Lawn Care whose responsibility

Joline

Lawn Care: Is It the Landlord’s Responsibility or the Tenant’s?

Keeping a lawn looking sharp can take a lot of hard work, especially if it is big lawn. The question as to whether or not keeping up with and maintaining the lawn at a rental home is the responsibility of the landlord or the tenant is an ongoing debate. However, as a landlord, you are ultimately the decision-maker when it comes to lawn care. In order to make the best decision for both you and your tenants when it comes to who is responsible for the lawn and how it should be taken care of, it is important to ask yourself some questions so that you can determine those things and communicate them to your tenants as well as include them in your lease agreement. As property managers in Redding who have over twenty years of experiencing managing rental properties all over Shasta County, we would love to help guide your decision by offering some questions. 
1. How much work would it take to maintain your lawn? Evaluating the workload when it comes to maintaining your lawn will help you to know if your tenants can or cannot handle it. Are you just wanting the lawn mowed? Or do you also need trees and bushes trimmed? Do you have a garden or any flowers or fruit trees that need to be kept up with? Depending on the workload involved, you may decide to make it a requirement for your tenants or you may decide that it is too much and that you need to hire someone to do it.

2. Do you trust your tenants to take care of the lawn? This is also an important question because even if you don’t think keeping up with the lawn would be too much work for your tenants to handle, do you trust that they will actually do it? Your lawn might be a priority to you and you might take incredible pride in it, but it might not be a priority to your tenants and they might simply forget about it. The question is: would it be better for you to invest your trust into your tenants or to invest your money into a professional whose income ultimately rides on how well they do their work?
A red lawn mower cutting grass on a sunny day, with a vibrant green field and a clear blue sky in the background.
3. What are your expectations as a landlord when it comes to lawn care? It is important to ask yourself this question so that you can lay it out and communicate it clearly to your tenants in the lease agreement and in person. Once you have decided whether you want your tenants to take care of the lawn or you want to take care of it yourself or you want to hire someone to take care of it, that will ultimately help you determine what you expect of your tenants when it comes to taking care of the lawn. Make sure to lay those things out clearly in the lease and to address them with your tenants in person, especially if you have decided that you want your tenants to maintain it. Most of the time, tenants who are renting do not think about lawn maintenance being included in their rental, so it is incredibly important to address it with them so that they know what to expect.

If you have any more questions or would like more information as to how you can best manage your rental property as a landlord we would love to help you here at Authority Property Management! Feel free to give us a call at (530) 410-6085.
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Disclaimer: The content on this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or advice. Consult with a qualified professional for specific advice.

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