Responsibility for lawn mowing and yard maintenance

If the property is a detached house or townhouse with a private yard, tenants can be required to take care of lawn mowing and reasonable yard maintenance work. These maintenance obligations will be clearly outlined in the lease agreement.

 

Responsibility for lawn mowing and yard maintenance in multifamily properties

For multifamily properties, it can be challenging to allocate shared responsibility for lawn mowing and yard maintenance among tenants, given the shared nature of common areas. Additionally, requiring a tenant from one unit to handle these tasks is impractical. Although landlords might consider offering reduced rent in exchange for lawn care duties, it’s often difficult to ensure consistent maintenance levels and frequency. Such arrangements can also lead to disputes, which might negatively impact the landlord.

To avoid these complications, we strongly advise hiring a professional landscaper to manage lawn and yard maintenance. This approach ensures the common areas are well-maintained and removes the potential for conflicts between tenants and landlords.

 

Will ConnectAll PM coordinate the lawn mowing and billing?

The cost of lawn mowing can vary based on several factors:

  • Lawn Attributes: The size, slope, and overall terrain of the lawn significantly impact the cost. Larger lawns or those with steep slopes require more time and effort.
  • Scope of Service: The extent of the service needed can vary. Basic mowing may include just cutting the grass, while additional services such as edging, trimming, and debris removal will increase the cost.
  • Frequency: How often the lawn is mowed affects the overall price. Weekly mowing might keep the lawn in better shape but costs more, while bi-weekly mowing is less frequent but may require more work each time.

We highly recommend that landlords negotiate directly with landscapers for an entire season package and handle payments themselves. By arranging a deal for the entire season, landlords might secure a better rate. We will coordinate the services if necessary.

However, if the landlord requires a one-time lawn care service, we will hire a local vendor upon the landlord’s request. The service will only be conducted once the quote has been approved. We will pay the vendor first and then deduct the cost from the next month’s rent. Since vendors are usually self-employed landscapers or small local businesses, they often do not provide invoices or there may be delays. We will not provide vendor service invoices in this scenario.