Of all the landlord responsibilities there are, lawn care is one of the most debated ones—and one of the more critical ones. Should tenants be in charge of lawn care? No matter whose responsibility it comes down to (tenants, landlords, or something in between), proper lawn care is essential to putting a “best foot forward” for your property, delivering the key elements of “curb appeal” that is so vital for your investment.
However, too many times, the landlord responsibilities and tenant responsibilities for lawn care do not come properly clarified. This can lead to disagreements, disputes, and some harm to that all-important curb appeal. That’s the last thing either tenants or landlords want!
Three Options for Landlord Responsibilities with Lawn Care
So, what are the three options landlords have when it comes to lawn care for their tenants?
The lawn care gets taken care of by the tenant
This is (in many ways) the most straightforward option for both tenants and landlords. In this situation, the tenant does all of the lawn care and maintenance (from mowing the lawn to weeding the garden to mulching and everything in between).
This gives the tenant more control over the look and feel of the lawn, while the landlord doesn’t need to do any extra lawn care work. However, some landlords might desire to have some type of control over the lawn care. That brings us to the second option.
Some lawn care gets taken care of by the landlord
In this case, only certain aspects of the lawn care are the landlord’s responsibility. Most of the time, this agreement will come with added rent to cover the lawn care cost. Make sure that these landlord responsibilities are clarified in writing to make sure it’s clear whose responsibility is what.
Will the landlord mow the lawn, or is that the tenant’s responsibility? Who pays for the equipment and weed spray that a tenant needs to do their parts of the lawn care? What will the added rent be? Think about and discuss possible scenarios and options before coming to an agreement.
The landlord takes care of all the lawn care
For those tenants that want nothing to do with lawn care, or for those landlords who prefer to maintain the lawn themselves. This option will definitely require a bump in rent; discuss what that bump will be and if it will occur in only certain months of the year or throughout the entire year.
What’s the Bottom Line?
There are different types of agreements, but especially if you don’t have time to manage lawn care and you find yourself asking, “Should the tenants be in charge of lawn care?” talk to a real estate and property manager to find the best agreement for your rental property.
