some of the things he had to do around the house involved not only moving the lawn but also fixing a dilapidated fence and repainting a porch. I think it’s odd that these things are mandatory. Apparently it makes the property of the houses nearby go down because it decreases the quality of the block and makes stuck-up buyers complain about the “disaster” next door.

They have abandonment statutes in some areas, and will seize property.
Meth labs and crack heads come to mind as reason to keep up appearances.

About the only thing you can do is complain to your Homeowners Association if you have one. I have a “neighbor” (a rentor) two doors away who has let his grass and weeds grow for 4–6 weeks at a time (grrrrrrr). My HOA has gotten very accustomed to my calls and emails. And they work.

Thank you all, very interesting answers.

I live in northern Ky. In my city, the city will send you a notice of un-controlled vegetation. If you do not mow it, they will cite you and make you pay a fine.

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room Why does that bother you?

If you have a HOA check with them.

One of the reasons I hate living in confined spaces. “Grrr” applies to overly anal neighbors. I always kept my yard nice on my 5 acre property, but now that I am back in a little neighborhood it is driving me freaking crazy! One neighbor complains the other neighbors bushes are too bushy, I have had several calls from nosey old ladies that they have seen…gasp!... my cat outside! I understand that neighborhoods “should” have a decent standard of curb appeal but I, personally, can’t wait to get away from the obsessive busy bodies in my new digs.