Notices, enforcement and appeals

There are three enforcement stages for general breach of your tenancy.

‘Tidy Up’ or advisory letter (stage 1)

if we find your plot is not being worked to its full potential or you are breaking another rule, we will issue an informal advisory letter asking you to tidy up, improve your plot or put things right within 28 days
we will visit your plot approximately 4 weeks after sending the letter; if the plot has improved significantly no further action will be taken
if your allotment plot becomes untidy, or the problem occurs again, we will go straight to stage 2 (improvement notice) and you will not be sent the ‘tidy up’ letter on future occasions.

Improvement notice (stage 2)

if your plot has not improved significantly, we will issue a formal 28 Day improvement notice or a formal warning
we will visit approximately 4 weeks later
if your allotment plot has improved significantly no further action will be taken.

Eviction notice (stage 3)

if the plot has not improved significantly, the Council will issue an eviction notice which means you will have to leave your plot (this will be a written letter)
we will give you 28 days to clear any personal materials off your plot
if you receive an eviction notice we do not have to refund any portion of your rent.

Find out more about what happens if you receive and eviction notice

Appeal or mitigating circumstances

If you have a genuine reason why you can’t work your plot then you must contact us as soon as possible.
If you are struggling to keep up with the work on your plot you have two options:
if you have a large plot you can ask to reduce the size to half a plot; we offer this option as we have found that a smaller plot size is more manageable
you can register a co-worker to share the workload.

If you need more time to rectify the enforcement issues you should contact us. In exceptional circumstances, such as a medical condition or family bereavement, extra time will be considered.

Plot re-inspection

Usually your plot is re-inspected within one month dependent on resources and weather.

If you have failed the re-inspection you will receive the next stage letter.