A well-kept lawn is a symbol of pride for a homeowner. However, to provide good lawn care, both the renter and the landlord must be clear about their expectations and obligations. So, who's in charge of cutting and maintaining the grass in your rented home? Is it the property management, the landlord, or the tenant? Let's take a closer look.
Moving on, everyone wants to ensure that your grass is attractive, healthy, and well-maintained. If you are a property owner, you must discuss your concerns and ideas with a prospective renter. As well as documenting your agreed-upon terms in your rental contract or lease. Professionals recommend three lawn-care strategies: self-service, full service, and an a-la-carte agreement. All three tactics have advantages and disadvantages, and you should study all rules, regulations, and legislation in your local towns and homeowner associations (HOAs).
1. Self-Service Lawn Care
The tenant is responsible for the overall management of lawn care and maintenance, including watering, mowing, weeding, and fertilizing, under a self-service lawn care agreement. The advantage of this technique is that it relieves you, the owner or property manager, of the responsibility of dealing with it. However, the tenant may completely disregard the lawn or fail to care for it as agreed.
2. Full-Service Lawn Care
This agreement specifies that the owner of the property is solely responsible for lawn maintenance. It might also entail snow removal. Most of the time, the landlord employs a lawn care specialist to look after and manage the lawn. Even though the drawback is the additional expense of the service, you can still include it in the rent.
3. A-La-Carte Agreement
It is a contract between a homeowner or property management and a tenant that covers specific parts of lawn maintenance. A common example is when a landlord agrees to fertilize the grass and pay for part of the water bill so that the renter can appropriately irrigate the lawn. The lawn may also be watered, mowed, and weeded by the tenant. It is a good situation for all parties.
Conclusion
To summarize, the first step is to determine what works best for you while remaining flexible. Consider the advantages and disadvantages. Check your local laws and regulations that apply to your home. Also, conduct adequate tenant screenings, debate your alternatives, and make sure your agreement is in writing, preferably in your rental agreement.
