Lawn-mowing charge

[MissLotus]

I rent an apartment and the landlord lives in another state, so hires someone to mow the lawn. But the lawn-mowing guy is very unreliable, so the landlord mentioned to me that if I find someone reliable, to let him know. Well, I'd like to offer to do it for a reduction in my rent, but I want to be specific about how much I want him to reduce it by.

I have no idea what he paid the regular lawn-mowing guy, and am sure he wouldn't be totally honest about it, as he likes to save a buck whenever he can. (Mind you, I found out that a while back, the landlord had offered the previous - MALE - tenant a reduction in rent if he wanted to mow the lawn.... I guess the guy declined and I don't know how much the reduction would have been).

I would have to buy a mower, but would not mind mowing it at all, and hate waiting for someone else to do it, anyway, while the grass gets all scraggly. It's a small front yard and large back yard.

So my questions are: If you hire someone to mow your lawn, what do you pay your mowing person - and how often do you have it done? Thanks

[enkmom]

We pay $35 a week, but our yard has steep banks, lots of trimming, and takes almost an hour to do. If the job were easier it would cost less.

[zebra15]

$35 every 2 weeks. Standard Arizona lot, takes the guy about 15 mins max. Total rip off if you ask me but when its 115 degrees out there I don't want to be out there messing with it, nor does my roommate.

I think its great you want to mow the lawn for reduced rent however what happens if you get injured while mowing (are you an 'employee', or stuck with the bills yourself that? or somehow you mess-up the property, who pays for that? Generally there is some type of written contract of what is covered, who is responsible for what, etc.

Also what happens if the other tenants see you mowing, will they start to complain, will it create friction?

[BetsyS]

Around here, it's $30 for a standard 1/2 acre lot. Takes the average person about 45-60 minutes; a professional probably 30 minutes.

[velochic]

Not sure where you live, but $30 is a one-time rate around here (Midwest, low COL) for each mowing/trimming. We only have it done when we're abroad in the summertime. We have almost an acre, but lots of landscaping. Dh finishes everything with a push mower in about an hour to hour and a quarter. Maybe you could charge a flat rate of, say $120/month (or whatever seems fair) and that would include as many mowings as needed. More in the spring/fall and less in the middle of the summer.

[Ruthiegirl]

I paid $35 when I was pregnant a couple of summers ago. 1/4 acre lot.

[freestylemama]

I have a friend who gets money off her rent for doing yard work. They do $10 off for every hour.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Maybe, figure what would make it worth your time and the committment of getting a lawn mower. Would it be a year round reduction? Or just during the summer?

When I paid the neighbor kid a few years back, I gave him $20 whenever he did it. He had a mower to use. It was a good deal for both of us!

I'd hesitate to negotiate something variable/by the hour. I'd say something like $50/month? Consider that you'll have to get the mower, keep it gassed and in good repair, and store it. If you like yard-work and you're not buying a fancy mower, that would seem like a reasonable deal for both of you. (Also assuming you don't have a giant lot that takes hours to do!)

[Ola_]

You could always try to get a mower off craigslist or something...

[rainyday]

Originally Posted by RollerCoasterMama

Maybe, figure what would make it worth your time and the committment of getting a lawn mower. Would it be a year round reduction? Or just during the summer?

When I paid the neighbor kid a few years back, I gave him $20 whenever he did it. He had a mower to use. It was a good deal for both of us!

I'd hesitate to negotiate something variable/by the hour. I'd say something like $50/month? Consider that you'll have to get the mower, keep it gassed and in good repair, and store it. If you like yard-work and you're not buying a fancy mower, that would seem like a reasonable deal for both of you. (Also assuming you don't have a giant lot that takes hours to do!)

$50 seems kind of low to me - that's only about $12 per week, and usually a lawn needs to be mowed every week.

I'd find out what the going rate in your area is (heck, you could call some places and have them give you prices for the actual yard), then multiply that by about 4 to get a starting point for the price.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by rainyday

$50 seems kind of low to me - that's only about $12 per week, and usually a lawn needs to be mowed every week.

I'd find out what the going rate in your area is (heck, you could call some places and have them give you prices for the actual yard), then multiply that by about 4 to get a starting point for the price.

I guess I wasn't figuring it would need it EVERY week all season. Different areas, different growing seasons! Ours takes a while to actually start growing and poops out for a few weeks when it's hot. There's only maybe 2 months that need it every week.

[Smocked]

I'd offer $50 for the month too. Mowing isn't really all that intensive work if it's not acres of land. Not to mention that you don't have to travel like the previous mowers did. I'd look on craigslist too or garage sales. Good luck!

[amnda527]

Originally Posted by rainyday

$50 seems kind of low to me - that's only about $12 per week, and usually a lawn needs to be mowed every week.

I'd find out what the going rate in your area is (heck, you could call some places and have them give you prices for the actual yard), then multiply that by about 4 to get a starting point for the price.

I agree with this. Find out how much you will spend on a mower. Call a few different companies and see how much they charge to mow. Have all this ready, then call your landlord. Tell him you did some research, this is what these few places said they would charge, and then give him your price. Good luck!

[texmati]

35, but we live in a low cost of living area, and our yard is a nightmare. I'd also ask around to see if there is a mower that you could borrow or buy used. They can be expensive.

[AllyRae]

At our old house, it was $35 per trip for half an acre, including edging.

[leavemealone]

Our lawnmower broke a few weeks ago and we've been paying the neighbor kids $20 per week. We could have bought a new basic mower by now, but we are moving soon and it would be one more thing to have to move. Also, we just had our fourth child and prefer not to spend the time mowing the grass. The kids seems to have a good business going b/c I've seen them mowing some other yards recently as well.

[MyTwoAs]

We pay $85 for one visit/per month - quarter acre lot with about 4,000 sq foot of grass. This fee does cover all of the yard work, though - not just the mowing. They prune trees, prune the rose bushes, pull weeds out of the decorative rock, etc.

This was the cheapest quote that I got - we'd pay less per visit if they came more often but 1x/month works well.

[bender]

In SF bay area, we paid $100 for a guy to do the lawns for a rental property. It was a duplex with smallish yards.

[StarJune]

I pay $25/week which is the average cost. Offer $100 per month and see what he says. You can always negotiate. Kijiji always has good for deals on lawnmowers.

[greenbeanmama]

When we were first married, we rented the lower level of a duplex from the eighty-year-old lady who lived in the upper half. Doing her yardwork was part of "rent", but the person who did her taxes said to keep the two things separate. So, the agreed price of rent was $600, including the yardwork. What we did was have the contract say that rent was $700 a month, but that we would do her yardwork for $100 a month. It meant that we wrote each other a check each month, but it worked for us.

Whatever you decide, just make sure you get it in writing, especially since you mentioned that he's always trying to save a few bucks. Hope that helps a bit!