As the autumn leaves begin to fall and summer flowers fade, it is important to clear them out of your rental property’s garden and yard before the warm days are replaced with cold winter days. Although it may be tempting to leave the leaves on the ground, there are some good reasons why this is a bad idea. To keep the health of your rental’s lawn and garden and to encourage strong roots to grow to help them withstand winter temperatures, don’t forget to remove old growth and fallen leaves each fall.
Clearing dead leaves, flowers, and old-growth from your Cocoa rental property’s yard isn’t only about looking tidy. Keeping your home’s exterior clean affects more things than its appearance. Some property owners wrongly think that because fallen leaves and old-growth are natural, that it’s fine to leave them on their lawns and in their gardens to decompose over the winter. If that’s what they do, they run the risk of having the layers of dead leaves and other debris smothering lawns and other plants, preventing air, light, and essential nutrients from penetrating the ground below. Healthy landscape plants and grass rely on a healthy root system, which in turn relies on abundant access to water, air, and light.
Although keeping your plants and grass healthy is a great reason to clear your rental property’s fallen leaves and dead garden plants, there are a number of additional reasons to do so. As a case in point, uncleared leaves and dead flowers can result in common plant diseases that can ruin an otherwise healthy yard. As the debris piles up, it creates a cover that traps moisture underneath. This can result in damaging mold growths and other issues that will eventually damage or kill existing plants. Another danger that comes with uncleared dead leaves is an increase in insects and other pests. Many kinds of roaches, spiders, and small mammals flourish in layers of rotting foliage. As the number of these pests explode outdoors, they would want to expand their area. Their growing infestation would slowly make it to the rental home and eventually reach inside it. There is so much at stake. This is why dead flowers, plants, and fallen leaves have to be removed from a rental home’s yard before winter arrives.
There are property owners that rely on their tenants to do the autumn landscaping clean-up. They think that it’s a good idea because they aren’t fully aware of the inherent risks. Tenants may not know the extent of how removing dead leaves and flowers can affect the home; they may also not know how to remove them properly. Tenants may be endangering themselves if they do that. If your property has tall trees that shed leaves onto the roof or other elevated surfaces, it would be a terrible idea to ask your tenant to get on a ladder to trim tree branches or clear the fallen leaves away.
You don’t have to send a cleaning crew as soon as one leaf falls and touches the ground. That’s obviously impractical. However, if you have large leaf falls, those need to be addressed in a timely manner. You need to act fast to prevent damage to your rental property’s landscaping, foundation, and even the roof and gutters. There are different ways to efficiently do the job. One such way by raking fallen leaves onto the lawn and then use a mulching mower to shred them into fine particles, which will sift down into the soil and fertilize the grass. Some property owners prefer this method. Others may choose to hire a professional company to do the work. That company would have a team with skills and experience come and do the annual clean-up. This method may end up being more effective and economical.
Whichever way you think is best would be fine. The priority here is to make sure you are caring for your rental property’s yard without putting your tenant at risk. If you have extra time, you can do the work yourself. But there is truth to the maxim: Time is gold. And this is true for real estate investors as well. That is why Real Property Management Brevard takes care of important seasonal maintenance tasks for property owners who are engaged with more important things. Our excellent property management services will give your Cocoa rental property great care that would help get it ready for the harsh winter season and all that it may bring. Contact us online or call at 321-610-8022 to get started.
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