Decking material for rental property

[Joe Wang]

Hi BP,

I'm looking to add a new deck to a rental property in the Bay Area. I'm having a lot of trouble deciding what material to use (pressure treated wood vs composite, etc).

I understand the pros and cons, and I'm leaning towards composite due to low maintenance but second guessing it because of costs and all the complaints online about it (hot, slippery, unreliable [trex], etc). On the flip side though, people make wood decks seem like a nightmare headache. For those with real wood decks, how are you maintaining them? Do you go back to your rentals every few years? Or do your tenants maintain? 

I recognize there is this affordability/maintainability tradeoff - where along this curve is optimal? If anyone has experience with this and can give some advice, that would be wonderful. Thank you!