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• Reputation: 249 Q&A: 1 0 5 182 53 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0

  1 0 Oh christ, what kind of fancy fucking lawn is this? What's he afraid of? If he insists on having it look a certain way, he should pay for it. Plain and simple. You're already paying off his mortgage. Don't let him take you for a ride. If he insists, leave and don't look back. Bad landlords aren't worth the hassle. Chunty McHutchence answered in House & Home over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 782 Q&A: 5 0 23 267 50 1 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 Commenty Colin

  0 0 Only you and your landlord, as parties to a contract, can answer that (whether the issue is capable of being negotiated). If your lease doesn't say you have to pay for the yard work, then you don't have to. Of course, your landlord is probably also able to either raise the rent on you, or terminate your contract with just 30 days notice (read the contract, obviously), so it usually doesn't make sense to make a big stand about something when you wish to stay. You say your roommates have discussed this with him in passing - it's time to actually call him and discuss this head-on. If the landlord really won't budge, and insists you pay for yard work that you consider a luxury, then you should start looking for other houses to rent. While I (and contract law) agree with you that any monthly obligations beyond the simple rent need to be in black and white in a rental contract, I can also see the landlord's point of view that he takes pride in his property's appearance and doesn't want the hassle of bugging you all to take care of it when he thinks it's needed, which I'm going to guess is way more frequently than YOU all (or I) probably think is appropriate. So, short answer: No, you are not financially obligated to pay for a service the contract doesn't say you have to pay for, but if you don't agree to this informal "amendment," and the landlord is inflexible, it's time to find a new place. Commenty Colin answered in House & Home over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by bearfax and Commenty Colin… 0 0 Yes, but wouldn't any raised rent or a terminated lease be an example of landlord retaliation? https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/90.765 And yes, I agree it's time to find a new place - it's just a Really bad time to move in my life right now. But that's my jam. bearfax commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Nex said, "[i]t will cost you way, WAY more money and time than the issue is worth." This is a great summation of landlord-tenant disputes, and why this cesspool is only slightly less toxic than family law in the legal community. Yes, you are legally correct about the contract and the retaliation issue, but that's small consolation when it makes no financial sense to hire a lawyer (try to find one who works on contingency, and you'll see what I mean) and completely poison the L/T relationship (even if it isn't strictly your fault it is being soured). Bottom line for all concerned is that you should all come to a new agreement e.g. we'll pay for the lawn up to x dollars a month, and you will reduce the rent to Y dollars, or part ways as landlord and tenants. Commenty Colin commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 38 Q&A: 1 0 0 30 12 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0

  0 0 Look there is an easy answer to this, dig up the whole @!#$%ing yard and put in a pump track. Sure you might end up evicted but it will be worth it when he comes to see his pretty yard and sees this: http://bp1.blogger.com/_Kx8cfN7RX40/R40R4R7Z4cI/AAAAAAAAAIk/KHZzyA5-XQo/s1600-h/111705PumpCrusher.jpg econoline answered in House & Home over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by bearfax… 0 0 Man, that would be awesome. I have say that the most ridiculous part about this is that the yard is pretty ugly in the first place, it's full of weeds and it's all crappy. But yes: I would be evicted in a h-h-h-heartbeat! bearfax commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 93 Q&A: 3 0 0 39 6 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 jeff

  0 0 I had an informal agreement with an old landlord that I would "take care of the house as if it was my own". I mowed the lawn, reseeded bald patches, kept the neighbors black berries at bay, even repaired and installed new raised beds in the back yard over what used to just be dirt (with landlord approval, and my own money). Oh, and don't get me started on all the maintenance they wanted done on their roses. I didn't mind, since I could do it myself, and I had pride in the yard, even if it wasn't technically mine. Now if they insisted that I pay someone else to do it, that would have been another story, especially if it wasn't agreed upon prior to signing the lease. When I moved out, they came and looked at the property and tried to charge me $100 for not cleaning the gutters. I fought them (out of court) and got my money back. I'd say that if you weren't given the opportunity to at least prove that you were capable of doing a professional quality job on the lawn yourself, that the "non-negotiable" charge is total BS. While it might not be worth fighting for financial reasons, it might be worth it just on principle. I guess it just depends on how much it matters to you. Personally, even if it cost more to fight than it would to just pay, I think getting a little justice and validation has value. jeff answered in House & Home over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 28 Q&A: 1 0 0 13 5 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 Earnest "Nex" Cavalli

  1 1 (First, I managed multiple apartment complexes during my time in college, and my family tends to "buy apartment complexes" instead of retiring, so I kinda know what I'm talking about here. Yeah, it's a brave new world for me too.) In regards to your question, well, it could be true. It kinda depends on how the contract is written. If it says "this shit is non-negotiable" and he is uninterested in amending that, then yeah, you may very well be stuck dude. There is nothing even remotely illegal about him saying that he will only allow a pro gardener dude to come in and do the lawn or whatever. You may have a foothold if that was not part of the original agreement and he suddenly added it, but otherwise he still owns this place and he could argue it if only on the grounds that risking diminished property value by letting "amateurs (read: you)" to work on the lawn instead of his pros could cost him money when you eventually move out. Your best bet is to try to talk him down away from a court or even arbitration setting. He will totally win in such a setting unless he's functionally retarded, and it will cost you way, WAY more money and time than the issue is worth. And for that matter, have you stopped to think how much this issue honestly bothers you? I've seen so many people get into ridiculous arguments and fights in rental situations just because they refused to let a tiny issue drop. They lose tons of cash and time and generate nothing but stress over stupid bullshit. No matter what course you opt to pursue, at the very least spend a few hours considering whether the very worst case scenario that can result from your chosen path is really worth all of that time, cash and stress. Earnest "Nex" Cavalli answered in House & Home over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 1047 Q&A: 8 0 34 278 71 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0

  1 2 Absolutely not. It's in the contract. He's trying to strong-arm you into doing it. And he's a fucker for doing so. Yard work is the landlord's responsibility. This is a nearly-universal rental agremment clause. Yard work increases the value of the property-HIS property. It's not your obligation to maintain it. I've heard of renters agreeing to do yard work for discounted rent but never, ever this. Don't budge on this. It's not a petty issue. He's trying to take advantage of you. Go to the Tenant's Union about it. They'll advise you. two squatting women answered in House & Home over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by econoline and two squatting women… 0 0 Actually it is very common for rental agreements to state that tenants are responsible for upkeep of the yard, usually they do a crap job though which is why landlords often prefer to pay someone to take care of it and charge more for rent. econoline commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 I wouldn't say "very." But in this case, it's not in his contract. two squatting women commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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