Fourth time tenants have been asked to mow the lawn, once they said on the inspection day it would be mowed that weekend, next agent phoned, next agent wrote letter, now I have just rung the fourth time to complain (as the lady owner in the townhouse behind is complaining which I dont blame her, it looks very scruffy) Can I give them two months notice over this? They are on lease, but could I suggest we hire a gardener and increase the rent mid lease? Could anyone advise what my options are?
tenants wont mow lawn
- Thread starter fernfurn
- Start date
Check your lease but from memory mowing lawn is tenants responsibility, if they won't get it done, get a lawn mowing guy in and bill the tenant.
Hassle the PM as it's their job to make sure this gets done and if it doesn't they should be the ones organising how to get it done. So they should sort out the lawn mowing and they should bill the tenant. So you need to nag and phone and phone and manage the PM. Give the PM a bit of a hard time to get some action out of them.
Good Luck
Regards
Graeme
Hassle the PM as it's their job to make sure this gets done and if it doesn't they should be the ones organising how to get it done. So they should sort out the lawn mowing and they should bill the tenant. So you need to nag and phone and phone and manage the PM. Give the PM a bit of a hard time to get some action out of them.
Good Luck
Regards
Graeme
If the property is not being damaged by the grass, don't worry about it.
I doubt that you will be able to recover the cost of the gardener if it goes to tribunal - nor be able to evict the tenant.
As a tenant, I would be looking at bringing up a infringement of the quiet enjoyment rule - i.e. how did you find out about the back lawn. While you have heard from the neighbour, they could just as easily charge that you have accessed the property without consent. You may end up with a restraining order preventing you from approaching the property
Once a tribunal hearing goes against you, it will become increasingly difficult to pin anything against the tenant ("bad landlord" precedence set).
Cheers,
The Y-man
I doubt that you will be able to recover the cost of the gardener if it goes to tribunal - nor be able to evict the tenant.
As a tenant, I would be looking at bringing up a infringement of the quiet enjoyment rule - i.e. how did you find out about the back lawn. While you have heard from the neighbour, they could just as easily charge that you have accessed the property without consent. You may end up with a restraining order preventing you from approaching the property
Once a tribunal hearing goes against you, it will become increasingly difficult to pin anything against the tenant ("bad landlord" precedence set).
Cheers,
The Y-man
Only if they don't mow it just prior to vacating.
Cheers,
The Y-man
I'd bet it's the only time these f-knuckles will mow it too.
How can any sane human live in a dump like what is described in this thread??
What dump are you talking about, it is the front lawn of a brand new townhouse and the owner in the back townhouse just wants the place to look nice. I am disappointed in the agent's reaction which was, I doubt they will be interested in paying a gardener. She hadn't even asked them. Could I take this out of the bond at the end of their tenancy. Can I give them two months notice over this.
Hi Celica
You may care to ask the property manager if the gardens / lawn mowing can be approached in the same manner as the local council does if shrubbery overhangs the footpath:
Issue a Breach Notice of the Lease, giving notice that if the lawns are not cut to an acceptable standard within 14 days (date the day) then the lawns will be cut by a contractor engaged by the property manager and the account will be charged to the tenant as occupier of the property.
I have a corner property and the tenants insisted that they do the gardens and lawns, but only ever did them when asked to do so. Three times the Council sent me notices to trim back the shrubs which were brushing against pedestrians, and each time I instructed the property manager to hold the tenants to their stated intention of maintaining the gardens. I even paid for a green waste bin service, so they had no excuse for neglecting this work.
I have also received Council notices for another property, plus an electricity supply notice as the power line passes through a large tree. For the electricity notice, I had my usual gardener attend to the job, but otherwise I passed the notice to the tenant.
If people don't want to take any responsibility for at least basic care of a garden, there are plenty of flats with no garden. I would suggest that you stand firm on this one, and issue a Breach notice with the option of them doing it or them paying for the work to be done.
They may not have a lawnmower, but there are plenty of grass cutting services which really do not charge much. Otherwise, you can simply arrange for the grass to be cut at your own expense and put it down to experience, and increase the rent at the end of the lease
Sorry to hear that your pride in your new properties has been dented, unfortunately gardening is the biggest single bone of contention between landlord and tenant and there is no easy answer
Hope this helps
Kristine
You may care to ask the property manager if the gardens / lawn mowing can be approached in the same manner as the local council does if shrubbery overhangs the footpath:
Issue a Breach Notice of the Lease, giving notice that if the lawns are not cut to an acceptable standard within 14 days (date the day) then the lawns will be cut by a contractor engaged by the property manager and the account will be charged to the tenant as occupier of the property.
I have a corner property and the tenants insisted that they do the gardens and lawns, but only ever did them when asked to do so. Three times the Council sent me notices to trim back the shrubs which were brushing against pedestrians, and each time I instructed the property manager to hold the tenants to their stated intention of maintaining the gardens. I even paid for a green waste bin service, so they had no excuse for neglecting this work.
I have also received Council notices for another property, plus an electricity supply notice as the power line passes through a large tree. For the electricity notice, I had my usual gardener attend to the job, but otherwise I passed the notice to the tenant.
If people don't want to take any responsibility for at least basic care of a garden, there are plenty of flats with no garden. I would suggest that you stand firm on this one, and issue a Breach notice with the option of them doing it or them paying for the work to be done.
They may not have a lawnmower, but there are plenty of grass cutting services which really do not charge much. Otherwise, you can simply arrange for the grass to be cut at your own expense and put it down to experience, and increase the rent at the end of the lease
Sorry to hear that your pride in your new properties has been dented, unfortunately gardening is the biggest single bone of contention between landlord and tenant and there is no easy answer
Hope this helps
Kristine
wtf? this is all the responsibility of your PM. Get them to earn their comm.
You shouldn't be getting contacted about this stuff at all.
Give the lady in the rear townhouse permission to cut the front lawn if she finds it so objectionable ... I am sure the tenants won't mind ... she should knock on their door and let them know what is happening as a courtsey..
The others are right about the PM... you pay them a weekly amount to managed the property for you... so they have the headaches and not you.
If they only want the leasing fees then pay them that but tell them if they don't manage the property you won't be paying them for doing nothing... if you hear from the neighbour again (after you give her permission to mow the lawn), just refer her to the PM. The only reason to pay someone to manage a property for you is if they do the job for you!
cheers
RightValue
The others are right about the PM... you pay them a weekly amount to managed the property for you... so they have the headaches and not you.
If they only want the leasing fees then pay them that but tell them if they don't manage the property you won't be paying them for doing nothing... if you hear from the neighbour again (after you give her permission to mow the lawn), just refer her to the PM. The only reason to pay someone to manage a property for you is if they do the job for you!
cheers
RightValue
.....by that you really mean, what legally enforceable actions can be ordered by an authority after reviewing the governing legislation and taking into account all of the relevant circumstances pertaining to the particular property and the particular tenancy.....
Bugger all celica - you're a Landlady with a p155weak Lease and absolutely no legislation with any teeth in it to back you up. As the Y-man stated, try and force them to do anything and they could make life a misery for you. He's completely correct.
This is Property Owner complaint # 427.....where what is reasonably expected vs what you can demand the Tenant to do, grows ever wider.
You have the responsibilities and they have all the rights. As the battered wife in "Once Were Warriors" so elegantly stated to her daughter on her impending miserable existence...."It's just your lot in life Gracie".
Now, wylie will be along any minute now to assure you that in over 30 years of owning properties just like yours celica, both her and her mother have never encountered anything like this, and in any case, it's small beer - just keep thinking of the big picture, which is capital growth is currently -6% p.a. for these type of assets.
Always look on the bright side of life.
with summer approaching be careful you don't get stung with a penalty - council rangers are bored and vindictive and would like nothing more than to sting some rich landlord for having a bit of lawn too long.
so as with all these cases there is no solution other than to go and do it for yourself. make a fun day of it.... clean out the gutters, replace the hoses, repair the sprinklers, repaint/oil any exterior wood, do a spot of weeding and clean down the windows to give the tenants a real treat. Maybe buy them a carton to enjoy whilst they sit and watch you. After all, you are partaking in the $9 billion tax bonanza and in 7 years the property will double in value so who cares?
so as with all these cases there is no solution other than to go and do it for yourself. make a fun day of it.... clean out the gutters, replace the hoses, repair the sprinklers, repaint/oil any exterior wood, do a spot of weeding and clean down the windows to give the tenants a real treat. Maybe buy them a carton to enjoy whilst they sit and watch you. After all, you are partaking in the $9 billion tax bonanza and in 7 years the property will double in value so who cares?
Now, wylie will be along any minute now to assure you that in over 30 years of owning properties just like yours celica, both her and her mother have never encountered anything like this, and in any case, it's small beer - just keep thinking of the big picture, which is capital growth is currently -6% p.a. for these type of assets.
Always look on the bright side of life.
Don't want to disappoint Dazz. I totally agree with your statement above, except that the capital growth figure is a bit out
If the tenant won't mow the lawn there is bugger all you can do except have the REA call them, send a notice, and then take them to tribunal. All in all a pain in the neck. If the lawn is only slightly overgrown I wouldn't bother, if
it is grealy overgrown then the tenant needs to be moved on. If you do the lawn for them you will be doing it for the rest of their tenancy.
it is grealy overgrown then the tenant needs to be moved on. If you do the lawn for them you will be doing it for the rest of their tenancy.
Is it really so bad that you're willing to ask the tenant to leave and suffer the fee's/hassle of finding a new tenant?
Perhaps raise the rent by ~$10/week at the next opportunity and state that lawn mowing is included.
Perhaps raise the rent by ~$10/week at the next opportunity and state that lawn mowing is included.
I also have to ask how you even know the lawn is not being mowed. Why is the little old lady neighbour complaining to you? Why does she even have your phone number?
Start getting your PM to do the job you pay her to and let her deal with the neighbour's complaints.
Start getting your PM to do the job you pay her to and let her deal with the neighbour's complaints.
Hi Celica,
Do you have photos of what the property looked like when the current tenants were moving in?
As a self managing landlord, I like to find out the day that new tenants are moving in and take a few photos of the whole process....delivery trucks, tenants, quality of the outside of the property. These photos then get saved to the folder on my pc that the scanned copies of the lease and bond forms are saved to.
For your current situation, you are probably getting better service from your property manager than the average landlord gets when they entrust the management of their property to someone else...at least return your phone calls!
If I were in your position, and were concerned about the way the property looked, I would get my lawn mower and go and cut the lawn myself every time it looked like it needed to be done until the end of the tenancy....in fact, I would make sure it was the best lawn in the street...plenty of water, fertilizer and weed removal. In summer, I mow my lawn at least twice a week...causing what I have termed "buff envy" all through my suburb!!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=274957&id=682399475
Good luck
Glenn
ps...the lawn mower in the background cost me $199 from K Mart...it's not the mower baby, it's how you use it!
Do you have photos of what the property looked like when the current tenants were moving in?
As a self managing landlord, I like to find out the day that new tenants are moving in and take a few photos of the whole process....delivery trucks, tenants, quality of the outside of the property. These photos then get saved to the folder on my pc that the scanned copies of the lease and bond forms are saved to.
For your current situation, you are probably getting better service from your property manager than the average landlord gets when they entrust the management of their property to someone else...at least return your phone calls!
If I were in your position, and were concerned about the way the property looked, I would get my lawn mower and go and cut the lawn myself every time it looked like it needed to be done until the end of the tenancy....in fact, I would make sure it was the best lawn in the street...plenty of water, fertilizer and weed removal. In summer, I mow my lawn at least twice a week...causing what I have termed "buff envy" all through my suburb!!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=274957&id=682399475
Good luck
Glenn
ps...the lawn mower in the background cost me $199 from K Mart...it's not the mower baby, it's how you use it!
