Investor · Aliquippa, PA · Member since 2013 · 28 posts · 1 vote
Have an out of state single family home in Tennessee. There is HOA but each homeowner is responsible for their own maintenance. My lease agreement states that tenants are responsible for outside landscape maintenance ( cutting, weeding, leaves). They can put flowers in if they want. Question: The beds all have mulch which wears down, which leads to weeds, which tenants get behind, HOA calls ect. Does that come under maintenance or should I just bite the bullet and have a landscape company come in once a year and "open the beds" so to say, weed and re-mulch?
Rental Property Investor · Madison, WI · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 339 votes
9y
When we advertise our properties, we state that we prefer tenants who like to garden. Those have turned out to be great tenants in other ways, too. They care about the property and take good care of it.
Rental Property Investor · Omaha, NE · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes
9y
Dawn Wilkins
I would remove the mulch and have grass seed thrown down there.
Any gardens or features or other stuff will not be maintained by the tenants. Most tenants can usually handle cutting grass though.
Rental Property Investor · Madison, WI · Member since 2013 · 629 posts · 339 votes
9y
When we advertise our properties, we state that we prefer tenants who like to garden. Those have turned out to be great tenants in other ways, too. They care about the property and take good care of it.
That said, it is your property, so if there's a specific look you want it to have, I'd recommend increasing the rent by the cost of annual landscaping at the next lease renewal opportunity. That way, you get the exact landscaping you want, with the tenant subsidizing the cost.