Found an issue on this page? Let us know and we will look into it as soon as possible.
Standards for yard maintenance in rental agreement?
Anonymous3 views1 answers
Can anybody tell me what specifically the tenant should be responsible for vs. what the landlord is responsible for when it comes to yard maintenance of a rental home? I know it depends on the lease agreement, but what is considered reasonable and what is considered unreasonable? I've heard of a lot of people receiving rent deductions if they agree to do yard work... is this common/expected? If anybody could refer me to some information on yard maintenance standards, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm sure it differs from each state, but I'd just like to find some information on what is reasonable and common in these situations.
Thank you.
This is a really tough issue and it deserves to be thought out in a rental agreement. Tenants are not serfs doing agricultural work, but a court will enforce an agreement that requires the tenants to mow the lawn, care for the plants, and not wreck the place. It is under Duties of Tenants - Reasonable Obligation to Conform.
RCW 59 18 230 says that a landlord cannot require tenants to agree to additional obligations that are inconsistent with the RLTA. Additional obligations are unenforceable.
Personally, I recommend that a landlord build yard maintenance costs into a rental agreement. How much does it cost to have a service come care for the place once a month, maybe twice a month in the summer when the grass is really growing quickly? *IF* the landlord and the tenant agree, the landlord could say, "I charge $100 a month for yard maintenance. The service comes and mows and prunes and weeds the yard. If you want me to knock $100 off the rent you could do it yourself. It is my expectation that the yard will look the same when we get the place back. What works for you?"
The bottom line is that some people are gardeners, and some people are not. Some property owners take meticulous care of their gardens and care about the layout, the plants, the health of the soil, etc. Some tenants say they are gardeners, and what they mean is that they won't actually park on the lawn all the time. Some landlords call blackberries "landscaping" and expect their tenants to "maintain" them.
The landlord can reasonably expect the lawn to stay mowed and not get destroyed by cars or dogs or kids. But much more than that? Probably not. That is why I am proposing that you charge a little more rent to cover the cost of a service and then you can very specifically dictate your expectations for the yard/garden maintenance.
Hope this helps. Elizabeth Powell
