Investing in your home is never a bad idea but making an investment in a rental property is not always smart.
On the one hand, you may feel the need to customize the place and give it your own personal stamp.
At the same time, you might find yourself in an odd situation where you just outright fear spending money on a property from which you may be expelled at any moment.
Why spend your hard-earned cash in order to raise the value of someone else’s property? As a landlord, do you really want to spend too much money on quality-of-life improvements?
So, what options do you have available? Ideally, you could invest in low maintenance landscaping that is specifically aimed at rental properties. Here are five such ideas.
1. Pathways
The first thing you can do is make some pathways. Why is this such a good of idea? Well, first of all, if you go for something cheap like pea pebbles gravel, you can make a path for just $6 per square foot.
In return, you get a better-organized backyard which is much more convenient for traffic of any kind.
For those who have small deposits of old bricks, these recycled materials can be used as pavers, as well.
Keep in mind that keeping a large lawn is both expensive and that it increases the amount of maintenance needed. It’s a win-win scenario.
2. Mulching
Another way to reduce the amount of grass that you’ll have to deal with is to invest in mulching.
Mulch keeps your backyard clean and healthy by maintaining the temperature of the soil in your flower beds or around your trees.
This also protects the soil from the excessive loss of water and nutrients during the summer.
The reason why it’s aesthetic is due to the fact that you can paint and chip wood and use mulching in certain areas in order to make a meaningful pattern.
Also, it drastically reduces the amount of maintenance.
3. Storage box for gardening equipment
The next thing you need is some basic gardening equipment. If the property was your own, the best course of action would probably be to make a shed.
Now, the cost-effectiveness of such a project may be dubious. Instead, get a secure lockbox for some of the most valuable gardening equipment that you own.
On the other hand, the majority of irrigation tools are not locked in the box, to begin with. A retractable garden hose reels should be mounted somewhere near the valve, possibly even secured with a lock. As for the sprinklers, they’re fine just as they are.
4. Raised garden beds
Raised garden beds are great for those whose primary interest in their backyard is gardening.
Raised garden beds are fairly cheap to set up because they take some basic (inexpensive) materials and a ton of DIY work.
Raised garden beds will make it much easier for you to grow plants, as well as protect them from pests, unfavorable soil temperature, and foot traffic.
When garden beds are raised, chances are low that someone will ruin the crop by accidentally stomping on it. Therefore, they’re suitable for herbs, vegetables, and flowers alike.
5. Shade sail
The most cost-effective way of protecting some cover from shade or rain is to install a shade sail over the seating area in question.
The reason why this is such a great idea is that, for a landlord looking to increase the value of the property, this idea is cheaper than constructing a gazebo.
It’s also quicker than waiting 15-20 years for a newly-planted tree to fully matures.
For a tenant… well, if they have to move, they can always dismantle a shade sail and take it with them. Even with a parasol or a retractable awning, this would be much more difficult.
6. Keep it endemic
When choosing shrubs and plants, the amount of maintenance that you’ll have to invest in will definitely depend on your ability to stick to the endemic plants.
The reason behind this is simple. If they belong to the region, the plant will get a sufficient amount of water and nutrients from the local climate and local soil.
You won’t have to compensate so much and get out of the way in order to create favorable conditions.
It is one of the things that’s easy to lose from sight when choosing a garden that’s expected to merely look nice.
In conclusion
At the end of the day, if you’re landscaping on the rental property that you own, it might be a good idea to consider the above-listed in terms of increasing the monthly rent.
Just keep in mind that not all of your potential tenants will be as landscaping-oriented, which is why the increase in monthly rent may not be as drastic.
For those who see a well-organized outdoor as a top priority, it may drastically increase the appeal of your rental property. This will, in turn, reduce your average vacancy time.