How do I find one service that can handle lawn care for all my rental properties?
Many investment property owners and landlords manage multiple buildings. This can be a big undertaking because of the various property maintenance responsibilities that are involved. They have to find tenants, do screenings, collect rent on time, and control or schedule property upkeep. Lawn care tends to be one of the most difficult things to keep track of.
For these individuals, it’s important that they can find, schedule, and keep track of lawn care all in one place. It is far too time-consuming to search for different contractors every time a property needs to be maintained. Apps like GreenPal provide a simple, consolidated solution for landscaping services. Here’s an overview of how this platform can cover all landscape maintenance needs for busy property owners.
The importance of quality lawn maintenance for an investment property
Property owners need quality yard maintenance services. There’s no way around it. Investment properties are viewed as businesses, so there’s a certain amount of expenditure that’s needed to ensure consistent profitability.
From a business standpoint, poor quality or inconsistent lawn mowing can have detrimental effects on both multi-family and single family homes. Professional, recurring services promote:
Curb appeal: A well-manicured lawn enhances the curb appeal of a property. This affects your reputation and your tenant satisfaction.
Property value: You may consider selling your investment property one day. Continuously investing in services like landscaping, leaf removal, and lawn fertilization will keep your yard healthy for when you’re ready to sell.
Tenant satisfaction: Renters will always be happier when their home is well cared for. They’ll appreciate a freshly mown lawn and will be more likely to continue renting.
Tenant retention: Regular mowing keeps your tenants happy and likely to renew their lease agreement. It can also make it easier to attract new tenants.
Legal compliance: Many jurisdictions have strict laws about how high grass can grow. Failure to comply can result in fines, especially for property management companies.
Why is the affordability of commercial real estate landscaping so crucial?
Like any business, minimizing expenses is a top priority. Lawn care is no different than any other expense. While upkeep is essential, it’s important to balance affordability. You don’t need to spend hundreds to keep the property maintained, as this will just eat into your margins. However, you have to put some money into it, or you’ll lose out in other ways.
A commercial landscaping company can charge too much for the average investment property owner. While the mowers are certainly very skilled, that level of workmanship is usually unnecessary for an apartment building. A simple mow and sidewalk cleanup is normally enough. This is what a lawn care app like GreenPal excels at providing.
Landlords have difficulty managing lawn care services
Most landlords outsource lawn care to a professional, but it’s usually hectic and disorganized, especially when there are multiple properties involved. A property management company often has to hire multiple contractors and organize separate mowing services for each property it owns. The result is usually missed mowing appointments, expensive maintenance costs, and unhappy tenants.
The benefits of getting lawn care for every property in one place
The key to making lawn care successful for multiple properties is to keep it all organized in one place. This is done with an online platform like GreenPal. There’s no need to call contractors, manage a schedule, send out different payments, and keep everything on track. It’s all handled for you. This helps promote:
Less stress: Managing lawn care can add a lot of unnecessary stress to a property owner’s life. A central resource makes life easier.
Time savings: Business owners don’t have much time, and they certainly don’t have enough hours in their day to call different companies and compare quotes.
Better pricing: Solo contractors usually charge less than major commercial landscaping companies. You can get the same quality of work, but at a more reasonable rate than you’d find elsewhere.
Consistent upkeep: Weekly or bi-weekly service keeps a property consistently well-maintained. An online platform will automate the process, so you won’t have to keep track of the mowing schedule yourself.
When it comes to choosing a lawn care platform for an investment property, there are specific features that you need to look for. Multi-property owners have different requirements than homeowners.
Coverage for multiple addresses
The platform should allow you to post multiple properties. GreenPal offers a dashboard that property owners can use to schedule mowings for every building they own. This can all be viewed with a single login.
Flexible for different schedules
Each property may need to be mowed at a different time. The grass could grow faster in one location, requiring more frequent service, or there could be specific noise ordinances that limit when a property can be maintained. To accommodate this, a property owner must have access to contractors with flexibility.
Consolidated billing
Paying invoices to different companies around town is far too challenging to keep track of. Property owners need to have consolidated billing in one place, making it easy to pay contractors.
GreenPal provides automatic billing across vendors with a simple email confirmation once they’ve completed the job. No manual payments or invoice reconciliation.
Clear documentation
Most property owners are not present at every building they own, but they expect their yard cleanup to still be completed on time. Contractors who use GreenPal are required to submit photo proof that they’ve completed their service. This gives property managers confidence that their properties are being properly maintained.
How much does professional landscaping cost?
Established, professional landscaping companies usually charge a bit more than single contractors. They’re used to servicing HOA properties, commercial properties, and other types of big jobs. When it comes to multi-family residential units, they’ll still charge a premium. In some cases, this can be double what a sole proprietor would charge.
The main advantage of a consolidated app for lawn care is that prices are more reasonable. The service is just as high-quality, but because it is not being provided by a large company with larger expenses, the lawn care can be provided for less.
A normal-sized yard will cost from $25-$45 using a platform like GreenPal. Larger, more complex properties can cost $60 or more. Additional services like aeration, mulch, and pruning will also increase costs.
What to look for in a professional lawn care service provider
If you’re a property manager or a landlord and you’ve decided that it’s time to consolidate lawn care, there are a few key things that you should look for in a contractor. Careful vetting will help ensure that you get someone who’s qualified, reliable, and affordable. Here are the five main things to look for:
1. Reliability
As a business owner, reliability is one of the most important things you should look for in a lawn care provider. On GreenPal, look for a reliability percentage of at least 90% to get the best service.
2. Reviews
Reviews are one of the best ways to vet a contractor. While a four or five-star rating is a good overall snapshot of someone’s reputation, dig deeper. Look into actual customer reviews and view pictures of past work.
3. Pricing
The good thing about a marketplace app is that you’ll get multiple bids to review. Pick someone who falls into the general pricing range. Avoid hiring bids that are outliers (too high or too low). Find someone who fits your budget and doesn’t affect your rental margins too heavily.
4. Communication
Communication is another important characteristic that you should look for. You need someone who’s reliable and who will tell you if they have to reschedule. No-shows are unacceptable for property owners, so make sure you find a contractor that values transparency and has responsive communication.
5. Services
Most lawn care pros will offer a standard set of services, including mowing, trimming of walkways, and cleanup. Some may offer additional services with their pricing.
Find high-quality lawn care companies with GreenPal today
It can be frustrating to manage the lawn care needs of multiple properties. Tracking down different contractors over the phone, getting overcharged, and dealing with no-shows gets old for a business owner. An app like GreenPal can be a headache-free solution.
Our platform consolidates all properties onto one app, making it easy to balance scheduling, payment, and job review. Get started with a free enterprise account today to see how it can make running your property management business smoother.
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