I want to revive this thread as it's the only one I could find and am wondering about lawn care for a SFH that's rented (I'm in the south, so not much snow here, but feel free to chime in on that too). I'm currently under contract for my first rental property and as its a SFH with a fab fenced backyard, I'm at a loss of how to handle the lawn. It seems if I want it well cared for, I need to hire a lawn service. Basic services here will run me 70-90$/month, for two cuts a month. I think it would need it twice a month as it rains a lot here.
Despite the cost, I'm leaning toward a service and selling it as a feature of the house. Great yard, no lawn care. Less hassle for a tenant and I don't have to worry that they're mowing.
But I'd like to know - Landlords of MMM, what do you do with the lawn on you SFHs and does it work well? Do ya hire out or ask the tenant to mow? If you hire out, what's it run ya?