Grounds maintenance: 5 common myths, busted

We know your communal outdoor areas are important to you. We also know that grounds maintenance work can cause frustration – especially when things don’t look as tidy as you expect. That’s why we’re busting some common grounds maintenance myths, so you know exactly what to expect, and what we’re doing to keep your outdoor spaces clean, tidy, and well-maintained.

Myth 1: The operatives only cut grass and nothing else

Myth busted:
Our grounds maintenance service covers much more than just mowing. Depending on the time of year, and your specific outdoor area, this can include:

• trimming and pruning hedges (our contractors will carry out hard pruning during the winter, and cut hedges 2-3 times during spring and summer)
• treating weeds
• litter picking
• clearing leaves and moss

Each task is scheduled at different times throughout the year. For example, hedge cutting happens a few times a year, while grass cutting is more frequent in spring and summer.

Myth 2: If my grass isn’t cut weekly, something’s wrong

Myth busted:
Our grounds maintenance operatives follow a set seasonal schedule. They’ll visit around once every two weeks during growing season (March to October), or once every three weeks if your contractor is Tivoli. There's no grass cutting during the winter season (November to February).

Bad weather often means we can’t do all the jobs that we’d like to. If this happens, our operatives will complete other tasks more suited to the weather. Read more about what bad weather means for your grounds maintenance services here.

Myth 3: The operatives don’t get enough done

Myth busted:
We know that sometimes our operatives don’t get through all the jobs you’d like them to do, and this can be frustrating. Sometimes, they might be dealing with broken tools or waiting on other team members to finish a job before they can get started, or they may need to check safety procedures due to obstructions. They’re often working around challenges to make sure you get the level of service promised by us, and will always try to make up any jobs that they’re unable to do on their next visit.

Myth 4: My area was missed – again

Myth busted:
Grounds maintenance visits are scheduled by our contractors in the same week each month, which means they could fall on a different date each month. Operatives will visit all scheduled areas on a rotating basis, but issues like fly tipping, locked gates, fouling, and dangerous obstructions can cause delays.

Some areas are also maintained less frequently to support biodiversity, such as wildflower areas, or if there’s evidence of nesting birds (usually March – August).

Occasionally, staff sickness and low staffing numbers could also mean missed visits. If this happens, our contractors will rearrange the visit to make sure you’re getting all the visits you should.

Myth 5: The grass cuttings are never collected

Myth busted:
We offer a ‘cut and drop’ service, which means our operatives leave a small amount of grass cuttings behind to help return nutrients to the soil. This is a more eco-friendly way of doing grounds maintenance work. Operatives will tidy around paths, kerbs, and communal entrances to keep things safe and neat.

How you can help us to help you

If you’re unhappy with any of the grounds maintenance services, please speak to your Estates Officer, or let our Hub team know. 

Want to work with us to improve your estate and communal spaces? Become an Estate Champion and let us know each month if there’s any grounds maintenance and communal cleaning services issues affecting your building. You can email our Tenant Scrutiny team on customerscrutiny@midlandheart.org.uk to find out more.

Find out everything you need to know about where your service charge goes, and our communal services, by visiting our dedicated webpage.