Sorry to say, but we know only one side of the story and the story is sliiightly different from the one originally presented. I’d not be so quick to judge.
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If spoken words fail, we still have the written language at our disposal.
Heck, the real estate company that manages the building where I live sends letters with info, updates, reminders, etc. It’s like they know that written language allows people to process things slowly, at the time of their choice, and with the support of other people or online tools to translate.
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Around our place, even the Gemeinde will either send you a letter or some chappy in lumo-orange trousers will knock on your door to tell you your garden is unkempt, if they deem it necessary.
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- You have a management company which suggests you rent. OP and his neighbour seem to be owners, so it’s up to them to communicate
- As I said, we know only one side of the story and apparently the neighbour has made attempts to talk
- OP mentioned that he doesn’t speak French and last time the neighbour tried to tell them something they didn’t understand it only to realise the leaking roof.
Don’t judge based on one side of the story, particularly with neighbours, is all I’m saying
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That’s the very reason I mentioned written language. I’ve been before the person not understood and I write. I don’t start a civil procedure for conservatorship.
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That’s the very reason why I said “we know only one side of the story”. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t, but its clear they tried to communicate with OP before.
In any case, nothing more to add substantively to this topic.
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Seriously? I thought leaving things wild was a thing now for the bees and the birds, the hedgehogs and so on.
As to the shutters, our appartements have all these huge windows (I love it) but about 30% of the tenants have their shutters down all year long. As I find that strange (why rent such a place if large windows are disliked?) it wouldn’t cross my mind to even mention it to them.
Dirty windows, oops, I better get my cleaning gear out. But it’s so darn cold and it takes a week at most and their all spilt with … what the heck is in the rainwater these days?
However, it is a pretty heavy move to alert KESB about neighbours. If they truly cared, a private meeting taking a translator along if necessary would be the decent thing to do.
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Not so much the wildlife-friendly gardens more the case of when it affects the surroundings. The house down the road from us was going to be knocked down and redeveloped and in the last few months the family were living in it, they had a few clear-outs, leaving stuff in the driveway and the garden was a total mess (why would you bother?) and the gemeinde bloke had a word with them.
We also had a visit when we first moved in because apparently a spiky bush was protruding into the road and we had to cut it back.
As far as I know, nobody took a care order out on any of us, though… 
I don’t call one attempt years ago trying to communicate really. And yes, if it were me, I’d have used Deepl or Google translate to drop a written communication into the letter box.
There are strict laws about bushes and roads. That has to do with traffic safety. Seems those leaves may not even reach ones land-border but must keep a distance. That’s actually annoying, they basically claim some of your private space.
I only - vaguely - learnt about that when a friend moved into her own house. What I took from her moving there was that there are incredible many laws, rules and regulations for house owners and it’s actually very pleasant to be a tenant. 
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On the other hand, it was you. So when they approached you, trying to communicate about something you didn’t understand you could have used deepl to find out what they want.
They may not even know about deepl, after all they have no use for it on daily basis in the area.
Actually, I thought you speak French? I seem to remember you posting French articles.
Anyway, do make sure there will be a translator at that meeting. Ask them now who will organize one (them or you),
Actually I just realized justice of peace is what we call the “Friedensichter” here, so not KESB (APEA in your area) but the office where people try to sort things out without going to court.
Can read it and get the general idea, but speaking/listening not so easy.
Yes, we’ve already talked with the Justice’s office about a translator and they’re going to organise that for the meeting.
Around here if that does not work the Gemeinde will fix the offending garden and send a bill for the work
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That does not sound legal in Switzerland. Sending in the gardeners is already trespassing - lucky they can’t get shot here (legally).
The Gemeinde knock on the door and say fix your garden or we will fix it for you and charge.
Trespassing is only an offense in Switzerland when the action is unlawful and unjustified.
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Before Gemeinde visit:
After Gemeinde visit:
That’s what you’d expect after the bill arrives.
Not just here though. The local council sent this homeowner in Eastbourne, Sussex a bill for £3000 to sort out his eyesore of a garden:
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The only time they intervene here is if there are trees or hedges overhanging onto the road or footpaths. There are articles in the local papers every week for a few weeks in spring detailing the rules, including drawings and diagrams and a deadline by which homeowners must comply.
If the work is not done by the deadline the commune could technically come along and do it and bill the homeowners for it but I’ve never seen that happen in all the time I’ve lived here.
They would only touch stuff outside the property, they don’t care what the private gardens look like.
The are not allowed to care in a manner of interfering, they can only mention it if they don’t like it.
What you describe is a different thing. The right to cut those plants/branches also applies to you if for example the neighbour’s plants hang into your garden. First step is to ask them to cut them, if they don’t you’re allowed to cut them yourself.
As I just read, you can either keep them or throw them on your neighbours land, both is legal 
Guess if you don’t have a fireplace you throw them over the fence. Just don’t hit him with them, that will open a new case.
Ok, so I understand a bit the concern about the property condition, but still, tbh I was mostly shocked about the fact that someone can try to impose on you how your garden should look like which is absurd, unless it’s already a wild jungle (with trees) instead of anything like a garden.
Think about the risks if in adjacent part of the property breaks fire, builds mold, or worms are hatching… However knowing Swiss issues, it’s nothing like that, but the right-side owners would like maximize the re-sale value of their property
I have a friend here who planted some flowers in front of her house (forgot which flowers/plants) that allegedly are planted only in cemeteries in Switzerland so my friend got a proper lecture from their neighbour on the matter of flowers/garden. But I think those flowers stayed; she played dumb, apologised for not knowing, and minded her own business…lol. Stupid foreigners! 
I remember someone else on EF has complained about the “Geraniumpolizei”…yes, it’s true…gardens are supposed to look in a certain way here. 