Being Compliant vs. Non-Compliant with Lawn Care

Have you ever shopped for a new car at a dealership? What do you notice? All the cars are shiny; they sparkle in the sunlight. You get that giddy feeling inside; you know, the excitement that a kid feels when they can have something they have always wanted. You can’t wait to test drive “your” car and at that moment you “know” this is your car. You buy or lease that car, and you drive off.

You park your car far away from all the other cars in the parking lot, after all, you don’t want anyone to hit your beautiful new car. You wash your car on a weekly basis; you change the oil regularly, you take care of your car. Then life happens, you don’t have time to wash your car, or get the oil changed. Now you park your car far way just not to be embarrassed by your jalopy.

Now think about your home. More than likely when you rented your home, the grass was green, a beautifully painted front door and the property looked fresh, you “knew” that was your home. Then life happened, you don’t have time to mow the grass, the price of water went up, and your budget can’t afford that price increase. Now that beautiful green grass is looking more like an overgrown graveyard. And maybe you care because that is the place you call home and maybe you don’t because it’s not your “home,” the landlord owns it.

Who is BOB?

So, who is BOB? Well, BOB is an acronym for “Best on the Block.” As a property management company, we have seen a few of our residents that don’t maintain the property, specifically the landscaping. They don’t want to pay the large water bills or mess with mowing the lawn. On the flip side, we have also seen our fair share of you that take great pride in how your home looks inside and out, and we want to recognize those that do take care of the house positively. And thus, BOB was born.

Residents who win the BOB are recognized on our monthly newsletter, on our website, and receive a $25 Starbucks Gift Card! We reward them for taking care of the landscaping. Who doesn’t love free Coffee! Besides personal gratification of course. We want you to know that the owner of the property and Management One appreciate your efforts and love when you take care of the property.

How can you be the next BOB?

So glad you asked! Here are some tips:

• Do not mess with the sprinkler settings. Why is it crucial that you do not adjust the timer? When you try and set it you might throw off the entire system which is most beneficial to maintaining a green lawn. Best times to water have been shown to be at 4 am and 10 pm. Most people think the best time to water is early in the morning or late in the evening. You never want to water during scorching temperatures to avoid frying the lawn. If you are trying to save money by adjusting the sprinklers, you are only hurting yourself in the long run. Have you ever heard of the saying, “cheap isn’t always good and good isn’t always cheap”?

Mark those words because they couldn’t be truer! You think you are saving some money by shutting off the sprinkler system, not really. Our Inspector personally tested shutting off the sprinklers to find out how much he could pocket, and he saved about $10.00. Not much of an impact on your wallet.

• Mow and edge your grass as needed. If it looks like it needs a haircut then, more than likely it does.
• Add Grass Seed and Fertilize twice a year. Much like changing the oil in your car, your yard runs better when it has fresh fuel. (Send in your receipt through our website and get reimbursed for the supplies. Must send in and reach us before 90 days)
• Keep the weeds under control. The weeds should not be your primary source of plants in your garden.

Moral of the story, to be the next BOB, don’t shut off your sprinklers, mow and edge your yard, keep the weeds under control, and fertilize.

Do all these things, and you might end up as the next BOB of the month!

What happens if I don’t apply these tips?

Well, the short answer is, you will cost yourself more money than is worth. You will receive violation fees, and on top of that, you will have to restore the grass. What is this going to run you? A lot! Let me break it down for you.

1. $50 for the first violation
2. $100 2nd violation if you fail to act on the landscaping
3. $200 3rd violation if you still don’t act on restoring the landscaping.
4. Then a covenant for being in breach of contract gives you three days to correct or quit the matter. Which means legal action will be implemented to remedy the situation and no one needs that hassle, right?

Now, we are forced to collect the violation by deducting it from your rent, which means you owe rent, and failure to pay rent results in eviction. It is a mess, and we try at all costs to avoid going down this road. It isn’t fun, and our goal is to work together with you, so we avoid all of this, and you can then be one of our quality Residents for as long as possible.

What is next? Well, now you must buy supplies to restore your lawn. Here is the average cost of this:

Summer tall fescue is the route to go, but never “midget” tall fescue. Look closely to make sure you don’t miss the word “midget.” Grass will come up looking like needles, and it will never get thick. The total cost runs about $50.00.

In winter you want winter rye seed which will stay green in cold weather, whereas fescue will go dormant. The total of this will run you about $145 on average.

Include all the watering you will have to do. Now you just doubled the water usage.

So, in the long run, you can see it doesn’t benefit you trying to save a few bucks.

If you happen to have lawn service, and the vendor we have is not doing what they are supposed to, please notify us immediately so we can correct the issue before further damage occurs. If the Owner is providing their own vendor, we will give you the vendor's phone number at lease signing so you can remain in contact with them. Again, if they are failing to show up as scheduled or breaking the sprinklers, please notify us immediately so we can contact the owner. If the lawn is your responsibility and you are having issues with the sprinklers, please inform us.

As you can see, there are many resolutions to maintaining the lawn, and no excuses are allowed. Again, we will always recognize the hard work that you put in, taking care of the lawn and the property entirely. We do appreciate your efforts and hope that we get the pleasure of mailing you out a BOB. Look out in the mail; you might be next!