Lawncare should be built into lease?

Question

Hey everybody! We have a rental house in the Greenville, SC area and have had great track record with tenants this far, over the last five years. No major issues or damage. We are careful and we are fortunate.

That said, each time we have rented to different families, they have trouble keeping up with the lawn. The city has sent multiple letters over the years, explaining that the grass is way overgrown and that we will be ticketed if not rectified. I am a reasonable person, and they arent wrong, it exceeds reasonable limits for sure. It becomes an eye sore.

Outside of again leaving it up to tenants, have thought of two solutions:

1. Utilize tremendous local lawncare service for $130 a month, with bi-weekly service. Ensuring it stays up. Passing charge through to customer, as it is built into the lease.

2. Leave it to tenants to secure own lawncare, but they have to ensure its done - or it will be two strikes and you're out. Then we hire service and they are forced to pay. This is not favorable because its kind of subjective and I dont want to have that relationship.

Would either of these be advisable, or maybe alternative solution?

Charles Carillo · Answer

@Connor Sell

I would hire a lawn service, and include it in the lease, while also including it in the listing for the property when you rent it. This will save you a lot of hassle, and minimize any issues with the city. When renting from us, I never have tenants manage any part of a property. I discovered that they never do the work once they get into their unit. I keep tenants and renting, separate from property management.

Jim Reynante · Answer

For me, I hire a professional lawn/landscape service to maintain my properties. The tenant pays for half of the service cost (included in the rent).

The result: Consistently good results every week... week after week. Plus the added curb appeal.

John Underwood · Answer

I have many properties in Greenville.

All my tenants are responsible for the yard.

I have the right to get it done for them and charge them for the work, but have never had to go that route.

I occasionally have to remind a new tenant to cut the grass but they usually get whipped into shape relatively quickly.

I tell them if I have issues with this or other,  I will not renew their lease.  Their choice.

Richard F. · Answer

Aloha,

A lawn service is usually best if it is a higher end property with actual "landscaping". Otherwise, if Tenant is to maintain it, you need to specify in the Rental Agreement what that actually means. With regard to grass, "must be maintained at least twice per month" or "maintained to a maximum height of X." Also, from where to where? Street to alley, fenceline to treeline, whatever delineates the space. Do you require edging? Blowing off concrete areas including driveway or street frontage?

You also need to address trees and shrubs. Will some/all of this also be Tenant responsibility? Or will you have a tree service take care of work over a certain height, but Tenant needs to keep the hedges shaped and shrubs away from contact with structures?

What about fertilizing? Clean up of dropping fruits and fall leaves?

No one will meet your expectations of lawn care if they do not know pretty clearly what you actually want. Maintaining a "nice yard" means different things to different people.

Charlie Tunstall · Answer

No one cares about your property more than you. Hire it out, pay for it, and control it yourself. This monthly cost should be included in your lease rate. We're not talking about large sum extra.

Steven Wesolowski · Answer

Hire out the lawn service. Now, if you and your tenants have a mutual understanding and good relationship (they appreciate you as their landlord and they agree the lawn needs a cut), then ask and see if they would be willing to cut it. If they're like, "gee willickers, cutting grass makes my skin rash" or "I am unable to due t o my medical condition" or whatever their reason, just hire a lawn service. If lawn care expense was not covered in the rental agreement, then you need to just go ahead and either do it yourself or hire a lawn service if you are not going to do it. Don't add more to what the tenant is already doing for you with their rental payments.

Alecia Loveless · Answer

@Connor Sell My contractor also has a lawn care/snow removal company. His company handles both services for my properties.

I have one SFH. Since I bought it I have had 2 tenants in it for a total of 3 years now. I have given both the choice of whether they would prefer to take care of the lawn and their own snow removal of if they want the lawn company to do it for an additional $100/month on the lease.

Both tenants said they would do it but neither had a mower. So I said to both come April I will give you a $200 rent credit to offset the cost of buying a mower. Which I did. The first tenant mowed approximately every 10th day and the yard looked great.

The second tenant came back in May and said “I really need a weed wacker will you help me buy one?” So I gave them another $100 rent credit. He has mowed and weed whacked the yard every Saturday. They have made a beautiful fire pit, built 3 gorgeous raised planters, and also built a lovely bricked in garden besides adding perennials and replacing a diseased road bush with a beautiful new one.

I feel sometimes if tenants have some skin in the game they are more responsible. However in your situation after several repeated attempts I would just contract the lawn service and add $100-130 into the lease. If it was me I’d probably pick up a little of the cost myself. But that’s just me.

Connor Sell · Answer

My wife is of the same mind. I am too, but I just wanted to explore all options. Thank you for taking the time to share what has worked for you! I believe we are going to go this route precisely, and spell out the expectations even more clearly.

Connor Sell · Answer

I completely agree in my gut, and in my mind. I should have voiced that my only hesitation is that we are already on the top end of rent, which will be no problem, however I don't want to exceed that number, and I don't want to sacrifice the lawncare costs obviously. Will I need to compromise or what sayeth thee? Thank you @Charles Carillo for your valuable time/energy, sincerely.

Lawncare should be built into lease?

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