If you're lucky enough to have a garden space then you'll likely want to utilise it to its full potential, especially in the hot summer months when staying indoors feels suffocating and BBQs are a must.
But one woman has warned anyone who rents their property to be careful when it comes to undertaking any projects in their garden after she made a costly mistake while trying to give some love to her neglected outside space.
The mum, named Beth, had decided to clear an area of her garden that was covered in small stones so that she could plant flowers in the soil below instead. And after getting rid of the stones on Facebook Marketplace, she realised the huge mistake she had made.
Beth lives in a council house and rents her property from the council, which means the stones did not belong to her - and she wasn't supposed to move them, let alone sell them.
This means that when she moves out, she'll have to dig up her flowers and spend money on fresh stones to cover up the area again, as she has to leave everything as she found it.
In a video on her @maevesmummy account on TikTok, Beth explained her "biggest mistake" with her garden, as she said several people online had pointed out the error she'd made.
She said: "A few people suggested getting rid of my stones on Facebook Marketplace so that's exactly what I did. And then I see this comment and I think, 'S**t'. And then my mum messages me, and I think, 'Double s**t'.
"I have just gotten rid of loads of stones from my property that actually don't belong to me. This means that when I do give the property back to the council - because I rent from the council - I'm going to have to replace all of these stones because I have to leave the property exactly how I was given it, even though I think the stones are ugly as hell.
"Lesson learnt: Do not get rid of anything else in the garden that doesn't belong to me."
Beth's warning was flooded with comments that claimed local councils often don't mind if you've changed things around in the garden as long as the space is still in a "decent state" when you move out.
One person said: "If it's council it's ok, they don't mind as long as you leave it in a decent state."
While another added: "Council don't mind as long as in good condition, it's more interior they are concerned about."
And a third wrote: "I am a housing officer and as long as you are making improvements and not building anything without permission we will not take any action."
However, if you rent your property from a private landlord, it's best to get permission from them before you make any permanent changes to areas of the house or garden.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@trinitymirror.com.
