Rules and Norms? Level of Garden Access for Tenant
We are renting the ground floor of our brownstone, and living in the top three. Rental is garden level, floor through, with a 12′ x 9′ foot paved patio in the back. We will have a small deck off the parlour kitchen and will retain access to the garden. We have a young child and we garden so will be outside a lot – would like to retain some level of privacy. QUESTION — We are trying to figure out how to manage the tenant’s outdoor space with ours – what are some best practices? Do we build a fence? Do we share the space? Do we limit grilling? Do we forbid outdoor parties? Do we build it into the lease? Curious what kinds of rules and norms everyone has set up and/or experienced. We are also conscious that some of our decisions may lead to a lower rent (e.g., shared patio not worth as much as exclusive patio), and would appreciate any comments as to what trade-offs are worthwhile. MANY THANKS IN ADVANCE!
Bacon
in Landlord 13 years and 10 months ago
9
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9 replies
Bacon | 13 years and 10 months ago
thanks for the great advice! we found a lovely couple to rent our garden floor apartment. we did set a few norms (e.g., let us know if you’re having a big party, grilling okay but no gas grills). we talked to them about how we will likely use the space and how they wanted to use the space … and they preferred actually preferred that the space was open, no fence. greenwoodgeneral — i really like the idea of cedar planters. i don’t want to block access entirely, but i also don’t want to be looking directly into our tenants’ window. i think our tenant will be the more patient party in our arrangement, too. turns out, we picked a couple that said they couldn’t see themselves grilling more than four times a year.
Rick | 13 years and 10 months ago
I have a deck off the parlor and I share the garden with my tenants. We treat it much like an outdoor cafe’. Socializing is optional. It’s fun to spend some time with them yet respect their privacy. Sharing the space is the way to go. ( that is if you rented to kind responsible adults ) .
greenwoodgeneral | 13 years and 10 months ago
We have a patio next to our parlor extension for the tenants use. No fence, but we put some larger cedar planters there mostly so when we were using the rest of the yard, we weren’t right on top of the tenant, and so we weren’t looking directly into his window. If anything, our grilling is more frequent, and with our kids and dog, I think our tenant is the most patient party in this arrangement.
needmtg | 13 years and 10 months ago
>It’s also imperative that you choose individuals with whom you can be friends. Or at least friendly neighbors! I have no specific rules, I assume they will treat the garden well, and will talk to tenants if not. I rarely go down myself (same setup as yours) but even if I did, I would not worry about ‘privacy’…it’s not as if there’s much physical or aural separation,,
Silvermax | 13 years and 10 months ago
Had this setup for years. Hoytstreet is on the money — liking your tenants and reasonable give-and-take on both sides is what does the trick. We had no interior fences, brick patio below for them, deck for us. My one restriction was: they could help weed and water and make suggestions for plants and put their own indoor plants outside and plant in containers on their own patio, but I had final say on what got put in the ground. It worked well: I only had one tenant who was as into gardening as I was, and we got along famously. She was particularly good with roses. When one of us had a party, we would give the other advance notice — there was never a conflict and it worked out fine.
RBCG | 13 years and 10 months ago
We have a similar setup, and just fenced off a small portion of the garden for our tenant. We used stockade fencing, which gives us (and tenant) more privacy from each other than either of us have from the neighbors.
daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 10 months ago
No rules, no norms. I too have a large parlour deck and use that instead of the yard. The tenants in the garden apt unit have access to the yard. there’s a large cement patio where they can grill and sit….the rest of the yard is sort of “english-garden” landscaped and more to look at than use…also my vegetable patch. They typically always let me know when they may be grilling and having friends over.
slopegirl | 13 years and 10 months ago
I’d build a small fence to give their portion privacy. I think you give them access, and they have access… not being able to grill outside seems cruel to me too. But some people rent bottom floors and don’t allow garden access. You’ll just get less rent, but that’s one solution.
hoytstreet | 13 years and 10 months ago
Good lord man, don’t curtail the grilling! Just insist on a burger every time they fire that sucker up! 🙂 Kidding aside, I rent my garden. Re: fences, rules, and restrictions, I have never had any. The most important general piece of advice I can give you is that when you have people living in your own home, the calculus is no longer solely about their incomes and job history. It’s also imperative that you choose individuals with whom you can be friends. Because if it works out, you will be. And you’ll be thankful, because you’ll be in their yard / apartment / basement / mechanicals more often than you think, and the good will on both sides becomes very necessary. When all these pieces come together you won’t need (m)any hard and fast strictures about who uses what, and when — you’ll just ask.