If there are hiccups along the way, such as a long vacancy, my staff is trained to call or email the landlord with updates (weekly is the default, but some landlords don't want that).A five-month vacancy cost you $7,000 in lost income, plus utilities, landscaping, and other expenses.

I require a $1,000 security deposit, no exceptions and I let them know they will be paying all utilities, mowing the lawn, keeping up the landscaping and cleaning the gutter. 

This led me to starting a landscaping company because of the volume of work offered by commercial property managers. 

If your property is leased for more than market rent, I would see if the landscaping/mowing would negate the rent increase.  

A friend of mine had a landscaper randomly do work on their property while they were out of town without being hired.

Other exclusions are roof replacement, anything requiring a permit, exterior painting if more than 5% of surface, "maintenance related to the garden, lawn, or landscaping," anything covered by any of the various required insurance policies, etc.

While visiting the house, there are numerous items which need remediation including flooring, light fixtures, landscaping, some drywall work.

Fence is entirely within my property per a survey that I did.In 2023, I did some landscaping work and replaced the front part of the side fence (and paid 100% for the replacement).

For investors utilizing the STR strategy, what is your "gut feeling" for what the upcoming investment landscape will look like in 2025?

The most common benefits a landlord can get from an arbitrage agreement are: reduced vacancy expense, decreased maintenance costs (most arbitragers agree to fix any damage done by guests), increased rent (most pay a premium), reduced number of hours managing the property (aka it's more passive)Some less common benefits, but still worth mentioning: Using the property to host their own guests at a lower rate during the "vacation season", Revenue sharing, arbitrage managing landscaping, and other management tasks.