Why It’s A Good Idea To Provide Landscaping At Your Rental Property | Nexus Property Management® Franchise

2 May 2024

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HOW YOU DO THE LITTLE THINGS SPEAKS TO HOW YOU HANDLE EVERYTHING

It’s that time of year when yards start to get greener. There’s definitely a positive feeling as we spring out of a cold and wet winter, but with that increased greenery comes increased responsibility. Nexus Property Management® has been managing residential properties for over a decade and every year around this time we field the same old question: should I provide landscaping at my rental property?

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SINGLE FAMILY HOMES:

More often than not, property owners ask single family homes to handle their own landscaping. This makes sense for a couple reasons: First, other than the fact that the tenant is paying rent to the property manager rather than a mortgage to a lender, this is their home…and nobody else’s. In the same way that you or I likely mow our own lawns, or hire someone else to do it ourselves, tenants should be expected to take on the same responsibility. If owners are going to provide this service, it should be outlined specifically in the lease and should be factored into the rent price.

LEARN MORE: WHY IT MAKES MORE SENSE THAN EVER TO RENT OUT YOUR SINGLE FAMILY HOME

MULTI-FAMILY HOMES:

In many of Nexus’ franchise territories, we work closely with investors who own one, two, or several multi-family apartments. For these owners, we highly recommend providing landscaping services for their tenants. Here are the two main reasons why:

1. DIVISION OF LABOR

If you require tenants to perform the landscaping themselves you need some fair way to separate the tasks and responsibilities and that is much easier said than done. It’s nearly impossible to fairly assign landscaping duties across tenants. Would you expect each tenant to take on equal pieces of the pie? What if the guy on the second floor is a CrossFit instructor and the woman on the first floor gets around with a walker? What if the guy on the third floor asks to do it all for a reduction in his rent…is that fair to the other tenants? Is that a situation you want to entertain? In short, none of these potential conflict causing scenarios is worth it.

Similarly, they could opt to pay for it rather than perform it themselves, but again, conflict can arise when the third floor tenant who works third shift and is never out in the yard is expected to pay the same as the first floor tenant whose kids and dog are out there daily. Highlighting and adding monetary value to tenants’ differences is never helpful when it comes to establishing a strong, cooperative culture in your properties.

LEARN MORE: SHOULD YOU GIVE TENANTS A DISCOUNT FOR HELPING OUT WITH MAINTENANCE?

2. COMMON AREAS AS A PORTAL FOR OWNERS’ VALUES

Just as in single family homes, tenants of multi-family apartments want to think of their building as their home and they want to take pride in it. How the common areas look matters to them. In the same way that you get excellent value by cleaning/vacuuming the stairs every spring you get even more from making sure the yard is tidy and neat. When you don’t take care of the yard, tenants think you don’t care about the property, and naturally you then don’t care about them. Perception equals TRUTH!

You want tenants to know that your interests are aligned and that you value their tenancy. Providing landscaping is a cost effective way of meeting that goal.

THE COSTS OF NOT SHOULDERING THE COST

As outlined above, providing landscaping is an investment in the culture of your property. It’s also a way to avoid any needless attention from the town or city. Unkempt yards can lead to citations, complaints from neighbors, and potentially fines. When the community starts to see your property as problematic, the label sticks to your tenants as well.

It also makes it tougher to attract high quality tenants when you end up with a vacancy. Physically, your property is less appealing. You also have the negative culture, should the prospective tenant talk to the current tenants, to overcome.

LEARN MORE: SHOULD YOU BE AFRAID OF THE CITY’S VIOLATION, ZONING, OR INSPECTION DEPARTMENTS?

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CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS:

Nexus Property Management® has been managing multi-family and single family properties since 2013. We continue to craft and perfect our best practices around win-win solutions for clients and tenants alike. If you’re interested in learning more about Nexus’ services and you’re in one of our many territories, contact any of our teams across Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

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Mick Lefort is the General Manager of Nexus’ New Haven County Franchise Office and the Vice President of Operations for Nexus Property Management®, a National Property Management Franchise that manages all types of rental property from single family homes or condos to large apartment buildings and complexes.

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