Maintaining your property

If you are an owner or occupier of a property you must keep your property reasonably tidy at all times and not allow:

• Grass and vegetation not to become overgrown
• Motor vehicle parts and storage of machinery
• Rubbish, rubble, demolished or discarded materials from building works or other matter to accumulate on the land and constitute a hazard to the health or safety of any person
• Land to become unsightly or detrimental to the amenity of the area
• Ensure that plants, trees and other vegetation on their properties don’t obstruct public areas or put the public at risk. Wyndham City regularly visits properties to identify trouble spots and you will be asked to trim trees or plants that are deemed to be unsafe or blocking access to public areas.

To report an unsightly property visit our Requests and Issues Portal.

Overgrown Grass

A nature strip is the area between a road and the adjoining property. Overgrown grass on nature strips can look untidy, provide a haven for vermin, and obstruct footpaths. Council’s Community Amenity Local Law 2023 requires owners and occupiers of property to maintain the grass on the nature strip/s adjoining their property to be less than 30cms high.

Where grass on a nature strip is longer than 30cms, Council’s Local Law Officer will contact the owner and/or occupier of the adjoining property to advise them of their obligation to maintain the nature strip, and ask them to cut the nature strip by a specified date. Enforcement action such as the issuing of an infringement may follow if the grass is not cut by the required date.

If you would like to report a nature strip that has grass over 30cm high, please go here or contact Council on 1300 023 411.

Please note: Residents are not required to maintain nature strip trees planted by Council or developers. It is an offence under Council’s Community Amenity Local Law 2023 to cut, remove or damage nature strip trees. Residents can request maintenance of a nature strip by contacting Council.

Nature Strip Beautification

Residents can make changed to the nature strip adjoining their property, as long as the changes are permitted in Council’s Nature Strip Beautification Policy.

Some of the allowed alterations are:

• Replacing grass with gravel or mulch less than 7mm in diameter;
• Planting shrubs or plants that are not spiky or otherwise dangerous, and do not grow larger than 50cm in height.
• Stepping pavers that are level with the ground.

It is an offence under the Community Amenity Local Law 2023 to alter a nature strip outside of what is permitted in the Beautification of Nature Strips Policy and doing so may result in infringements being issued and/or costs incurred to reinstate the nature strip.

Placing rocks, stakes, or other items intended to prevent vehicles parking on nature strip is strictly prohibited and could be dangerous to drivers and pedestrians.

See the Nature Strips Landscaping Guidelines for further details. For tips about caring for your new nature strip tree, view the Caring For Your New Nature Strip Tree Guide.

For further information about applying for a permit contact Wyndham City on 1300 023 411.

Wyndham City’s Community Amenity Local Law (2023) aims to improve the visual amenity of our community, reduce fire and health hazards and improve public safety by requiring all vacant properties that are not Rural Zonedto be maintained to the following levels:

1. Grass and undergrowth, including along fence lines, to be maintained to a height of no more than 15cm  all year round
2. Vacant land is to be kept clear all year round, of any fire hazard, noxious weeds, box thorn plants, litter and rubbish, which includes, but is not limited to, concrete, dirt mounds, rocks and rubble

We encourage land owners to inspect your property regularly to ensure that these outcomes are achieved. If you do not meet Wyndham City’s Local Law requirements you will be issued with a Notice to Comply (NTC) to clean your property within a specified timeframe and an infringement. If the clean-up is not completed within these timeframes Wyndham City will be required to undertake the clean-up works. The costs incurred will be charged to the property owner.

Selling the Vacant Land

If you have or are in the process of selling the property, you need to provide the new or prospective buyers with a copy of any correspondence received from Wyndham City in relation to vacant land.