Landlord the Lawnmower Man

I heard this one the other day and thought it was quite amusing and rather inventive.

This guy that owns a number of properties (I don't know how many exactly) he employs a PM to look after them. Then creates a company to mow his own lawns.

Apparently none of the tenants know that he's the owner, they think he's just the lawnmower man.

That way he gets to be a nosey-parker and they sometimes even invite him in for a coffee. I thought it was quite funny, but then if his PM was doing his job he wouldn't need to do that. But then again, PM's don't know everything. And people would probably reveal more to the lawnmower man. Because - he's - well - the lawnmower man!:D
 
I bet he does an extra good job & keeps the gardens neat too - the tenants would love him :)

I wonder if his tips outweight the positive flow from his gearing?

Cheers,

Aceyducey
 
Guess what? My husband is also "the lawnmowing man" who owns a few properties. You also get to hear of great properties before they go on the market. Clients want the lawn and garden to look spick & span. Just a perk of the job.
It's amazing how many people trust the reliable lawnmowing man.
 
I've heard of this one before, QB !!!

And it does work!!!

The other one that works is the tree man.. if you don't need to go often... you know, um, the landlord is worried about the integrity of the big tree in the yard...

asy :D
 
Pools

Tony,

None of mine either. I just thought it was always the pool cleaner that always got the inside information or was that the ..... ?

PIppety
 
Hey Pip,
Didn't the handsome but usually dumb pool cleaner always end up having an affair with the the rich, bored wife? At least that's what happens in all those american teen movie's.

Regards Tony.
 
Guess what guys,
If you are the maintenance man, you get invited inside, then being the nice maintenance man you ask if they have any other concerns about the property. And you're a shoe in for that cuppa to boot.:D
 
So does the PM employ the L/M man on behalf of the tennant?
Or is lawn mowing come included in the rent agreement?

I mean who foots the bill?


Jason
 
I'm the handyman and get to do all the fix me ups. Gets ya into the nitty gritty areas of the home. Kinda like the invisible landlord where no one is the wiser of who you really are. Any anomilies with upkeep get discretly reported for the PM to sort out.

I state in the PM landlord agreement that I must be notified for all calls for repairs no exceptions. Works real well.

Can still claim on material and labour cost savings go towards that nasty loan.

Mike
 
From the conversation I had - the lawnmower man (the landlord) set up a company. Invoices the landlord (himself) and landlord pays lawnmower man (himself) but has allowed for it in the rent.
 
Hi

I have been involved with the purchase and sale of many IP properties in the SE corner of QLD over the past decade. There it is common to suggest to tenants that for an extra $5 or $10 per week, the Agent can arrange for the garden, pool, lawns etc., to be cared for.

Tenants don't want to invest in mowers, clippers, ladders and all that so mostly quite readily accept the additional cost to maintain the property.

Landlords may only legally enter and inspect the property several times a year. This "maintenance" technique allows for a regular inspection both inside and out. The tea or coffee is a welcome bonus. Yes, I would like another piece of chocolate cake, thankyou.

Regards

Ross
 
My tenants recently called my agent with a few maintenance problems:
Broken towel rail
Broken flywire sliding door
Broken door handle
Light bulb rusted into the socket

I posed as the maintenance man myself. The results were:
2 minutes to fix the towel rail
Cleaned the track and put the flywire door back on (nothing else wrong with it)
Tightened and oiled door handle
Replaced light bulb.

I also got to see the way they maintain the property without giving them 24 hours to prepair for an inspection.
 
Jason,

One lawn mower (get a four-stroke)
One brushcutter (petrol of course!)
One trailer
Gloves, goggles, steel-toed boots, hat & sunscreen

Then drop leaflets in a burb or buy an existing run.

Can finance the whole business on a credit card if you have zero cash :)


I did this through uni (though used dad-bank to get the capital)

Cheers,

Aceyducey
 
Howdy,

In one of IPs, new tenants were moving in & did indicate to the PM that they didn't have a lawn mower... I happened to be there & I offered to mow the lawn for an additional $10pw... well they took it on & I would go mow the lawn every 4 weeks & get to see the house while there... they did know I was the landlord & got along well... They were happy with this arrangement & even asked me to enter the backyard of the property even if they weren't there to do the mowing & didn't have to give them notice when going around... they were happy to receive this service & if anything required my attendtion they would tell me (which wasn't al that often)... therefore I got my 40-50min workout in (exercise) every 4-5 weeks for $10pw extra rent, which isn't bad in my books (including claiming of mileage & lawnmower expenses)...

Cheers,

MannyB.
 
Hi Aceyduecey,

Would it be too rude to ask how much money for how many hours per week you were able to make while going through uni?

Glenn
 
I reckon it could be a good little money earner. You would only have to do 2 lawns a day @ $40 per lawn x 5 = $400 per week. Get people to pay you cash and that's $400 under the table so to speak.

Mmmmm:D
 
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