When it comes to rental property landscaping, simple is better.
If you have acres of lawn, there’s no need to plant complex trees and bushes. If you have just a small courtyard, you can make it look pretty and inviting.
The idea is to present a clean, attractive, and well-landscaped property without scaring off tenants who might worry about the maintenance that’s required to keep the lawn looking good.
Here are some landscaping tips we have that will make maintaining your rental property easier.
Washington State has unique weather. When you’re thinking about your rental property landscaping, all of the best ideas coming out of New York or Florida will not necessarily help you.
In Washington, we have a lush, moist, and cooler climate, which allows you to create green outdoor spaces that are attractive and abundant. Things grow here, and they grow easily. It’s easy to plant flowers and bushes that attract bees and butterflies and birds.
This can work in your favor; it helps to create an attractive outdoor space. This draws high quality tenants to your property and good landscaping can also increase your rental value.
There are some challenges, though. For example, it will take a bit of extra work to keep up with mowing the lawn, trimming the trees, and weeding the garden beds. There can be more time invested in landscaping in this part of the country.
Stick to native grass and local plants and flowers. Install an irrigation system that makes watering automatic. Create an outdoor space that is comfortable and welcoming, but not high-maintenance.
You’ll have to decide who is responsible for the lawn care and the landscaping at your rental property in Washington State.
It may be you or it might be your tenant. This will depend on what kind of involvement you want to have in keeping the landscaping well-maintained. It also depends on your tenant and your property type. If you’re renting out a single-family home, you might have a tenant who looks forward to mowing the lawn and tending to a garden.
Not all tenants will be so enthusiastic, however. Many renters lease a home because they don’t want the maintenance and work that comes with weeding and trimming and mowing and watering.
We recommend a service contract with local landscapers. This is the best case scenario for everyone. When you hire a landscaping service, you can roll the cost of that service into the monthly rent. This ensures that your property is landscaped to a standard that’s acceptable to you, and it relieves your tenants of any responsibility for taking care of the lawn.
Address landscaping in your lease agreement so tenants know what to expect. Make sure you have it looking good before you begin to market the property. Good tenants will not want to move into a home with dead or overgrown grass. They’ll worry about the tree branches that knock against the windows.
Let’s take a look at the landscaping at your specific property. We can make some suggestions customized to your property and your plans. Contact us at SunWorld Group.
P: 360-353-4018
F: 360-838-4634
9901 NE 7th Avenue,
Suite C119,
Vancouver, WA 98685
1220 Ocean Beach Highway,
Suite A,
Longview, WA 98632
