If you are a tenant and rent a property with a garden, you need to be prepared to put the work in to keep the garden nice and tidy throughout your tenancy to ensure you don’t lose any deposit when you leave.

If your not a green-fingered sort, a smaller garden could be much easier to manage, while still giving you space for garden furniture and that all – important barbecue! likewise, don’t be put off by a gravel or concrete yard – they can look great once you’ve added some seating, colourful plants in pots and fairy lights: and they’re pretty much maintenance – free.

Security – when viewing the property, make sure the garden is secure. Look for things such as lockable gates, fines without gaps and a security light. If you have small children, take note of the height of the latch on the gate and whether or not the garden backs onto a road.

Maintenance – see your garden as an extension of the house, in that it’s likely  your landlord will stipulate that it must be looked after.

A handy tip, make sure you do a bit of weeding every time you go out into the garden, it will just takes minutes and saves you hours down the line! In the summer months, mow the lawn fortnightly and remove the dead heads of flowers regularly – this will help the flowers regrow and look wonderful in your garden. Make sure hedges and climbing plants are kept down and cut so they don’t overgrow onto neighbours garden.