My Landlord Stopped Mowing The Lawn
Many people are happy to have a landlord who mows the lawn or hires a lawn service. This is not easy to find in some towns and cities, but it’s a blessing when the opportunity occurs. However, it’s easy to wonder why your landlord suddenly stopped mowing the lawn.
If your landlord stopped mowing the lawn or hiring a service to do so, it could be due to weather or the time of year. Some landlords and lawn services wait until their tenants’ lawns reach 3” to 4” before mowing the grass. Otherwise, it may be that your fixed-term lease ended, and your new month-to-month lease doesn’t include lawn care.
Either way, contact your landlord to see what the holdup is and hopefully reach a solution. Think twice before withholding your rent over deferred lawn care, as you will likely face penalties. Follow along as we explore what to do if your landlord stops mowing the lawn.
What To Do If Your Landlord Stops Mowing The Lawn
1. Review The Lease
Review the lease before you contact your landlord about lawn maintenance. The lease includes the terms, payment requirements, occupancy limit, maintenance expectations, and more. Pay attention to the maintenance and repairs section, which includes information about lawn care. Do you have a fixed-term lease or is it month-to-month? Fixed-term leases typically last 6 to 12 months, at which point landlords ask tenants to renew the lease. However, they sometimes push tenants into month-to-month when the fixed-term lease ends.
In that case, the detiails of your new lease may differ from the original one. It may not include lawn care, in which case the responsibility would fall on you. However, you should reach out to your landlord if your lease still says they will handle lawn maintenance for you.
2. Pay Attention To Your Neighbors
Do you and your neighbors share the same landlord? If so, pay attention to their lawns to see if something is fishy. For example, your lawn may be overgrown, but your theirs has been mowed twice already this year. In that case, there’s a chance your landlord simply miscommunicated with the lawn care service. Landlords often manage many properties and there’s a chance that yours accidentally forgot to tell the lawn care service to mow your lawn.
Full disclosure, this happened to me last year, and it was a bit of a problem. It got so bad that the city left a notice on my door saying that I would be liable for fines if I didn’t mow my lawn within a day. I called my landlord, told them about the problem, and they hired a lawn service to mow my lawn the next day.
3. Consider The Timing
Even if your landlord is responsible for your lawn, they may not be ready to mow it or hire a lawn service. It’s easy to get restless when your lawn starts growing throughout the spring and early summer. However, many homeowners, renters, landlords, and lawn services wait to mow lawns until the grass grows to 3” to 4”. This can explain why your landlord hasn’t mowed the lawn yet this year.
They typically hire lawn care services rather than doing the work themselves. Naturally, these services mow dozens, if not hundreds, of lawns throughout the spring and summer. There’s a good chance that they haven’t had the time to mow your lawn yet. Don’t panic, as they could soon. However, it’s worth contacting the landlord when the grass exceeds 4”.
4. Be Patient
Was your landlord or a lawn care service mowing your lawn, then suddenly stopped? This is unusual, but it can happen, and it’s usually due to a problem with the lawn care service. They manage so many customers that they may have skipped your apartment or house this week. It’s also worth noting that lawn care professionals must often delay service due to inclement weather.
For example, they won’t mow your lawn on time if it’s rained three days in a row. Sometimes, lawn care professionals must delay service by a week or more, especially during tornado or hurricane season. That’s why it’s worth noticing weather patterns before jumping to conclusions. However, it’s time to contact your landlord if there’s no logical reason why nobody has mowed your lawn.
5. Contact Your Landlord
Landlords make mistakes, and it’s annoying when these mistakes affect you. If they stopped mowing your lawn or hiring a service, it’s most likely an error. You won’t know the reason until you contact your landlord and voice your concerns. If you’re uncomfortable with confrontation, write your landlord a letter or send an email. Politely explain your concern and include a picture of your lawn if it’s severely overgrown. If they deny responsibility, refer to the terms in your lease agreement. From there, they should concede and send someone to mow the lawn.
6. Don’t Do Anything Risky
Your first instinct may be to withhold your rent if your landlord doesn’t mow your lawn, even though the lease says they will. However, that is quite risky, and you may face fines, penalties, and even eviction. You can withhold rent if your landlord violates the Implied Warranty of Habitability, but lawn care doesn’t fall under that umbrella. This doctrine ensures landlords provide safe and livable environments.
For example, they must provide running water, utilities, locks, and safe structural elements, such as walls and stairs. Lawn care doesn’t affect your home’s habitability, at least not under the purview of law. And so, you can’t withhold rent just because you’re still waiting for the grass to be cut. That said, it’s still worth talking to your landlord and explaining why you’re concerned. Only withhold rent if your landlord won’t fix anything or provide a safe environment.
The City Fined Me For My Lawn, But My Landlord Is Responsible
Many municipalities inspect lawns for overgrown grass and weeds. They uphold certain standards, and expect property owners to take them seriously. That’s likely why you received a fine for overgrown grass, even though your landlord is responsible. The city isn’t fining you directly, but they need the property owner to act quickly. Contact your landlord right away when you receive a fine.
There’s a chance the city already contacted them as well, but that’s not always the case. Tell your landlord about the fine and ask them to pay it. You won’t likely even need to ask, as any reputable landlord would pay the fine and immediately correct the problem.
Am I Responsible For Overgrown Weeds At Move-In?
Your landlord should be responsible for removing overgrown weeds before you move in, since they were there before you moved in. However, can be different if you move in a while after signing the lease. For example, you may sign the lease while you still have a month left on your previous lease. In that case, your landlord may stop caring for your new home since you already signed the lease.
That’s the scenario where you’re less likely to make a strong case for your landlord to remove weeds for you. If you haven’t signed the lease yet, ask the landlord about who is responsible for the existing weeds. Any reasonable landlord will take care of overgrown existing weeds before you move in.
Summing It Up
Review your lease to see if lawn care is part of your rental agreement if your landlord stops mowing the lawn. It’s also important to consider the timing, as your landlord or the service they hired may not have gotten around to your lawn yet. Otherwise, it could be a simple mistake, so contact your landlord to see what the holdup is.
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Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.
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