Together with the many decisions that rental property owners must make, deciding on who will do landscaping maintenance can be difficult. Many Dr. Phillips property owners assume that their tenants will be responsible for keeping the yard in good condition. However, that might not always be the best course of action.
There are both pros and cons to assigning landscape maintenance to your tenant. Comparably, there are also pros and cons of taking care of it yourself (or hiring someone to do it for you). Making the right decision for your rental property will be easier if you take a closer look at the responsibility of landscaping from both sides.
As the property owner, the simplest way to ensure property maintenance is getting done correctly is to hire a professional to do it. There are clear benefits to taking this approach when it comes 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 sufficient care, your rental house will always have great curb appeal, helping you to better protect your property values. Making provisions 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. After 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.
In addition 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. This would pose a big problem 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 of investing in it.
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. This is arguably 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 usual way property owners deal with landscaping maintenance is to require your tenant to do it. Arrangements like this have many benefits. The tenant takes on the time and expense of mowing lawns, trimming bushes, and pulling weeds, freeing your time and money for other things. Most of the time, 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 may manage to maintain your property’s yard for the duration of their stay.
However, not all tenants are willing or able to live up to landscaping responsibilities. Of course, you do run the risk of doing serious damage to the yard if you assign these tasks to your tenant. Abuse or neglect may lead to dead or dying plants. Your property could become a neighborhood eyesore. Also, a corresponding reduction of your property value could be an unwanted result. Consider also that 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. You could create a situation where the tenant injures themselves, breaks or damages your landscaping equipment, or both. Any of these could become unwanted legal problems unless careful steps are taken.
The decision on the care of your Dr. Phillips rental property’s landscaping will greatly depend on your particular situation. Weigh all the pros and cons and be realistic about your availability and budget, so that you can come to an arrangement that benefits both 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 South Orlando. You can reach us online or call us at 407-982-2000 for more information.
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