As the owner of single-family rental homes, it’s probable that one or more of your tenants will sooner or later ask to have a trampoline in the yard. You must make the essential decision about permitting the use of trampolines on your rental property.
There are lots of reasons why a tenant would want a trampoline, which can influence your decision to approve their request. On the other hand, there are also good reasons not to allow trampolines on your rental property. Before making a choice, you should evaluate the risks and benefits of allowing your tenants to have a trampoline.
Trampolines Are a Common Backyard Feature
Trampolines frequently appear in single-family homes. They provide a fun exercise that improves coordination and muscle growth. They help develop skills for sports like gymnastics and diving, providing hours of entertainment for energetic children. Manufacturers have enhanced safety measures with nets and in-ground options to reduce falls and injuries.
However, information shows that these benefits come with serious risks, even with safety precautions. Trampolines are forbidden by the majority of landlords and property owners, and with valid reason.
Why Trampolines Can Become a Liability for Landlords
In the U.S., trampolines lead to approximately 100,000 injuries each year. Most of these injuries involve broken legs and arms, but they can be much more serious. Typical injuries involved broken ribs, sternum, spine, and head, some of which may generate permanent neurological damage.
Trampolines may potentially turn into a danger. They may easily appear unattractive if they aren’t properly maintained or if they start to rust. Positioning a trampoline in a grassy yard makes yard maintenance much more difficult because you have to relocate it every time the lawn is mowed.
If the trampoline stays in one place too long, there is a significant likelihood that it will damage the grass underneath. On occasion, tenants don’t have the means to move or get rid of an old or broken trampoline, resulting in its deterioration in the yard. That heap of junk then becomes your burden once they move out.
Given the numerous issues, it is comprehensible why trampolines are often regarded as a significant liability. Even though a lease addendum may assign full responsibility to the tenant for purchasing a trampoline, that is no guarantee against future litigation.
Setting Expectations Early to Avoid Future Disputes
However, you need to consider whether your tenant might feel that having a trampoline (or not) is an issue. Their long-term satisfaction with the rental property is vital to your future achievement, so denying any request should be done carefully and for a good reason. Therefore, it is crucial to choose promptly whether to permit trampolines on your property and to ensure that your renter is informed of this in the lease documents to avoid future hurt feelings and disappointment.
If you need assistance managing tenants or developing lease agreements for things like trampolines, hire a trusted Yonkers property manager like Real Property Management DePenn, to enhance the comfort of both you and your tenants. Contact us online or at 866-820-9913 right now.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
