Looking after your yard
Information for Queensland tenants in public housing and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Keeping your yard clean and tidy makes your house and community look better. It can also make your house safer by keeping away pests like mice, snakes and termites.
To keep your yard clean and safe:
- mow the lawn regularly, including trimming edges and removing weeds, as long grass can attract snakes and mice.
- trim bushes and trees to keep them away from your house and public paths. Also keep them away from your doors and windows to improve visibility and reduce hiding spots for intruders.
- throw rubbish in the wheelie bin so it’s taken away and take large items to the rubbish tip. Contact your Housing Service Centre for Council Refuse vouchers.
- move any piles of rubbish or grass clippings from the side of the house to stop termites getting to the house.
- have any wrecked cars or boats removed from your yard.
- water your garden regularly but remember that water restrictions may apply.
Let us know if anything needs to be fixed, such as broken fence palings, leaking taps or tree roots that you could trip over:
- contact maintenance at your nearest Housing Service Centre (6am–6pm, Monday–Friday)
- submit an online maintenance request
- submit a maintenance request using the Tenant Assist Qld app.
More information about requesting maintenance:
Planting trees and shrubs
If you’re thinking about planting trees and shrubs, consider:
- how big the trees will be when fully grown, and whether they’ll damage the home, footpaths or driveway
- where to plant trees – at least 3 metres away from the house, and clear of sewerage, stormwater drains and service pipes
- whether native trees would be better to encourage birds and shrubs that provide colour in your garden
- pruning the trees to keep them from intruding on your neighbours' property or damaging your property.
Removing trees
Contact your nearest Housing Service Centre for advice and/or approval if you want to remove any trees.
Also contact your local council in case there are tree preservation orders in your area.
Water saving tips for your garden
- follow your local council's rules about water usage
- water plants in the early morning or late evening to reduce water evaporation
- remove weeds from your garden
- if you use a sprinkler, use a timer
- mulch your garden to reduce water evaporation.