Lawn care included?

[Bienes Raices]

How do you handle the watering issue when you include lawn care? Are the tenants still responsible for the watering, or do you install a sprinkler system? Thanks.

[Brian Levredge]

The less you can leave up to the tenant, the better off you'll be. If it makes sense, I would put in an automatic system and put the timer in a lockbox so the tenant can't alter it. Combine that with a good gardening service and yard should be taken care of. I've seen tenants kill yards because they say "the water bill costs too much."

Your other option is to install drought resistant plants along with some type of ground cover that is similar in nature. Those require a minimal amount of watering and can look nice if done well.