The Single Family Rental industry has entered a new age. As large companies continue to buy out smaller competitors and enter new markets, the demand for scalable property services is at an all-time high. Companies managing as few as 50 properties are looking for simple and streamlined processes to stay lean and increase profits. Managing lawn care for portfolios has always been a hassle. Self-service lawn care (lawn care is the responsibility of the tenants) is an industry standard but has proven to be ineffective. Regardless of the renters’ intentions, lawn care is often forgotten or ignored. The challenge of portfolio-wide lawn care is only becoming more complicated as the industry continues to boom
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REITs (Real Estate Investment Trust) with as many as 100,000 properties are a new phenomenon. This means that standard business operations don’t yet exist, and service companies are racing to meet the demand. Players in the REIT field are actively identifying new problems and exploring what does and doesn’t work.
One problem these large REITs are facing is landscaping management. Tenants have historically been responsible for the yard care. Lease agreements generally mention yard care in terms of lawn mowing alone, but this creates a problem. Mowing the lawn is one small part of proper lawn care, and it’s common for tenants to ignore or forget their responsibilities. This puts your lawn at risk of being neglected, and you are still left with other lawn and yard maintenance.
Regular outdoor property maintenance can include fertilization, dethatching, overseeding, tree trimming, debris removal, gutter cleaning, and more. Your property aesthetic is the first thing people notice, and it directly affects the property value of your home and the amount you can ask for when renting or selling.
TaskEasy has performed almost 2 million lawn care tasks across the United States. Single-family rentals that require tenants to manage lawn care are almost always neglected. Below are examples of properties that TaskEasy has serviced between rental agreements.
Before and after a 3-year lease with tenant-required lawn care
Before and after a 2-year lease with tenant-required lawn care
Before and after a 15-month lease with tenant-required lawn care
Before and after a 5-month lease with tenant-required lawn care
Before and after a 2-month lease with tenant-required lawn care
As little as 2 months of neglect can undo years of regular lawn maintenance. Rather than spending thousands of dollars in deferred yard maintenance every time a lease ends, include lawn care in your rental agreements. This will alleviate the risk of damage from tenant neglect, and your properties will maintain regular curb appeal. Services included in rental agreements often allow the rent to be increased to reflect the cost of the services.
Once your properties are receiving landscaping service on a regular cadence, your properties will attract new tenants, increase demand for your properties, and increase the overall value of your rental property.
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