need advice on lawn maintenance

[Gabe N.]

I need some advice on the following situation.

I am sorry for asking such a basic question, but unfortunately, I am still new to this and never dealt with this type of scenario before.

I have a single family home that is part of an HOA.

My main goal is to protect the asset and avoid any potential financial loss as much as possible.

The current lease agreement states that the tenants are responsible for mowing the grass.

They are also responsible for paying any HOA fines, etc

Unfortunately after multiple attempts to get through to them to cut the grass, the grass was never cut and the yard is getting worst and worst.

They also refuse to turn on the sprinkler system which is causing the grass to slowly die. The lease agreement also states that they are responsible for any landscaping damage due to lack of watering or neglect. However since this is a very large yard their deposit will not cover the amount that would be required to bring the front and back yard to the same condition before they moved in. 

I understand that the best way for me to avoid this type of drama in the future would be for the landlord to handle all lawn maintenance and upkeep

What are my options?

1- Go the eviction route,

Send them a 7 day notice to cure and if they dont comply get someone to cut the grass and send them the bill If they dont pay then go the eviction route. Or send them multiple xx days to cure notices and if they dont comply then start the eviction process.

My concern here is that people can get pissed off and potentially damage the property when they are forced to move out.

2- a more passive approach to just suck it up and when its time to renew the lease then increase the rent by several hundreds of dollars so that they will leave on their own. (there is no restrictions on rent increases in TX)

any other idea on how to handle this type of situation?

[Tracy Minick]

I suggest sending the notice, including the details of the lease stating what their responsibilities are. Given them the official notice to cure the landscaping and the fines. If they do not comply per the notice take the next step allowed by your lease. Have the landscaping performed (pay the bill) and update your tenant ledger to reflect the charge. Follow the rules as allowed by your lease and let those actions drive you to the next logical step. 

[Lorien Rollins]

It will only take you experiencing this once to make a change for the better next go round. I do not give my tenants the option to maintain the yard. I have a professional maintain it, and it is a charge (in the rent) not a line item so it's 'included' as my LTR is also in an HOA and I do not tolerate lazy/ non compliant tenants. If they damage the property, they're liable for it all. If they don't pay the balance it will follow them if you report it/ send it to collections and it will stay on their record until the settle it, no other landlord wants to see that, or an eviction! You can also hold the security deposit for those repairs (if you've stated those terms in your lease agreement).

The short of the long here is that they're in violation of the lease and you are able to take action. The consequences are on them. 

Feel free to connect - good luck!

Artfully,

Lorien

[Theresa Harris]

Give them notice that they are violation of the lease.  I agree with the others, even if they comply, when it comes to lease renewal either get them out or increase the rent.  With the next tenant, don't make it an option for them to maintain the lawn, hire someone to do it and budget that into the rent.  You can turn it into a marketing tactic-we take care of the lawn, so you have more time to do other things.

[Alecia Loveless]

@Gabe N. I have one SFR. I gave the tenants the option to either maintain the lawn themselves or to have my lawn company maintain it at an additional cost in their rent. They wanted to maintain it and have actually done a better job of maintaining it than we would by mowing and weed whacking every week as opposed to biweekly which we would have done.

I did however put into their lease that if the lawn ever became neglected it would immediately be taken over at their expense by a company of my choosing.

[Diego A.]

These are all good options that were suggested. I have done most of them in my rentals.

One thing to add is that eviction for lawn maintenance is complicated and I wouldn't go that route, because they are still paying you the rent.

If you still want to pursue that please consult with an attorney.

[Tyler Elliott]

The eviction route may be a little haste depending on the length left on the lease. It may be easier to let the lease end and start fresh.

If you are concerned about damages caused due to improper care, I would suggest signing up for a lawn care service. You would have to pay for those services yourself until a new lease could be put into place. A lawn service will also be able to validate your claim that the tenant is not watering appropriately, making the fee of neglect all that more legitimate.