It also runs the risk of increased liability, a tenant getting a "god complex", inter-personal conflicts, etc.There's nothing wrong with hiring a tenant for minor landscaping or snow removal but make sure you talk to your insurance company first to verify you're covered if something happens.

*If someone asks how much the deposit is, asks for a reduction in the deposit/rent or if they want to work out a payment plan on the deposit then they will probably not be the best of tenants*Dollartree is great for cleaning supplies, soft pretzels and paint brushes; you will want copper sponges for baked on filth and magic erasers for kids' artwork at minimum (Make sure to run the pretzel under water before adding the salt or cinnamon sugar then put it in the microwave)*A crescent wrench can be used as a meter key in a pinch*The better than wax toilet seals are less messy than wax and toilet bolts usually require a sawzaw to remove; Flappers come in two sizes: 2" and 3"*Sharkbites and pex make plumbing at least 100 times easier *Drill augers work pretty well to clear drains and bathroom sink drains can sometimes be cleared with a screw slid around the stopper to remove hair*Thinset also works as grout and caulk also works as mastic in a pinch* A garden hose cap or shutoff will resolve a leaky hose bib for right now; Can't pressure wash without a hose bib?

Updated flooring, paint, entire new kitchen, master bath and cleaned up the garden.

not sure if this can be done these days.. but i seem to recall that you could master meter cable TV or landlines. and make a spiff.. like hotels used to do with landlines.. little off topic  what else is new LOL.but i have a 89 lot new home construction project in Oregon.. 500 to 550k product. and we have a one acre open space kind of in the middle of it.. city does not want to maintain it and so we will put it in the HOA so i was thinking of what I could do with that property short of the obvious play structure.but one thing came to mind and maybe this works in apartments better really is a community garden were your tenants can grow there own little patch of fresh veggies.. 

You could always put landscaping fabric over it and some rocks.  

My thoughts were to budget for (i) V by calling different PM's and getting their feel for what my target regions are experiencing in vacancies, (ii) M by getting actual M costs (gardener, annual lawn maintenance, etc) from service providers in the area, and (iii) CE by taking the useful life of every major component in the property (roof, electric panel, water heater, etc) and dividing by the cost to replace in an effort to determine expected CE.

New siding, some landscaping, back decks, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring throughout, paint, trim, doors, etc.

@Samuel Garcia adding to what @Ned Carey mentioned...Utilities, Snow Removal and Landscaping are a few other costs depending on what your lease states and how your building is set up.

Landscaped What was the outcome?

Had to replace the roof and grade and landscape the backyard.