Mon 20 May 2019

Who is Responsible? 

When you rent out a property, you know that a level of maintenance and upkeep will be required.  It can be easy to focus on the interior of your property and forget about the outside space. However, we highly recommend that you plan for garden maintenance for your rental property as much as you will consider the interior upkeep.

If, as a landlord, you are a green-fingered wizard, then you will not want to see your much loved and cultivated garden become overgrown.  On the flip side, you probably can’t expect a tenant to be as motivated to tend to your garden as you are.  

So, what can be done to keep maintenance as low as possible?

Our Oulsnam tenancy agreement states that the responsibility of all grass cutting, weeding, cultivating of shrubs, bushes and flower beds lies with the tenant.  The garden should be left in the same condition as it was found at the commencement of the tenancy. 

But, how can you ensure this is being done?

Well, if you have a managed property service, (and in most cases, we recommend you do!) a lot of the worry of these checks is taken away from you.  If you are using our gold, fully managed service, then we will perform inspections every 3 months.  During the growing season we will check the lawn is being cut regularly as far as possible and that weeding is being kept on top of.  We will report back to you if we are worried and we can take action for you if necessary. 

To cause less stress and worry for both tenant and landlord we offer the following advice for garden maintenance in rental properties:

• Consider employing a regular gardener.  This could be a good option if you have a larger than average garden, or specific plants that need regular or particular attention. 
• This cost can be added onto the rent, or, form part of the negotiation process.
• If you are planning a short term let, or plan to move (back) into the property, this is a highly recommended option. 
• It is unfair to expect tenants to cut large trees or hedges so we advise landlords employing a professional to take this on several times a year. This also applies to any special or tender types of plant- not everyone is a budding Monty Don!
• You can always compromise on the level of garden maintenance.  Perhaps you might agree to maintain certain hedges, trees and shrubs and the tenant is responsible for lawn mowing and weeding.

It’s always important that a garden is included as part of the inventory as the start of the tenancy.  It’s not that we’ll be checking to make sure the garden is still there when the tenancy ends, but it focuses on the condition of it!  That said, it isn’t unheard of for trees or bushes to be removed without consent, so, the more pictures that are included in a tenancy inventory, the better!

If you are concerned about the upkeep of your properties garden, then we are able to offer a regular gardening package which can include lawn mowing, weeding, hedge cutting and tree lopping. Please contact us for more details on 0121 445 7410 or email lettings@oulsnamlettings.net