All Forum Posts by: Mila F.

@JD Martin, thank you for the input, wise as always. And yes, the property has been under lawn service contract for years, including the last year when then moved in.

@Ryan Spath, thank you. I must've misunderstood. We do have early termination clause in our leases. For some reason I thought you were talking about a clause addressing specifically early termination due to home purchase. Thanks again!

@Ryan Spath could you possibly share your buyout clause? I've never heard of it in lease agreements, and most of our tenants buy their own home once done renting.

@Theresa Harris we only have 5 treatments a year (fertilizing and weed control), nothing close to an overkill. And this specific property has some stubborn weeds, so the lawn care program is a necessity to keep this lawn looking nice. But yes, as mentioned, I plan to call the lawn company about possible alternatives. 

@Ryan Spath yes, I immediately inform the tenants as soon as I get a notification from the lawn company about upcoming visits. And nothing gets sprayed on decks for sure. Again, the green residue they saw is our famous GA pollen. It's everywhere this time of the year and lasts until mid-May. But I do like your idea of giving them a chance to self-care and if I see weeds, to bring back the service. That might be a good compromise. Thank you!

Allowing weeds to take over the lawn is not an option - our properties are well kept and need to stay as such.

Hello all,

We pay for lawn fertilizing and weed control for all of our rentals. The tenants at this particular property (no pets or children)  just renewed their lease for a 2nd year. Yesterday, they sent us this message:  "We wanted to ask you if we could stop the fertilizers or weedkiller spray for now. After they came all the products stay in suspension in the air, and today I uncovered the furnitures and saw the deck and furnitures covered in green. Last year, right after they spray the scent is very concentrated and strong outside. This means that we can't really be outdoor or even walk in the grass. We are trying to conceive and try to avoid as much as possible chemicals exposure and hormonal disruptor. I hope you understand."

I’ve already explained to them that the "green" they observed is not related to the lawn treatments, it's just pollen dust, which is common in GA this time of year. However, as someone who has personally dealt with cancer, I understand their concern about chemicals and want to be considerate (I do use the same lawn care services at my own home though).

I plan to talk to the lawn care company on Monday about alternatives. There are three prepaid treatments remaining this year, and I’m worried about losing money if we cancel and can’t find a solution. One option could be shifting lawn care responsibilities to the tenants, but they’ve struggled with lawn maintenance in the past, even though they pay for mowing. I'm pretty sure they’ll have trouble with additional tasks.  And as far as the DIY non-chemical treatments go, the most popular vinegar/salt mixtures can damage the soil over time, to the point of potentially requiring topsoil replacement.

Has anyone faced a similar situation and found a solution that respects tenants’ concerns while maintaining the property? Any advice would be appreciated!

You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry. If the question had the word "animal(s)" in it, you answered it correctly. ESA is still an animal. Now, if they asked whether the tenant had "pets", then that would be a different story, and only if the tenant's dog was actually an ESA. Since she didn't disclose this dog to you when she applied (even if she's not required), most likely she just has a pet that she's trying to pass for an ESA with a print-out from one of those online "ESA letter" mills. Typical behavior from someone with a fake ESA. 

 Thanks Jonathan! And yes, we always coordinate our visits with the tenants and send an email ahead of time explaining what we do and where we'll look.   This couple has no kids. They are highly secretive however - no online presence under their names while being very tech-advanced, they also installed like seven cameras around the house perimeter. Few other oddities. For that reason their close following made me wonder. 

During our pre-scheduled quarterly inspections, most of our tenants just go about their usual activities—cooking, watching TV, working, etc.—and don’t get in the way. However, we’ve had some different behavior from a newer tenant couple. The husband follows my husband around, and the wife closely trails me throughout the house. This doesn’t really interfere with the inspection, just makes it longer, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s a sign that they’re trying to distract us from something they might be hiding. Has anyone else experienced this or found it to be a red flag?

Interesting, it sounds like they not only breached your lease but also didn't pay the contractor?  "Now they're saying that I told them I'd pay for the work directly to their contractor."  I wonder if there is a risk of a mechanics lien against your property in this situation. 

Looking back, can you think of any red flags when you were screening them?