What befalls during Autumn is a long list of exterior property maintenance items. To properly have your Carson rental property’s yard and exterior ready for winter, you can look at the lawn to assess whether or not it needs to be dethatched, leaves cleaned up, and trees and plants made ready to weather the cold temperatures. Even though tenants are a considerable aspect in making sure a rental property is kept clean, and in good condition when it comes to seasonal yard maintenance, there are plenty of tasks that ought to not be a tenant’s responsibility. Regardless if you want to be sure that the job is being accomplished the right way, or the task would jeopardize your tenant’s safety, these types of maintenance activities are better off done by those who know how to do them appropriately and safely.
A rental property’s lawn is a notable aspect of the general appeal and value of the home. Routine lawn maintenance must be a priority for both you and your tenant, as should other seasonal lawn maintenance tasks such as aerating and dethatching. As time goes by, the soil underneath a lawn will eventually be compacted with dead grass and other debris. This collected material is called thatch. While a healthy lawn will benefit from a little bit of organic material, when thatch builds up too much, it can prevent water and essential nutrients from penetrating the ground and reaching the roots of your grass. This can cause the lawn to turn brown and stop growing, suddenly ending up as a landscaping monstrosity.
There are two ways to address this problem: dethatching or power raking and aerating. For small lawn areas, it is possible to eliminate thatch with a dethatching rake. The tines of the rake are designed to pull the thatch upward, loosening it and separating it from the soil. To dethatch a lawn by hand, the lawn should be mowed to half of its normal height and then raked thoroughly. The loosened thatch can then be removed with your next mowing. To aerate a small lawn, you can rent an aerator machine which will remove small plugs of soil.
If you have intentions of doing this yourself, make sure that you clearly mark all sprinkler heads or utility lines so that you don’t run over and damage them. You’ll have to religiously comply with the directions to ensure that the aerator doesn’t damage your lawn in the process. Some professionals offer these services that you may want to discuss with.
If your rental property has a larger yard, these approaches will be undoubtedly tricky and time-consuming to do yourself. You could rent a dethatching or power raking machine to help with that task, but as with aerating, you’ll need to be meticulous as to not to damage your irrigation system or other parts of the yard. Lawns that have been aerated or dethatched must also be cared for carefully after that, or risk additional damage. Proper watering and fertilizing are steps that should be taken after a dethatching or aeration, to both protect your lawn and encourage the roots to grow.
Even though your tenant may seem like you can rely on them for tasks like the ones mentioned above, it is not a good idea to expect them to perform dethatching or aeration on your property’s lawn. If they don’t do a good job or don’t know what they are doing, they could most likely cause extensive damage to your rental home’s yard, irrigation system, even septic or other utility lines. The equipment required to perform these maintenance tasks is not something most tenants own or will have used before, drastically increasing the chances that something will go wrong and that they could even injure themselves along the way.
Putting your tenant’s safety at risk is never a good idea, as it could result in your being held liable for their pain and suffering. You could conduct lawn maintenance on your property yourself but dependent on the size of your rental home’s lawn, you might ponder upon hiring a professional company instead to come in and accomplish these important lawn maintenance tasks for you.
Rather than spend your time on seasonal maintenance tasks, consider the benefits of hiring Real Property Management Choice to take care of them for you. As a real estate investor, your time is as good as money. Free up your time by having us take care of your rental property for you. Our property maintenance services will ensure that critical seasonal tasks are being done regularly and properly, keeping your Carson rental property in good shape year-round. To learn more, contact us online or call us at 310-928-9728 today.
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