Legal questions about garden when transferring a house?

Questioner

Hello, on November 30th the keys of our purchased house will be handed over. However, the backyard has become a jungle. We bought this house in February 2016 and since then the owner has been present in the house sometimes. We have photos from February and now, the weeds are really 1 meter high, the hedges are not maintained and the street is not cleaned. Contacted the seller but he indicated that he was not interested in leaving the garden tidy. Now the question: what can we demand with regard to the garden? Can the seller leave it as it is or must the seller leave the house and garden behind at the time of sale?

Lawyer

The purchase agreement states that the seller must deliver the immovable property (i.e. building plus garden) in the condition it was in at the time of closing the purchase, except for normal wear and tear. The seller must therefore return the garden to the same condition as it was in February, although given the time of year, there may of course be leaves lying around.

Questioner

Hello Mr. Steijns, thank you for your answer, the seller changed his mind and cleaned the entire garden yesterday. But still thanks for the quick response