Landscaping maintenance decisions is probably one of the more difficult decisions rental property owners must make. Many West Allis property owners assume that their tenant will be responsible for keeping the yard looking pleasant. 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). Take a closer look at the responsibility of landscaping maintenance from both sides. This will help you in choosing the best option for your property.
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. Having pre-arranged 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. Most often, once 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. In any case, it is not a good idea to handle the landscape maintenance yourself.
Adding to these issues, 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 big problem Also, the time you spend caring for your property’s yard might not be the best way to go about it.
On the other hand, hiring a professional landscaping company will be an additional expense. If you have not included landscaping maintenance costs into your initial calculations, that could put an unwanted strain on your monthly cash flows. Quality landscaping work would often require you to shell out more. This would probably 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. 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 for other things. Tenants who have been renting single-family homes for many years often already have the tools and experience needed to do a decent job. They could tend the yard themselves for the duration of their stay.
But you should remember that not all tenants are willing or able to live up to landscaping responsibilities. If you entrust yard maintenance to your tenant, you do run the risk of doing serious damage to the yard. Lack of attention and care could lead to dead or dying plants. Your rental home’s yard could quickly become a neighborhood eyesore. To add to that, a corresponding reduction of your property value could be an unwanted result. Furthermore, 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 as well. You might end up in a situation where the tenant injures themselves, breaks or damages your landscaping equipment, or both. Any of these could lead to unwanted legal problems unless careful steps are taken.
Finally, deciding on who will handle your West Allis rental property’s landscaping depends 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 Greater Milwaukee. You can reach us online or call us at 262-309-6961 for more information.
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