Blog Post

4 Landscaping Tips for Your Long Beach Rental

Dustin Edwards • February 8, 2020

Help Attract Tenants and Keep Maintenance Costs Low

Efficient Landscaping for Your Long Beach Rental
Landscaping isn’t generally one of the items that property owners consider when they are looking to rent but it does have an impact in attracting tenants and maintenance costs. Whether you are renting your own property or enlisting a property management company consider these four tips to help your property today. 

Tip #1 Curb Appeal

Annually Better Homes & Gardens has it’s “Top Front Yards” feature and while it certainly would be a feel good to land in that issue we wouldn’t suggest that you strive for that with your rental property. To attract and maintain great tenants consider landscaping that features a select number of items to grab attention and truly add to the curb appeal of your property. Consider just a few key features if you are refreshing your landscape such as simple LED lighting to a layer of fresh bark in your planter box.

Tip #2: Keep it Simple

In Southern California we traditionally have drought conditions. While the lush landscaping of grass and vibrant plants might be what you desire consider the more robust your landscaping the more difficult and costly it will be too maintain. We aren’t suggesting that you rip out all of your existing landscaping for a yard that resembles a desert; however, consider optimizing the yard for low water usage and a select amount of plants to allow for easier upkeep over time.

Tip #3: Gardener as part of the Rental Amount

It certainly would be wonderful if every tenant that rented a property had a passion for yard work but that isn’t always the case. To keep the landscaping of your rental looking great throughout every season we invite you to consider having a gardener as part of your monthly rental amount. We have found this is a sure-fire way to keep your landscaping in great care because gardening is far more than simply mowing the lawn. A gardener can tackle items such as weeding, trimming plants, mulch, and even sprinkler repair. When we advertise homes for rent in Long Beach, and our owners agree with having a gardener, we market the property as having the utility of gardener included. Including a gardener can separate your rental from other Long Beach rentals in the market.

If you are considering having a gardener as part of your monthly rental feel free to ask us what the monthly investment would be as it can vary depending on the size and complexity of your landscaping.

Tip #4: Consider Automated Systems to Help Your Tenant and the Environment

In today’s era of smart appliances, thermostats, refrigerators there are even smart sprinkler controllers. It is not one that often jumps to the top of the list as it is a bit more entertaining to think of the Ring doorbell showing you your latest package from Amazon but there is a reason to consider a smart sprinkler controller. Smart sprinkler controllers can help you in two key areas of your rental property in Long Beach.

  1. Care of Your Yard - Landscaping is one of the first elements that will draw people in to your home to rent so if the grass is dead then people aren’t likely to rent because they will take the dead grass as a sign of how the home is cared for. A smart sprinkler can ensure consistent watering to keep your grass looking sharp all year round while still capitalizing on the wet weather for conservation.
  2. Tenant Retention - A smart sprinkler controller can help reduce water usage by as much as 50%. This is excellent for the environment and can contribute to tenant retention. Who isn’t going to want to keep their water utility bill low! After all who is going to want to move if they love their location and their utilities are lower than they anticipated.

Of course we can always help get a smart sprinkler installed with our professional gardeners or handymen available. If you want to evaluate what smart irrigation timers are available consider ones from Rachio or Rainbird.

When we come to evaluate our owners rentals we are happy to provide tips on landscaping. We want you to live worry-free knowing your property is well taken care of from the aspect of collecting the rent to the care of your yard. Find out today how much your property could rent for and even request that we share our advice on your landscaping by filling out out our Free Rental Analysis.

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Having clear communication with your tenant is essential for maintaining a healthy landlord-tenant relationship. By being transparent in all relevant interactions, landlords can prevent misunderstandings while resolving repairs and disputes efficiently while improving tenant satisfaction. Having good communication with your tenant is beneficial for landlords too. Effective communication also protects your investment property. Remember that while your tenant is living in the property, landlords need to take care of the repairs. Below are the three best things to do during tenant communications. Prompt Responses Addressing tenant concerns quickly is essential for building trust and maintaining a positive relationship. Tenants feel valued when landlords respond quickly, knowing that their needs are being prioritized. Building this trust not only enhances your tenant’s satisfaction it lowers the possibility of conflicts or misunderstandings to arise. This ultimately creates a healthy and successful rental experience for you and your tenant. Some of the most common inquiries will oftentimes include repair requests, among others. As an example; if your tenant reports a leak under their faucet and the repair is delayed, this can be damaging to your landlord-tenant relationship, as well as your property. If left ignored, that leak can result in hundreds of dollars in water damage and a vacancy . Which can further affect our bottom line negatively. For landlords with multiple properties, this can become difficult to keep track of. A property manager can help with scheduling repairs and communicating with your tenant on your behalf. Document Everything Keeping a detailed record of all interactions with your tenant is an important element when managing a property. There are many choices for documentation including email, text, or written notices. Although many property management companies and landlords have opted to use apps or dedicated tenant portals to log communications. A great example, for instance, a tenant may claim they’d reported a repair issue that was never addressed, if everything is to be documented, both you and the tenant would have a copy of the request. Maintaining transparency with tenants. Having thorough documentation ensures agreements and requests between all parties are clearly tracked. Documenting communications with your tenant provides landlords with a foundation for addressing misunderstandings, or disputes if and when they arise. Provide Regular Updates Regular updates show tenants that their landlord is organized and has an attentive approach to managing their property. Giving tenants ample time for maintenance, inspections or policy changes is a simple way to build trust with your tenants while showing your professionalism. Giving tenants advanced notices reassures them that you’re aware of how changes can affect them and you understand that time might be needed in order to adjust. Surprises are best kept for birthday parties. Proactively notifying tenants of changes helps clear the communication channels and minimizes disruptions which helps tenants feel valued and satisfied. These small yet consistent efforts can contribute to a positive tenant stay, which can encourage lease renewals and long-term tenancy. Additionally, having a good relationship with your tenants can give you a great reputation which can provide you with leads when looking to fill a vacancy . It cannot be understated the importance of communication for a healthy landlord-tenant relationship. Even if your tenant may not agree with some of the decisions a landlord needs to make, by giving your tenants ample time to process the change tenants generally are more accepting of said change. If you’re having trouble communicating with your tenants or if you need help managing Beach City rental property, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or complete our Owner Application online .
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