Among the many various decisions rental property owners must make, who will keep an eye on or take care of the landscaping maintenance is one that can be complicated. Many Gainesville property owners assume that their tenant will be responsible for keeping the yard looking awesome, but in actuality, that might not always be the best course of action.
There are both pros and cons to assigning landscape maintenance to your tenant like there are pros and cons of taking care of it yourself (or hiring people to perform it for you). To make the right move for your property, it’s crucial to take a closer look at the responsibility of landscaping maintenance from both sides.
As the property owner, the most simple way to ensure property maintenance is getting done correctly is to hire a professional to implement it for you. There are clear benefits to taking this approach to landscaping maintenance for single-family rental homes. To cite an instance, you won’t need to worry that your tenants will mistreat or neglect the lawn, trees, or other plants.
With the best care, your rental house will always have great curb appeal, helping you better protect your property values. Adding 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. If 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. At any rate, it is not a good idea to handle the landscape maintenance yourself.
Along with all these disadvantages, if you plan to do the yard maintenance work yourself, you’ll need the time, skills, and tools to do the job effectively. If you don’t live near your rental property, this could quickly turn out to be a mess. Not only that, but the time you spend caring for your property’s yard also might not be the best way to tackle it.
At the same time, hiring a professional landscaping company will be an additional expense. If you miss adding landscaping maintenance costs into your initial calculations, that could put an unwanted strain on your monthly cash flows. It can similarly be laborious to look for an inexpensive company that does good work. This is likely 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 customary way property owners handle landscaping maintenance is to require your tenant to do it. There are a lot of true benefits to this tactic. The tenant takes on the time and expense of mowing lawns, trimming bushes, and pulling weeds, freeing your time and money for other things. Moreover, 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 things. They can be able to maintain your rental property’s yard looking so neat and tidy for the entire year.
Not all tenants are willing or able to live up to landscaping responsibilities. Be aware that by obligating such undertakings to your tenant, you do run the risk of doing serious damage to the yard. Tenants may harm or forget the lawn and trees, leading to dead or dying plants. Your rental property could easily become a neighborhood eyesore. Then even worse, a corresponding reduction of your property value could be the result. Other than 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.
Additionally, they may not know how to use such tools safely. If you aim to work out the dilemma by extending tools to them, you could cause a situation where the tenant injures themselves, break or damage your landscaping equipment, or both. Any of these may, in all likelihood, cause unwanted legal problems unless careful steps are taken.
Finally, the choice of who will tend to your Gainesville rental property’s landscaping will rely heavily on your circumstance. But, by carefully considering all the pros and cons and being realistic about your availability and budget, you can choose an arrangement that should aid 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 Diversified. You can reach us online or call us at 352-854-2221
for more information.
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