Landscaping maintenance-related decisions are one of the difficult decisions rental property owners must make. Many Clearwater property owners assume that their tenants will be responsible for keeping the yard in good shape. However, that might not always be the best course of action.
There are both pros and cons to assigning landscape maintenance to your tenant. Similarly, there are pros and cons of taking care of it yourself (or hiring someone to do it for you). When you take a closer look at the responsibility of landscaping maintenance from both sides, you can wisely choose the best option for your landscaping needs.
As the property owner, the most effortless way to ensure property maintenance is getting done correctly is to hire a professional. There are clear benefits to taking this approach to landscaping maintenance for single-family rental homes. For example, you won’t need to worry that your tenants will mistreat or neglect the lawn, trees, or other plants.
With adequate tending, your rental house will always have great curb appeal, helping you better protect your property values. Having a designated provider for landscaping maintenance for your tenant might just become a big draw, helping you attract and keep higher-quality tenants willing to pay a bit extra for the convenience. As soon as a rental property is rented, many states do not allow you to come on the property unless you give proper notice, or it is outlined in the lease agreement. Even then, it is not a good idea to handle the landscape maintenance yourself.
You should also consider that if you plan to do the yard maintenance work yourself, you’ll need the time, skills, and tools to do the job right. It could be an issue especially if you don’t live near your rental property. Also, the time you spend caring for your property’s yard might not be the best way to go about it.
Even so, hiring a professional landscaping company will be an additional expense. If you were not able to figure landscaping maintenance costs into your initial calculations, that could put an unwanted strain on your monthly cash flows. You might also have a hard time finding a company that does quality work at lower costs. This may be the best part of having a property manager: they will have a list of service providers that may even do the work at a discount.
The most common way property owners deal with landscaping maintenance is to require your tenant to do it. The benefits of this approach are plenty. The tenant takes on the time and expense of mowing lawns, trimming bushes, and pulling weeds, freeing your time and money for other things. Besides, tenants who have been renting single-family homes for many years often already have the tools and experience needed to do a decent job of taking care of your yard. They could keep your property’s yard well-maintained throughout their stay.
Of course, not all tenants are willing or able to live up to landscaping responsibilities. Another thing to consider is that you do run the risk of doing serious damage to the yard with this arrangement. Insufficient care could lead to dead or dying plants. Your rental home could quickly become a neighborhood eyesore. A corresponding reduction of your property value could be the result because of that. Another thing is if your tenants don’t already have a lawnmower or other tools, buying them could present a serious problem. Many tenants don’t want or can’t afford to invest in expensive lawn care equipment.
They might not know how to use such tools safely as well. This could escalate into a situation where the tenant injures themselves, breaks or damages your landscaping equipment, or both. Any of these may turn into unwanted legal problems unless careful steps are taken.
At the end of the day, deciding on your Clearwater rental property’s landscaping needs will depend on your particular situation. Take into account all the pros and cons and being realistic about your availability and budget so you can come up with an arrangement that is beneficial to all parties.
If you need some advice on how to handle landscaping for your rental property or would like someone else to take care of it entirely, contact Real Property Management TradeWinds. You can reach us online or call us at 727-400-4722 for more information.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
