Tenant not keeping up with yard mainteance

[Daniel Guas]

I currently have a tenant that is not keeping up with the yard maintenance of the home. He is mowing the lawn, but he is not taking care of trimming the bushes and trees. What I want to do is send him a letter letting him know that this is unacceptable and that I will be hiring a landscaper and raising his rent to cover the expense. What should be included in the letter? Should I give a timeframe that he has to get this accomplished before I hire the landscaper?

If anyone has a sample letter for this and is willing to share it with me I'd appreciate that. 

Dan Guas

[Mark Radford]

Does your lease clearly spell out the total scope of yard maintainance expected from the tenant?