Just what are your responsibilities as a tenant when it comes to the lawn and garden maintenance of a rental? What can you do, and what is the landlord responsible for? We cover things from both sides.
Tenants Responsibilities on Garden Maintenance of a Rental (h2)
As a tenant, you are required to keep the property clean and tidy. If there is a garden, such as with one of our houses in the suburbs, you are responsible for mowing any lawns and weeding the gardens. The exception to this is if it is negotiated in the tenancy agreement that this is the responsibility of the landlord. As a tenant, if you want to prune any plant on the property or add a garden shed, then you must firstly have the landlord’s written consent.
Landlords Responsibilities for Garden Maintenance of a Rental
As a landlord, the pruning or cutting of any trees, shrubs, and hedges, along with the removal of their waste, is your responsibility. This is because some plants may need the skills of a professional gardener or may be protected species, and a well-meaning tenant may cause damage if they do the work.
Also, as a landlord, you are responsible for ensuring the safety of the property under the Residential Tenancies Act. This means that you must ensure things such as trees being away from powerlines and not likely to fall on your tenants.
We Perform Regular Property Checks
As part of our responsibilities as property managers, we will undertake regular inspections of each rental we manage. As well as ensuring that the property is clean, tidy and free from damage, if there are gardens, we will inspect them also. If required, we will talk with the tenant about their garden responsibilities and follow up to ensure they are fulfilled.
We recommend that landlords include lawn mowing and garden weeding as part of the tenancy. This can be outsourced to a local gardening business, removing the work for the tenant and making the rental more appealing. It also gives peace of mind to the landlord. For assistance in obtaining the services of a local gardener, please reach out for some recommendations from our team.