As the autumn leaves begin to fall and summer flowers fade, it is important to clear them out of your rental property’s garden and yard before winter drives away the warm summer days. While it may be tempting to leave the leaves on the ground, that really isn’t a good idea. To keep the health of your rental’s lawn and garden and to encourage strong roots to grow to help them withstand winter temperatures, don’t forget to remove old growth and fallen leaves each fall.
Clearing dead leaves, flowers, and old-growth from your College Station rental property’s yard is not only done for the sake of appearances. Cleaning and maintaining a home’s exterior is for more than just its appearance. Some property owners wrongly think that because fallen leaves and old-growth are natural, that it’s fine to leave them on their lawns and in their gardens to decompose over the winter. If they did that, then the layers of dead leaves and other debris would smother their lawns and other plants, preventing air, light, and essential nutrients from penetrating the ground below. Healthy landscape plants and grass rely on a healthy root system, which in turn relies on abundant access to water, air, and light.
Having a healthy garden or yard is already a very compelling reason to clear your rental property’s fallen leaves and dead garden plants, but there are still additional reasons to do so. One of them is that uncleared leaves and dead flowers can result in common plant diseases that can ruin an otherwise healthy yard. As the debris piles up, it covers the grass and other plants, trapping moisture underneath. This can result in damaging mold growths and other issues. After a while, these diseases will kill your existing plants. Another risk taken when dead leaves remain uncleared is the likely increase in insects and other pests. Many kinds of roaches, spiders, and small mammals flourish in layers of rotting foliage. As the number of these pests explodes in your yard, they would start to explore and expand. They would then likely find their way inside your rental home as well. With your rental home at stake, it’s easy to see why you shouldn’t let dead flowers, plants, and fallen leaves remain in the yard before winter arrives. They should be removed.
There are property owners that mistakenly believe that autumn landscaping clean-up is the tenant’s responsibility. Owners should not rely on their tenants to do this task. It may not have occurred to your tenant how important it is to remove dead leaves and flowers. That could be the reason, or maybe they just don’t know how to do it correctly. Tenants may also be risking their safety, and that would be a terrible thing for a property owner. For example, if your property has tall trees that shed leaves onto the roof or other elevated surfaces, the last thing you’d want to do is ask your tenant to get on a ladder to trim tree branches or clear the fallen leaves away. That would be a really bad idea.
You don’t have to remove every leaf that falls as soon as they touch the ground. That wouldn’t be practical. However, if you have large leaf falls on your hands, then that needs to be addressed in a timely manner. You’ll need to act on that right away to prevent damage to your rental property’s landscaping, foundation, and even the roof and gutters. There are many ways to do this job efficiently. One such way by raking fallen leaves onto the lawn and then use a mulching mower to shred them into fine particles, which will sift down into the soil and fertilize the grass. Some property owners prefer this method. Others would source it out and hire a professional company to step in and do an annual clean-up. This method could actually be more efficient and economical.
Whichever way you’d decide would be fine. Just remember that the priority when making that decision is caring for your rental property’s yard without putting your tenant at risk. If you have extra time, you can do the work yourself. But, for real estate investors, time is valuable. That is why Real Property Management Talent takes care of important seasonal maintenance tasks for active and engaged property owners like you. Our excellent property management services will give your College Station rental property great care that would help get it ready for the harsh winter season and all that it may bring. Contact us online or call at 254-401-0400 to get started.
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