They were checking inside    While  I fired up the riding mower ,set high as it would go for first mow and had I wired the plastic guard open so it wouldn't clog up. 

We sometimes even provide moving boxes, tape, markers, and 3-mil thick large plastic bags for tenants to contain their belongings and move them efficiently.

They're not evil rectangular plastic monsters.  

The area is large enough that someone could still wash a baby inside a plastic tub if needed.

If you remove it it will burst into a lot of dust, that's why it's important to seal the area in plastic, work with hazmat gear and clean up afterwards.

To back up a bit, the water had been shut off for months and they had a plastic tub in the kitchen to catch the rain water coming through the ceiling.

If they ask if they can get the cable company to wire their unit, say, no, I don't want them messing with my walls.There is also a law I researched a while back for someone, that says a tenant can install dish TV antenna, if they have their own patio or outside space.  

The laundry area could be partitioned off with louvered bi-fold doors to ease appearances.You could possibly take down the wooden shed between the trees and build a garage with extra storage space right behind the "patio", if that would withstand being used as part of a driveway.David J Dachtera"Success is not a destination.

My tenant spilled latex paint on the patio...and something else that looks like rust.  

Lay a 6-8m plastic out along the wall where you will be removing the siding (on which all the pieces will fall and in which they will be wrapped up).