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  1. #1
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    Default Landlords/Tennants - "Lawns included?"

    If you have a rental property, do you do the lawns/gardening? It seems to me a good opportunity to keep a eye on the place, as well as ensuring street appeal is maintained to the landlord's standard. Tennants also get the obvious advantage of tidy grounds at no effort. What arrangement works or doesn't work with tennants in regard to access etc for this?

    Thoughts from either landlords or tennants would be appreciated...

  2. #2
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    I am neither yet.

    But in Feb 2008 I plan to be a tenant.
    I have been looking at ads on Trademe and see a few with "lawns included in the rent".

    If I chose to rent a place like this I intend to ask the landlord to lop $20 off the rent and say I'll do them myself.

    It's not true to say that the "lawns are done for free" - when the LL does the lawns the rent must be higher than it would otherwise be or the LL is running an inefficient business.

    I personally wouldn't want the LL coming around every week to do the lawns and peep through the windows at my crop of hydroponic "tomatoes" in the spare room.
    \"The overweening conceit which the greater part of men have of their own abilities [and] their absurd presumption in their own good fortune.\" - <b>Adam Smith</b> - <i>The Wealth of Nations</i>

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    The information you want is not the information you need.
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  3. #3
    Member Yossarian's Avatar
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    Default

    yeah get your nose of it son

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yossarian View Post
    yeah get your nose of it son
    I'm afraid this just doesn't make sense.
    \"The overweening conceit which the greater part of men have of their own abilities [and] their absurd presumption in their own good fortune.\" - <b>Adam Smith</b> - <i>The Wealth of Nations</i>

    The information you have is not the information you want.
    The information you want is not the information you need.
    The information you need is not the information you can obtain.
    The informaton you can obtain costs more than you want to pay.

  5. #5
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    AUCKLAND, , New Zealand.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jess9 View Post
    If you have a rental property, do you do the lawns/gardening? It seems to me a good opportunity to keep a eye on the place, as well as ensuring street appeal is maintained to the landlord's standard. Tennants also get the obvious advantage of tidy grounds at no effort. What arrangement works or doesn't work with tennants in regard to access etc for this?

    Thoughts from either landlords or tennants would be appreciated...
    As an ex-landlord (for about 10 yrs) I found it better to build it into the rent and pay
    someone to mow them fortnightly.Most tenants will not bother to mow them regardless
    of what they tell you.That is my experience.
    If you get someone to mow them it is tax deductible.

  6. #6
    Member Yossarian's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rmbbrave View Post
    I'm afraid this just doesn't make sense.
    I'm agreeing with you rmb - he should keep his nose out of his tenant's affairs and leave them in peace.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by KJ View Post
    As an ex-landlord (for about 10 yrs) I found it better to build it into the rent and pay
    someone to mow them fortnightly.Most tenants will not bother to mow them regardless
    of what they tell you.That is my experience.
    If you get someone to mow them it is tax deductible.
    But I would mow them.

    You got to keep the grass in order if you want to play back yard cricket.
    \"The overweening conceit which the greater part of men have of their own abilities [and] their absurd presumption in their own good fortune.\" - <b>Adam Smith</b> - <i>The Wealth of Nations</i>

    The information you have is not the information you want.
    The information you want is not the information you need.
    The information you need is not the information you can obtain.
    The informaton you can obtain costs more than you want to pay.

  8. #8
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    Dunedin, , New Zealand.
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    Dunedin student rentals almost always have lawns done (no shock there).
    I was originally mowing the lawns for my tenants, but they've taken it over and doing a reasonable job.

    A LL I know has the explicit cost of the mowing guy built into the price. The discount is then available to the tenant, as long as it is done to the same standard. It mostly seems to work, although I note the lawn on one of his places is pretty long at the moment.

  9. #9
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    All going well so far, block of flats look real tidy and tennants happy to enjoy nice surroundings for no garden effort... may get a "lawn crew" onto it later, but for now it provides me good excerise and some much needed sun and fresh air, after too long each week in an office.

    Thanks for your thoughts.

  10. #10
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    We're lucky with the latest tennent..he's got a lawn mowing bizz.Never asked for a discount cause he would mow them himself... between tennents we shoot round and tidy the garden ,weed spray and fertilise.We expect them to do their lawns and if they want them done we have told them it'll be more.no problems so far.
    ACCRINGTON STANLEY-the club that wouldn't die.

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