Is Lawn Mowing Maintenance a Landlord or Tenant Responsibility?

Is Lawn Mowing Maintenance a Landlord or Tenant Responsibility?

Is it the tenant’s or the owner’s responsibility to mow the lawns of your property?

Hands down – it is the tenant’s responsibility if the property is not acreage, however, lawn and garden maintenance terms should be written into the Tenancy Agreement and discussed prior to the start of the tenancy.

So, if your tenant is not mowing the lawn, what can you do?

There are several options for addressing this issue:

1^st stop – Have the agent call the tenant to discuss the matter with them.

2^nd stop – Have the agent issue the tenant with a breach notice.

3^rd stop – Increase the rent and engage a lawn maintenance contractor upon tenancy renewal.

3^rd stop – Provide an application to the court for finalising the tenancy if the breach/breaches are not rectified.

General Tenant Arrangements:

Mowing, weeding and edging

In general, it is the tenant’s responsibility to keep the yard mowed.

This however is not applicable in all circumstances, especially in regards to apartment buildings. This will be stated in your rental agreement regardless, if you have any questions it is best to ask your rental agent.

Hedges and tree lopping

Generally, major lopping and pruning of trees are done by the property manager or owner. This is done to keep the property in good condition and is not done regularly.

Where specialists are not required (Hedges, plants and lawns) it is the tenant’s responsibility to regularly upkeep the area, unless stated in the agreement otherwise.

Branches

Small branches or manageable branches are the tenant’s responsibility to remove in a timely manner. As stated before, if a specialist is required then it falls onto the property manager or owner.

If there is any damage caused to the property from fallen branches it is the property manager/owners responsibility to repair it.

Fruit Trees

If there are fruit trees located on the property, unless stated in the agreement then the occupying tenant has the right to pick or collect the fruit. These special terms can be included in the rental agreement.

Restrictions

Other restrictions should also be taken into consideration, such as local council restrictions.

For example, tenants may not be held responsible if trees, lawns or other plants die water restrictions that are imposed by local councils.

Yard maintenance

If an external company covers yard maintenance between the property manager/owner, this should be listed in the rental agreement.

A tenant cannot be required to enter into a maintenance contract with a particular company in addition to their rent or be required to use a specific company to provide these services.

In conclusion

With the right systems in place Astute Realty, ensures the tenancy runs smoothly with repairs reported, and rent paid regularly, alongside the lawns being maintained properly, to maintain the Capital Growth of your investment property.

Astute Team