Reporting issues on different land types

When you report an issue online, like a fly-tip or a pothole, our response time may vary. It depends on the type of land the issue is on. When you report online, we try to give you an approximate resolution time.

If there is evidence of any perpetrators, we will pass the report onto the enforcement team to investigate. If evidence is found, an enforcement case will be opened. You will be informed that your report has been passed to the enforcement team.

Public land

Public land is land in Harrow that we are responsible for. It does not include unregistered land. Usually, reporting an issue on this type of land gets a quick resolution.

  • Public streets
  • Pavements
  • Pathways and alleys
  • Open space

Private land and orphaned land

Private land is any land in Harrow which is owned by a person or organisation. This could be a private property, farmland, or company grounds. Orphaned land is any land in Harrow with no known owner or that is unregistered.

  • School land
  • Farmland
  • Private property

We have no duty to resolve issues on private or orphaned land. If a landowner is known, they must resolve the issue themselves. If the issue persists, our team will notify the landowner. They will have eight weeks to resolve it.

If the issue is still unresolved, we will fix it and invoice the landowner for the work.

For orphaned land, we will explore options to address the issue. But, a resolution is likely to take much longer. If you would like to check the ownership of a piece of land you can visit Land Registry.

Housing land

Housing land is land in Harrow that we own. This includes land that forms part of a council house or housing estate. Our housing team investigates issues on housing land.