Who is responsible for mowing and taking care of the lawn in your rental home? Is it the tenant, the landlord, or the property manager?
It’s no secret that a healthy lawn is a source of pride for the homeowner. But to achieve proper lawn care, the expectations and responsibilities of both the tenant and landlord must be set straight.
Here are three strategies of lawn care that you should put in your rental agreement or lease.
Self-Service Lawn Care
A self-service lawn care agreement stipulates that the tenant is responsible for all lawn care and lawn maintenance aspects, including watering, mowing, weeding, and fertilizing. The benefit of this strategy is that you, the landlord or property manager, don’t have to deal with it. But the downside is the tenant may neglect the lawn completely or fail to care for the lawn as agreed.
Full-Service Lawn Care
This agreement means that the property owner takes full responsibility for lawn care. It could also include snow removal. In most cases, the landlord hires the services of a lawn care professional to care for and maintain the lawn. Though the downside is the additional cost of the service, you can still put this added cost into the rent.
A-La-Carte Agreement
This is a type of agreement made between the homeowner or property manager and the tenant in regard to certain aspects of lawn care. A typical example is when a property owner agrees to fertilize the lawn and pay a portion of the water bill so that the tenant can water the lawn adequately. The tenant may also be required to water, mow and weed the lawn. This arrangement is beneficial to both parties.
It’s worth noting that you should weigh the pros and cons of each strategy, check your local and state laws, before deciding on the best option. In addition, make sure your agreement is in agreement. If you’d like advice on a lawn care strategy, or maybe don’t want to have to deal with it at all, contact us to learn more about our affordable and professional property management services available in Fresno and the surrounding areas.