How to Make Gardening Easier for Tenants

The National Residential Landlords Association reports that between 12 and 15% of rental disputes relate to gardens. It can be unclear who is responsible for maintaining them and, if the landlord expects the tenant to look after the garden, it may be beyond their capabilities. This is why you need to know how to make gardening easier for tenants and help keep it in good condition.

Benefit of a Well Maintained Garden

Maintaining a good looking garden is an attractive feature for future tenants, helping you cut down on void periodsby creating kerb appeal. It also helps the landlord enjoy better relations with local residents than might be the case if it was badly maintained.

Furthermore, if plants such as Japanese knotweed, bamboo and even oak and poplar trees are allowed to grow too close to the property, they can cause damage to its structure. When tenants look after the garden and keep it neat and tidy, removing unwanted items, they help you look after your rental property too.

With that in mind, here are some tips to make gardening easier for tenants and help them maintain this element of your property in good condition.

Make Gardening Easier

Don’t expect too much

You never know how skilful your tenants will be in the garden, so lower your expectations. If you have a complicated design with intricate features, you limit the number of tenants who will be willing to take on responsibility. They might not be able to dedicate the time or have the ability to keep it in good condition.

If this is the type of garden you want for your rental property, you should be prepared to maintain it yourself or pay a gardener to look after it. Be realistic about what tenants should be expected to do.

Make sure they know their responsibilities

Once you have decided on what is a fair amount of maintenance for tenants to take on, ensure that you include this in the tenancy agreement. You might share the tasks, with the tenants taking responsibility for mowing, weeding and pruning, whilst you deal with trees and large hedges.

Make sure this is clear in the agreement and set out your expectations for how they leave the garden at the end of the tenancy. Let them know whether they can introduce new plants or whether you would prefer that they ask permission. This is the place to make sure everyone knows where they stand and what their duties are.

Photograph the garden

As with an inventory of the internal aspects of the property, it is a good idea to take photographs of the garden and put together an inventory so that all parties can understand how it looked when the tenancy began. This will help in case of disputes further down the line.

Provide tools

One way of making gardening easier for tenants is to provide them with the basic tools they will need to maintain the garden. Make sure they have spades, forks, trowels, a lawnmower and other equipment that they can use for maintenance.

Offer tips and advice

As the seasons change, so does the task of gardening. You can put together some basic advice for how to approach the garden at different times of the year in order to best protect and nurture the plants and wildlife. Then send it to the tenants when you reach that point of the year.

This cheatsheet means that your tenants are informed about the best course of action, making gardening easier for them and ensuring your garden is maintained well all year round.

Outsource Property Management

Property management takes up a considerable time for landlords and letting agents. That is time you could be spending on other important tasks to build your business. That is why we offer property management packages that include all aspects of maintenance, such as looking after your gardens.

Talk to us today about how we can transform your working life and free up a large chunk of your time whilst providing a professional and effective service for your tenants.