Landscaping can be a tricky subject to navigate as a landlord. If you want to attract and keep quality tenants, keep in good standing with the neighborhood, and maintain a reputation, you need curb appeal. But tenants aren’t likely to put a whole lot of time in keeping up what you’ve done if at all.
We are going to help you navigate this issue by talking about low maintenance landscaping, cutting back overgrowth, and what is the tenant’s responsibility and what is yours.
Basics
As tenants aren’t going to invest time in a yard that isn’t theirs in the long run, you’re going to want to have a lawn and garden that’s low maintenance, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time watering, weeding, and fertilizing.
Replace Turf with Ground Cover
Are there large chunks of your lawn that don’t seem to get a lot of use or a particularly shady or sunny spot where the grass can’t thrive? Cut down on mowing and replace all that turf with ground cover.
Use sedums—they are hot, cold, and drought-resistant and do well in shade and sunny areas. Check out these great succulents for use as ground cover.
Consider Using Drought-Tolerant Plants
It makes sense to choose vegetation that can thrive without a lot of water as restrictions are increasingly prevalent in the United States, and North Carolina is no different.
As stated above, succulents are an excellent option for ground cover, but there are a lot of other great grasses and plants that boost curb appeal and help cut down on maintenance.
Low Maintenance Shrubs and Trees
There are a lot of plants that are bred specifically to stay small, making it easy to plant shrubs and trees that don’t require too much of your attention throughout their lifespan. Consider dwarf conifers and these flowering shrubs. Smaller trees and shrubs mean less trimming, and its less likely you’ll have to go through the pain of removing them from outgrowing the plot.
Hardscaping
Hardscaping is a big trend in these days of the environmentally (or financially) conscious. Landscaping companies had come up with many low-maintenance yet beautiful ways to make your rental’s yard look like an inviting place to be in the evening this spring and summer.
Walkways, courtyards, and patios can add a good deal of comfort to an otherwise sterile yard. It will also significantly cut down on your yard work. Sweep it or hose it off, and you can consider it done.
Getting Rid of Overgrowth
Overgrowth can happen so quickly you’ll hardly realize it until its too late. Weeds can be immune to drought or other extreme climate changes. If you’ve decided to take on an overgrown area, we have a summary of how to tackle the project and maintain curb appeal.
- Start by taking out the largest plants first like shrubs and saplings. Use hand shears on plants that are less than ¾ of an inch in diameters and looping shears for branches up to 1 ½ inch wide. For everything bigger, use a chainsaw or brush-cutter.
- Be sure to take out the root system as the plants will regrow if you don’t do a thorough job. Using a sharp-edged shovel, you can cut at the roots and work to get around and under the root base.
- Cut thick brush with a field-and-brush mower. These are built to take on larger and taller growth that a lawnmower.
- Clean up the cut brush, preferably by composting it. You can also burn it (if legal in your area) or use a woodchipper. Another option is to call you area’s parks and natural resources department and inquire about city/county removal and composting programs.
- Last, till the area with a rototiller if you plan to plan vegetation.
What’s the Tenant’s Responsibility?
The laws in each area are different, and to get a better idea of the kinds of things that are your responsibility, you can look up ordinances and tenant-landlord rights with a simple google search.
Your best option is to keep the property looking good yourself. Renters are temporary and have little to no long-term investment in keeping up the property. So, if it’s to be their responsibility, they are less likely to do a good job.
As a rule, if you have a multi-unit property, it is your responsibility.
Keep It Up
Once you’ve done the initial clean-up, you will make things much easier on yourself by keeping it up. Better yet, you can hire a landscaping company and check with a property management company to see how they can help you keep your property looking immaculate and fresh.
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