Your local area
Grounds maintenance
Our responsibilities
We are responsible for maintaining public housing land, including in communal gardens. This includes things like, grass, bushes, hedges and trees. We contract this work to Derby City Council to carry out on our behalf.
Find out more information including how often the grass is cut on Derby City Council's website.
If you have an issue with the service you have received or think you have been missed. Contact us.
Tenant’s responsibilities
It’s your responsibility to keep your private garden areas tidy and maintained. This includes but is not limited to:
- grass
- trees
- plants
- bushes
- hedges
Trees, bushes and Hedges
- You must not let any hedge or shrub grow more than two metres high, overhang pavements, cause obstruction or interfere with your neighbour's garden.
- You must not remove trees or hedges without getting our permission first
- If you’re struggling or unable to manage your garden, we may be able to help. Either through our paid Garden Maintenance Scheme or by offering alternative support, depending on your requirements and eligibility.
Communal Gardens
You must keep any communal garden area outside the property clean, tidy and free from rubbish or furniture at all times.
No Mow May
The Council takes part in No Mow May, a campaign set up by Plantlife to encourage wildflowers to grow and provide food and habitat for wildlife.
This means they do not cut any grass throughout the month of May.
Find out more: Plantlife's No Mow May Movement.
Inspecting your local area
General inspections
We carry out estate inspections around all our properties throughout the year. We'll be in your area at least:
- every two months, April - September
- every three months, October – March
They are a chance for us to look out for issues like:
- parking
- damage to garages
- damage to public spaces
- fly tipping
- clutter and litter in communal areas
- overgrown garden and hedges
- graffiti
- bonfires
- dog fouling - roaming
- other pet nuisance - other than dogs barking causing noise nuisance
We may not always spot everything when we’re out and about - we’re only human after all. If you want to bring anything to our attention, get in touch with us, and we’ll make sure we check it out when we’re in your area.
Safety inspections
We carry out safety inspections on the public areas of housing land and around the properties we manage. These take place throughout the year according to well-managed highways guidance.
On inspections, we look at:
- paved surfaces
- access roads
- car parks
- footpaths
- drying areas
- other paved areas
- utility covers
- reinstatements of openings to paved areas and grassed areas
- road markings
- streetlights and illuminated street furniture
- non-illuminated signs and posts
- drainage
- pedestrian guard rails
- fences, walls, and hedges
We carry out inspections to:
- keep the areas around properties in a safe condition
- identify defects that are hazardous or likely to create a danger
- prioritise any necessary repairs according to risk and urgency
- identify potential repairs early on to schedule into existing works programmes
We carry out routine inspections every 6 – 12 months. We visit more frequently where we get reports of damage or issues.
You can report any issues on our estates by contacting us. If you know the issue is not on housing land estates, you will need to contact Derby City Council.
Estates Pride
Funding is given to us annually from Derby City Council to improve our estates and give residents pride in the areas they live. The funding is used for things like:
- fencing
- parking
- pathways
- landscaping
We speak with our customers and partners about where the funding should be spent, with most ideas for projects coming from our tenants.
We visit areas to look at how improvements can be made and consult with residents, giving details of the proposals. Our consultation process involves writing to residents, knocking on doors holding meetings, and publishing information. We may also work with other agencies to secure external funding for projects.
The aim of the work is to:
- give people pride in the areas they live
- reduce anti-social behaviour
- make areas safer
- make areas cleaner
- make areas greener
For more information about projects planned in your area or if you have any suggestions for future works, please get in touch with us.
Garages
We manage a number of garage sites across the city that are available to rent. To be eligible to rent one of our garages you must either be a Derby Homes tenant or Leaseholder, or be a resident within the City of Derby. The cost to rent a garage (April 2025 to March 2026) is:
- £12.38 per week for Council/Derby Homes tenants
- £14.86 per week non Council/Derby Homes tenants
Rent needs to be paid by Direct Debit monthly in advance.
If you are interested in renting a garage, use the contact form, select 'I'd like to rent a garage' and let us know which area you are interested in. If no garages are available in your chosen area, we’ll add you to our waiting list
What you can use a garage for
Garages can be used for either storing vehicles or storing personal items (see restrictions).
If you want to use the garage for anything else, you’ll need to get permission from us so we can make sure it’s not a health and safety risk or will cause a nuisance.
Restrictions
When renting a garage with us, you agree to not:
- Assign or sublet your garage tenancy
- Use your garage for commercial reasons
- Store more than 2 gallons or 18 litres of petrol or flammable substances in the garage
- Carry out major repairs to any vehicle at the garage
- Act in any way which may cause nuisance, disturbance or annoyance to anyone living, visiting or working in the area
- We’ll carry out repairs needed from fair wear and tear. You are responsible for keeping the garage clean and in good condition.
See our Garage Rental Agreement for full details and terms and conditions.