As a real estate investor, you don’t want to waste your time and money with high-maintenance landscaping. Landscaping for a rental house is meant to be attractive for the tenant, but also, easy for the tenant to maintain (or cheap to maintain if you hire a landscaping service).
Landscaping may cost a little more to set up, but the end result will be better tenants that like to stay because this rental house looks more like a home. Here are some ideas to help get low maintenance results that keep tenants.
Use the Right Light
Just like the interior of your home, using the right lighting can help to add interest and highlight certain features within your yard. There are all kinds of different lighting types and fixtures you can choose from. Lighting can really set the mood and add to a tenants feeling of security. By using smart lighting choices, you’ll create an area where people will want to be. Think of creative lighting techniques that are also functional. You’ll want to make sure paths and walkways are well lit. This addition is a one-time purchase that will last a long time and requires very little upkeep.
Low growing shrubs
Some landscape plants can outgrow an area in a hurry. Most tenant like having a nice yard, but many do not want to put much work into maintaining it. After all, it’s not their house. Research shrubs and bushes that grow slow and stay less than three feet tall. This will help keep the maintenance to a minimum.
Ground covers are a good way to landscape the yard of a rental property and only requires an edge trimmer to maintain.
Add Some Edges
Speaking of edges, a border of m
onkey grass or even stones add a nice addition that does not require much upkeep. There are all kinds of other materials you can work with. Small fencing, bricks, plastic barriers, or even rocks from your own yard, can be used to separate a garden from everything else. Once the barrier is up, a heavy layer of colored mulch will be easy to maintain and make the tenants feel important. Your yard will appear professionally designed, without much cost or effort.
Mulch Alternatives
When mulching your garden, you can use free alternatives to traditional and sometimes expensive store-bought mulch. Leaves, grass clippings, newspaper and even in some cases stone, can all be used to mulch. Plus, all of these items are already in your house or yard. By using what you already have, you’ll save some money and a trip to the nursery.
Make a Path
Whether you use stones, gravel, wood, or stepping stones, adding a path will create interest and offer functionality. You can make your own stepping stones to add even more customization to the area. Pavers and brick are relatively inexpensive and durable ways to create a path that will stand the test of time. By creating a path, you’ll add interest and be able to connect two areas, such as a path from the shed to the garden.
Choose Perennials
Tenants will love that they won’t need to replant a garden year after year in order for it to look nice. You’ll want to choose plants that come back year after year, without much effort or coaxing. Once the plants are strong, you can even divide them, slowly adding more greenery to an area, all from one original plant. A few great perennials include peonies, daylilies, shasta daisies, hydrangea, and hostas which all come back year after year with minimal effort.
We can help you learn more about cost-effective landscaping techniques for your investment property. Get in touch with us today!