There are plenty of matters that must be taken into consideration when it comes to pruning the trees at your Isle of Wight rental property this fall. The majority of the property owners recognize the fact that pruning is an integral part of making sure your rental property’s landscaping and plants healthy. Pruning is also an essential aspect in preventing damage to the property. By learning as much as you can about the who, what, why, and how of fall pruning, you can be assured that this important seasonal task is being accomplished properly by the right people every year.
Even though the most intensive pruning, including tree and shrub shaping, should be done during the growing season, there are important tasks that have to be completed during the fall season. Removing dead or low-hanging branches, along with any new growth that is obstructing doorways, driveways, or walkways, is an important part of rental property maintenance. This kind of pruning is about aesthetics and maintaining property value via curb appeal. By pruning away problematic parts of the tree or shrub, you encourage healthy new growth while keeping your plants strong for the upcoming winter.
Keeping trees and bushes trimmed is also an essential factor in keeping your tenants safe. Dead branches pose a serious safety risk to tenants and other visitors. Should a dead tree fall on a tenant, a visitor, or even a neighbor, you could be held liable for any legal or medical costs. Overgrown trees and bushes can also be more of a risk during severe weather events if they cause damage to vehicles and/or the rental home. If an overgrown tree or bush falls and damages the house or the tenant’s personal property, you may wind up footing the bill.
Even if the tree or bushes do not fall, overgrown foliage can cause other types of property damage. Bushes and trees growing near foundations, walls, or other structures can weaken the cement or brick. Roots can push up structures from underneath, cracking foundations amongst other things. Thick foliage also tends to attract insects and other pests, which can cause damage to the property or transmit diseases to your tenants and their pets. All of these are important reasons to make pruning back overgrown trees and bushes an important part of your fall property maintenance.
Although tenants can every so often be trusted upon to conduct basic yard maintenance, pruning is one task that you should not ask them to do. A tenant could kill your trees or bushes by not understanding how and when to prune properly. Their lack of knowledge or poor outcome could result in even more expensive landscaping repair in the future. Tenants will also need a ladder and other equipment, but keep in mind that ladders are responsible for more than 164,000 injuries and 36,000 deaths in the United States each year. As the Isle of Wight property owner, you could be held liable should any of your tenants injure themselves.
So, what’s a real estate investor to do? To avoid being put in a sticky situation, hire an Isle of Wight property manager. Real Property Management Dominion handles property maintenance, tenant relations, leases, and more. Our team of property management experts can take on any necessary fall pruning your property needs, making sure that it is done correctly and as economically as possible. To learn more about us and what we can offer property owners such as yourself, contact us online or call us at 757-395-4274 today.
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