Who would be a site official / chairperson???

[Compo]

Does any of the plot officials on the forum recognise this situation.

Waiting list develops on the plot. Potential plotholders keep informing you that 'that plot down the bottom has been overgrown for ages' (you gave this plot to someone last year who nagged you in the same way).

You approach said plotholder who says, well I have got a tomato plant and a pumpkin plant in there somewhere (you look - they have) but the weeds outnumber the two cultivated plants about 1000-1.

Not withtstanding that you give said plotholder a warning that under the rules the committee can reposessess overgrown and un-tilled plots.

Said plotholder then says its not fair, I have this illness, this problem, it's been too wet, other plots are overgrown (yes but none as much as yours!!)

What does a chap do, my first thought is to throw the towel in and no longer be the mug that says he will be the chairman.....

Having said that I have put a notice up warning the overgrown plot-holders of the rules and spoke to them in person, so I have discharged my duty, but it really is a pain in the backside!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh!

One well frustrated Compo in Somerset.

I think I am too sensitive!!

[alan refail]

Hi Compo

My commiserations.

Been there, dunnit - but that was in another life and another country (England) - now left behind thank goodness.

But stick with it, it'll be worth it in the end if your site is cultivated.

Alan

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Compo, by the sounds of it you probably are a bit too sensitive for the job, and i can assure you i don't mean this in a bad way at all.
I myself wouldn't be any good at the job, for the same reason.
Can't the eviction be in a written form, and come adressed from the committee, and then it won't just be you catching the flack.

Failing that i could pop round and chuck them off.

[Chantal]

Compo, I'm secretary and get the job of writing to such plotholders, I'm sending another one tomorrow in fact.

I usually say that we've received complaints from other plotholders (true) and that they must get the plot cultivated and under control within a month (I give a precise date). This allows for holidays, wet weather, sickness etc as there is always some time during a month that work can be done.

I'm quite specific that if nothing happens in that time then the plot will be taken back and given to the next person on the list. I wrote 6 letters last year. Four immediately phoned to say they didn't want the plots and the other 2 cleaned up their act. A letter seems to really work whereas phone calls and friendly chats seem to be useless.

Good luck

[Compo]

well the letters that we send are in my folde but signed by the secretary who never goes near the plot so it makes sense to send them

To tell you the truth there are two people on the waiting list who want 1 plot and 1/2 plot and I have a plot and 1/2 plot both completely neglected.

So now I have warned em I will send letters one month before the AGM and if nothing done at AGM according to our rules the committee can then decide.

We only meet once a year at AGM and all other decisions are made informally on site, as we rarely have problems but I have one question Chantal?

Do you hold a committee meeting prior to the AGM, this way evictions can be discussed in private but minuted of course, it is difficult to discuss repossession if said plot holder turns up to heckle the decision at the AGM....

Thanks for all the advice so far. Of course it is just as likely the new incumbents will not get to grips with the overgrown plots either.

Hey Ho!!!

Compo

[Chantal]

Hi Compo

Yes, we do have a committee meeting a week or so before the issues throughout the year so we've never had the situation you'll be up against.

We do have another rule which can be enforced and that is the rents must be paid within one month of the AGM or the plot will be relet. As people who neglect their plots don't attend the AGM to pay their rent, they often fail to pay their rent at all.

If you've issued the verbal warning, I'd write to them if nothing happens within 2 weeks. The sooner the situation is sorted the better. It will also reinforce your authority as a committee and people will take notice when future verbal warnings are given.

[peter]

Compo you have my sympathy, as the Landlords agent I am fortunate in that letters don't come from me.

But they are at my instigation, we have nine on our site waiting list and more on the general list. No vacant plots as of last weekend, a plot let last autumn had never been touched, and two letters plus various phone messages got no response at all, so "you're off" letter went out with a cut-off date for a reply. No reply, then first person off the waiting list looked at the weeds and conceded they were beyond her, the next on the list said he'd give it a go and he lives off the road leading to the site, so is well placed for little and often or opportunistic spraying.

I always go on "are visible efforts being made", as most of my recent lets are of overgrown couch and bindweed infested plots.

A useful technique I picked up from my predecessor is to initially let only small plots. 2.5 or 3 rod is sufficient size of overgrown plot to be hard work, without being totally daunting, as progress is visible even if only by the square yard.
If people then say they want a bigger plot after they have "proved themselves" I try and put them to the top of the list.

A bit of latitude for genuine problems is a must though, but sprays and membrane or carpet mulch are great for seed dispersion suppression which has got to be the minimum effort.

[Chantal]

I agree with Peter on the small starter plot idea. We do have a lot of small plots with newbies on them this year and the policy lately has been to split every vacant large plot into 2 or even 3 small plots.

I also agree that if genuine efforts are being made, even if the plot is rather unkempt, we don't harrass people. The only ones we go for are those who haven't touched the plot for months and in some cases those who quite clearly only cultivate part of their plot and leave the rest to go wild. In these cases we try and split their plot up.

[submariner]

Compo, Chairman, please, and if the person is a woman, Chairwoman (or lady). Sorry, but I hate these PC fudges!

[Primrose]

I nolonger have an allotment but agree untended plots are a real pain for everybody else, both from a weed point of view, as well as frustrating genuine newcomers on the waiting list. I'm a strong believer in laying down the rules firmly at the beginning of a tenancy so that people understand they have to be committed. Of course there have to be concessions for genuine problems like serious illness, but I suspect a lot of people simply just under-estimate the amount of effort needed to keep a plot maintained. I also think the Committee Chairman has to be pretty thick skinned and be prepared to enforce the rules, both about regular maintenance and rents being paid.

[Shallot Man]

You might have noticed, that I have inadvertently sent my reply to submariner and not to you. [senile decay] shallot man

[lizzie]

On the site where I am, they have a committee meeting once a month and an AGM yearly (usually in November)

I think the best thing is to treat everyone fairly and the same. Some people where I am forget that the rules also apply to them so I gently have to remind them.

I'd just look upon it as business and not get involved on an emotional level. The members are aware of the rules when they take on the plot. If they don't stick to those rules, they're off.

Keep on going though with being on the committee. It's worthwhile

[STEVE PARTRIDGE]

Hi Compo, as Chairman of our Allotment site I can empathise with your situation as we had the same problems with overgrown and neglected plots, we have introduced monthly plot inspections to make sure that plots to not go to rack & ruin as they did under the old committee, we send a warning letter giving one month to bring the plot back into cultivation as stated in the tenancy agreement, if at the next inspection there has not been a satisfactory improvement then a final warning is issued, then at the next inspection the situation is still the same then they are issued with a termination letter, we do take into account any problems that they may have with health issues etc. We have a Committee meeting each month and the termination letter has to be approved by the Committee before being sent which helps avert a problem with just the Chairman or Lettings Secretary taking the flak for being too heavy handed on anybody. Before I took on the Chairmans position the problem of under cultivated or neglected plots was the main complaint from the majority of plotholders and to be honest the only way to get a positive response to this is to issue the letters mentioned, regards Steve.

[GIULIA]

At our allotments we have a system which works rather well. There is a monthly plot inspection (two members of the committee walk the site and make notes, reporting back to the committee meeting on whether certain plots have improved etc.) We have a straight-forward warning letter system, three strikes and you're out. Sometimes we customise a letter if there's a particular problem but mostly it's a straight 'warning number one' and by the time you get number three its notice to quit time. People respond to the letters on the whole by putting in a bit more effort and everyone knows the inspectors are keeping an eye on them. We still have poorly tended plots of course, but we have a definite limit on how bad they're allowed to get before time's up!

[Granny]

I totally understand the problem but hope you take each case on its own merits. After a long wait my daughter and her husband took on an extremely overgrown allotment covered in couch grass and nettles, when she was pregnant with her second child. Then she had a very difficult birth and wasn't even allowed to drive for 6 weeks. With 2 youngsters under 2 yrs old they found it difficult to do anything on the allotment for some weeks. Her site secretary spoke to them but was very understanding and now they are getting it under control. Maybe they should have transferred it to the next in line but they had waited ages and didn't want to pass it up.
Does anyone have a policy of helping out newcomers taking over difficult plots and helping them get started?
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Granny