2 questions re owners enforcing gardening upkeep, and re house inspections

2 questions re owners enforcing gardening upkeep, and re house inspections

how much can an owner enforce gardening to be kept up really tidy on tenants

and what is reasonable and what is intrusive when doing 6 monthly inspections.
someone told me their owner opened their medicine cupboard. isnt that a bit rude and intrusive already. what damage usually occurs in a medicine cupboard ?

 

I'd like to find a property in as good as if not better than when the tenant found it at original inspection

If my landlord wanted to inspect, then it would be in the company of the managing agent and ONLY WHEN I AM HOME

Opening the medicine cabinet
Sure one might pull out the vanity draw to look for water damage, but going thru the medicine cabinet is like going thru my underware draw or thieving

 

1. Gardening Upkeep.
This one is EXTREMELY subjective and every Property Manager has a different opinion. Tribunals attitude is (and I quote this from a member!) "tenants are not horticulturalists". I have seen a case where the tenant poisoned their ENTIRE lawn and gardens because they couldn't be bothered taking care of it, and weren't expected to compensate one cent!!! This is a bit extreme, but it helps illustrate that when push comes to shove- tenants cannot be expected to maintain elaborate gardens. Keep the vegetation as simple as possible.

The general expectation is to keep lawns tidy and presentable, gardens mostly free of weeds and established plants somewhat alive, particularly on visible frontage. We can still complain and breach for a poorly maintained yard as with any other issues, but we should avoid taking a hard line stance and be aware of the expected standard.
I personally encourage tenants to enjoy their yard and tell them an easy way to win brownie points from me is a well maintained lawn, I LOVE a nicely mowed and edged lawn. If they're a bit slack, there's always a solution. One of my tenants was borrowing my lawnmower for a few months before they bought one!

2. Intrusive House Inspections.
Two camps on this one. We are technically able to inspect any part of the property itself. Wardrobes and Medicine Cabinets YES, knickers drawer NO. However, many Property Managers respect tenant privacy and avoid opening cupboards, drawers and wardrobes.

I used to open everything (asking politely if the tenant was home before doing so) and I would regularly find issues like collapsed or damaged shelving, evidence of water damage (wardrobes opposite showers, vanity/kitchen/laundry cabinets), etc.
However, we had a case where a very lovely tenant with a language barrier was so extremely upset by our inspection one day that she nearly moved out because of it. Since then I've changed my stance. I make it very clear to my clients that we do not check these areas to respect tenant privacy, which also means the tenants have a responsibility to report any issues in these areas.

 

thats very helpful and interesting . thank you for that