Andy, it depends what you want and what kind of trees they were.

When I removed my white ash and silver maples I left most of the stumps. They did very little resprouting. The maples are gone now seven years later. The ash stumps are hardier.

If you have a two or three foot across stump and have it ground out it is still awhile before grass will grow in that funny wood chip infested soil.

Welcome aboard and tell us more about your stumps!

Hello,

You do not 'have' to remove the stumps. Even if they are sprouting, just cut the sprouts off and the root system will soon quit.

You could get a stump grinder and they are quite effective at removing stumps.

If you didn't wan to go that route, the stump removal stuff does not work as nicely as the bottle says, imo.

Many have had success with putting charcoals on top of the stump and lighting them. They will burn out the stump over night. I would not recommend this for the one close to the house and some communities frown upon this but it is quite effective. The stumps don't flame but just smolder until there's nothing left.

I hope this helps, good luck :)

flat??? ..

are you the property owner. ...

or a renter..

and if you are a renter.. why is it your problem.. and not the owners???

maybe i just dont you your GB language ... lol ...

here in the states.. a flat implies an apartment ....

ken

Andy - unless the stumps are affecting your neighbour I don't see why they think that you must remove them. If they are dead they will slowly rot away. If not you can kill them as people have suggested above. (except the idea of leaving burning charcoal on top - not something that would be acceptable in the front garden of a flat and potentially very dangerous.) If the tops are flat you could put some pots of flowers on them.

Any chance of a picture? We could tell you what the trees are and whether they are dead or alive.

Why do they need to be ground? Because your neighbor 'thinks' they should? See if you can have him tell you why.
I see no reason why most stumps need to be ground up. A stump grinder typically only goes down about six inches and the work is expensive! Get a bid and you'll know what I'm talking about. Plus the stump is still there rotting away with the soil slowly caving in. Not good if you want to put a lawn over it. Fine for a flower bed with a mulch and groundcovers though.
A couple of wheelbarrows of topsoil on the stump, cut off as low as possible, and you are good to go without incurring the cost of grinding.
Some people enclose the stump in a treated wood box, fill with topsoil and plant. You can also use a large pot with the bottom removed and accomplish the same thing.
Or, you can do what I do on some of my stumps....plant sedums on them. Sedums are the white plant on the stump in the lower right.
Mike