5 tips on preparing your garden if you plan to rent out your property

Whether you are an experienced landlord or you are letting out your first property, as well as preparing the property itself, if the property has a garden it’s important that you focus some of your efforts the outdoor space. Although many of the properties we deal with are city centre apartments, well-maintained outdoor space is often high up on the list of what appeals to potential tenants for larger properties and family homes. Making sure your garden is well presented at viewings is crucial if you want to maximise your rental income as well as ensure it’s let out quickly and to good tenants.

The following five tips will help you ensure your rental garden looks great, ready to help your property let in no-time.

 

Know who your target tenant is

Before doing any work on the garden, know who your target tenant is. For example, if you’re looking to let out a four bedroomed detached property in the suburbs, then many of your potential tenants will be families with children. Therefore, you want to make the most of the features that they require, such as a large green space and maybe a patio that they can enjoy eating out on in the summer.

If your property is in a student area and you are looking to tap into this market, then large green areas probably won’t be a priority for them. In fact, the less lawn and plants the better, as students really aren’t going to want to spend their time gardening. Keep it as simple and as maintenance-free as possible and this will appeal a lot to this market and will mean looking after things over the longer-term is nice and easy.

 

Do some basic maintenance

Whoever your target market is for your property, they will want the garden to be as easy to maintain as possible, so you should do some basic maintenance to the garden to ensure that this is so. You might want to bring in a landscape gardener to help you.

Start by mowing the lawn regularly as this will dramatically improve its appearance over time. Also, trim back overgrown bushes and clear up any broken branches, litter and any other garden debris. Keep on top of this while your property is on the market to ensure it stays looking neat.

 

Keep on top of things

 Once a tenant is in place, either provide them with the tools to maintain the garden themselves or instruct a gardener to come in regularly to keep on top of things. If you regularly maintain gardens, then they’re a breeze; it’s when they’re left to get out of control when that makes them become heavy work.

 

Safety essentials

Your garden doesn’t just have to look great, it has to be safe too, so don’t forget your gates, boundaries and fences. Ensuring that these are all in good condition will give a good impression to potential tenants as everyone wants to feel safe and secure in their home. Fix any broken fence panels, add locks if necessary to gates and generally just give everything a bit of a spruce up. It doesn’t cost a lot but it can make a big difference.

 

Avoid expensive features

Although you may think that by adding expensive features such as hot tubs (!!) will increase your rent, this is not always the case. Such things are not essentials and potential tenants will not pay a premium for them, which could leave you out of pocket. They can also be expensive to maintain and could prove to be a sore point if your tenant does not look after it properly.

Follow our tips and your garden can help you maximize your rental income and attract the best type of tenants!

The guest blog was written by James Allan at Puma Landscaping. For more information or for a quote for landscaping services just contact [email protected].