There are various points to contemplate regarding pruning the trees at your McDonough rental property this fall. Almost every property owner understands that pruning is an indispensable part of keeping your rental property’s landscaping and plants healthy. Pruning is likewise a significant part of preventing damage to the property. By knowing as much as you can about the who, what, why, and how of fall pruning, you can confirm that this vital seasonal task is being accomplished rightly by the right people every year.
While the most intensive pruning, including tree and shrub shaping, should be done during the growing season, there are notable responsibilities that should be concluded throughout the fall season. Removing dead or low-hanging branches, just the same with any new growth that is obstructing doorways, driveways, or walkways, is an integral part of rental property maintenance. This kind of pruning concerns aesthetics and maintaining property value via curb appeal. By pruning away problematic parts of the tree or shrub, you encourage healthy new growth while preserving your plants strong for the upcoming winter.
Keeping trees and bushes trimmed is also an important part of keeping your tenants safe. Dead branches pose a serious safety risk to tenants and other visitors. Should a dead tree fall on a tenant, a visitor, or even a neighbor, you could be held liable for any legal or medical costs. Overgrown trees and bushes could potentially be a risk during severe weather events if they cause damage to vehicles and/or the rental home. If an overgrown tree or bush falls and damages the house or the tenant’s personal property, you may wind up footing the bill.
Even though the tree or bushes do not fall, overgrown foliage can allow other types of property damage. Bushes and trees growing near foundations, walls, or other structures can weaken the cement or brick. Roots can push up structures from underneath, cracking foundations amongst other things. Thick foliage also tends to bring insects and other pests, which can cause damage to the property or transmit diseases to your tenants and their pets. All of these are good reasons to make pruning back overgrown trees and bushes a vital element of your fall property maintenance.
While tenants can typically be trusted to deliver basic yard maintenance, pruning is one job that you should not ask them to do. A tenant may kill your trees or bushes by having no plan on how and when to prune correctly. Their lack of precise knowledge or a poor job working on it could end in even more expensive landscaping repair in the future. Tenants will furthermore require a ladder and other equipment–it is worth noting that ladders are the cause of more than 164,000 injuries and 36,000 deaths in the United States each year. As the McDonough property owner, you could be held liable should any of your tenants injure themselves.
So, what’s a real estate investor to do? To stop yourself from being put in a sticky situation, hire a McDonough property manager. Real Property Management Anchor takes on property maintenance, tenant relations, leases, and more. Our team of property management experts can supervise any necessary fall pruning your property needs, basically keeping track of everything to make sure that it is performed rightly and as economically as possible. To learn more about us and what we can offer property owners such as yourself, contact us online or call us at 678-467-3039
today.
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