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 while the cold days of winter have still yet to arrive. While it may be tempting to leave the leaves on the ground, there are plenty of reasons why this shouldn’t be done. So that your rental’s lawn and garden continue to stay healthy and also to encourage strong roots so that your plants can withstanding winter temperatures, your best course of action is to remove old growth and fallen leaves each fall.
Clearing dead leaves, flowers, and old-growth from your Manvel 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. There are some property owners that look to nature and see that fallen leaves and old-growth are natural, so they mistakenly conclude that it’s better to leave them on lawns and in gardens to decompose over the winter. The problem with doing this is that the layers of dead leaves and other debris can smother 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.
Now, having healthy plants is already a huge reason to clear your rental property’s fallen leaves and dead garden plants, but that’s still not the only reason. There are additional reasons to clean up. For instance, uncleared leaves and dead flowers can result in common plant diseases that can ruin an otherwise healthy yard. As the debris piles up, it reduces ventilation and effectively traps moisture underneath. This can result in damaging mold growths and other issues that will end up killing 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. There is a lot on the line. This is why you should remove dead flowers, plants, and fallen leaves from a rental home’s yard before winter arrives.
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. Tenants may not think that removing dead leaves and flowers is as important as it is, or they may not know the proper way to do it. There’s also the danger they’re exposed to. If your property has tall trees that shed leaves onto the roof or other elevated surfaces, it would be a really bad idea to ask your tenant to get on a ladder to trim tree branches or clear the fallen leaves away.
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. For example, some property owners rake 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. Others may ask a professional company to send an experienced team to do the annual clean-up for them. This decision may be the better choice— more efficient and cost-effective— especially if you pick the right company.
Whichever method you ultimately choose would be fine for as long as your priority would be to care for your rental property’s yard without putting your tenant at risk. If you have time to spare, you can do it yourself. But, as a real estate investor, your time is precious. That is why Real Property Management Prestige takes care of important seasonal maintenance tasks for active and engaged property owners like you. Our first-class property management services will take care of your Manvel rental property so that it may be ready for whatever the winter season brings. Contact us online or call at 281-984-7463 to get started.
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