Together with the many decisions that rental property owners must make, deciding on who will do landscaping maintenance can be difficult. Many Southwest Waterfront 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 in the same way that there are pros and cons of taking care of it yourself (or hiring outside help). 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 uncomplicated way to ensure property maintenance is getting done correctly is to hire a professional to do the job. 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 care, your rental house will always have great curb appeal, helping you to better protect your property values. The availability of landscaping maintenance for your tenant might just become a big draw, helping you attract and keep higher-quality tenants who want the extra convenience and are willing to pay a little extra for it. Usually, when your 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. Nevertheless, it is not a good idea to handle the landscape maintenance yourself.
To add to these concerns, if you plan to do the yard maintenance work yourself, you’ll need the time, skills, and tools to do the job right. If you don’t live near your rental property, this could be a cause for concern. Also, the time you spend caring for your property’s yard might not be the best way of investing in it.
Even so, hiring a professional landscaping company will be an additional expense. If you failed to figure landscaping maintenance costs into your initial calculations, that could put an unwanted strain on your monthly cash flows. You have to keep in mind that quality work often comes at a higher cost. 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 address landscaping maintenance is to require your tenant to do it. There are many real benefits to this approach. The tenant takes on the time and expense of mowing lawns, trimming bushes, and pulling weeds, freeing your time and money to do other things. This is also a good option since 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.
However, you should also consider that not all tenants are willing or able to live up to landscaping responsibilities. When you fully rely on your tenants to do the maintenance, you do run the risk of doing serious damage to the yard. Insufficient care could lead to dead or dying plants. Your property’s yard could quickly become a neighborhood eyesore. Also, a corresponding reduction of your property value could be an unwanted result. Also, 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 may not know how to use such tools safely. That could be a big problem. This could escalate into a situation where the tenant injures themselves, breaks or damages your landscaping equipment, or both. These might result in unwanted legal problems unless careful steps are taken.
At the end of the day, deciding on your Southwest Waterfront rental property’s landscaping needs will depend on your particular situation. Consider all the pros and cons and be realistic about your availability and budget so that you can come up with a mutually beneficial arrangement for everyone.
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 DC Metro. You can reach us online or call us at 202-269-0303 for more information.
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