Do I have to mow and water the yard if I lease a house?

Do I have to mow and water the yard if I lease a house?

Most likely you will have to mow and water the yard if you rent a home in Texas and sign a Texas Association of Realtors form 2001 Lease. You will be requried to maintain the yard if the seller has not agreed to maintain the yard, then the lease will stipulate that. Most texas landlords have the tenant maintain the yard. 

The photo is an example of a tenant NOT maintaining the yard. A lease violation may be issued! 

Here is the lease verbage about maintaining the yard:

B. Yard Maintenance: 

(1) "Yard" means all lawns, shrubbery, bushes, flowers, gardens, trees, rock or other landscaping, and other foliage on or encroaching on the Property or on any easement appurtenant to the Property, and does not include common areas maintained by an owners' association.

(2) "Maintain the yard" means to perform activities such as, but not limited to: (a) mowing, fertilizing, and trimming the yard; (b) controlling pests and weeds in the yard; and (c) removing debris from the yard.

(3) Unless prohibited by ordinance or other law, Tenant will water the yard at reasonable and appropriate times including but not limited to the following times: Follow local water restrictions.  

Other than watering, the yard will be maintained as follows:

 Tenant, at Tenant's expense, will maintain the yard.

If yard maintenance is not something you like to do..... then think twice about renting that home with a big yard!!!