Thinking of hiring a landscaping company for your rental property? Here are some pros and cons!

1. Pro: You will maintain your property value/ Curb appeal
When you keep up with the landscaping at your property you will maintain a positive curb appeal and value for the home. Sadly, you can’t guarantee your tenants will handle the yard work on time and to your specifications. To avoid the potential for your property value to drop, hire a professional landscaper and include it in the lease price.

2. Con: Professional landscaping cost money
Unless you have the time, a green thumb and intend to do the yard work yourself you will need to hire a landscaping company to do the yard work for you. Generally, you can charge a slightly higher rent rate if you intend to pay for the landscaping for your residents. This may even draw residents to the property because its less work they will have to do to maintain the home as well.

3. Pro: You can control what gets cut down
In the winter when bushes and flowers aren’t in bloom residents could mistake them as dead and cut them down. When you control the land scaping you can prevent good plants from mistakenly being torn out. This will result in less you have to spend to replace them.

4. Con: Your tenants may feel invaded
If you constantly have people over at the home tending to the yard the residents may feel that their privacy is being invaded. You also will have some residents that want peace and quiet and the loud tools use to landscape can become frustrating. Especially when they come in the early hours of the day.

5. Pro: Landscaping expenses are a tax write off
Any expenses you incur to manage your property is a tax write-off. Just because it’s a tax write-off doesn’t mean you should spend the money. However, if it makes sense for you to cover landscaping services, don’t forget to itemize the services on your tax return.

6. Con: You will have to haul away debris
When a resident handles the landscaping themselves the  cleanup from the landscaping also becomes their responsibility. Which some residents may feel is a hassle and will leave it in the yard. So if you are considering different landscaping companies make sure that debris haul off is included in their services.

7. Pro: You won’t get in trouble with the HOA
Some homes and neighborhoods will have an HOA. As many know, you can receive fines if the yard violates the HOA regulations. To prevent from receiving the fines for your residents mistakes you could hire a company that knows how to keep the yard to the HOAs specifications. This may be a more cost efficient option rather than constantly receiving fines.

 

So as you can see their is many pros and cons to hiring a landscaping company. Ultimately you need to do what is best for you and your property! And as always we are here to help!