The ability and willingness of tenants to adequately maintain gardens and lawns can cause some problems for many landlords. Often it is more of a problem if the property has been the landlord's much loved home as the gardens are likely to be more cherished and then left in the care of people who won't have the same emotional connection to them.
In theory, garden maintenance shouldn't cause the issues that it does as the law is clear. Tenants must maintain and leave the property in the condition it was at the start of the lease. So, if the garden beds were weed free, the lawn mowed and pool sparkling at the start of the lease – then that is what has to be in place throughout the lease and at exit – Fair wear & tear excepted.
While some tenants are happy to keep and maintain immaculate gardens, others may be hesitant to rent a home that is otherwise perfect for them, viewing extensive gardening as a possible nightmare. Although it is a tenant's responsibility, unless otherwise stipulated in the lease, to maintain gardens and grounds, a tenant may not carry out watering, weeding and edging as thoroughly as you would yourself and many may not have the tools or products required for some jobs.
If your investment property has manicured garden beds and/or hedges that you do not want to scale back or remove, we would recommend to arrange for a gardener to visit the property a couple of times a year to attend to these large garden maintenance jobs. We are happy to arrange this for you. Also remember it is the responsibility of the landlord to maintain gutters and trim trees.
If you are planning a garden for your investment property, we would highly recommend selecting low-maintenance plants that will not encroach on foundations, plumbing, power lines or fences—make sure you plan ahead as some plants can take over gardens very quickly! Hardy species such as succulents and drought-resistant plants are also a safe bet for rental properties as they will survive a bit of neglect.
The cost can be an issue too. If you are charging the tenants for water consumption, they can get a bit miffed about having to water gardens and lawns. Best to come to an arrangement for this i.e. a % of the water bill is allocated for garden maintenance and is not charged to the tenant. With that said, probably the best option to avoid all hassles is to include lawn maintenance in the rent. This is easily done by calculating the annual cost of these services then dividing by 52 to arrive at a weekly figure. This amount can then be added to the rent. These expenses are a tax deduction for the landlord.