This sounds like a simple edict, but it is one too often ignored. Many times people assume they know what a lease says, since many have the same kind of wording, along with the same types of limitations and tenant responsibilities. But the issue of lawn care and who is responsible for it may not be so apparent. As a prospective tenant flips through the lease looking for the signature page, figuring he already knows what it generally says, he may be skipping right past the section on whose responsibility it is to mow the lawn. It is precisely this inattention that has many students facing increased rental prices.
Landlords also have a responsibility to maintain the properties they rent.
If the landlord is responsible for lawn maintenance, and just neglects it, it seems unfair to pass that cost on to the tenant. The importance of completely and carefully reading one's lease cannot be emphasized strongly enough. This is a legal agreement one enters into, and failure to comply with its conditions can lead to financial headaches down the road. Tenants have rights as well as responsibilities, and should make themselves aware of those rights. As rental companies begin their annual pitch for new tenants, some offering a period of reduced rent, or even free rent for early signing, student renters should be even more careful before signing on the bottom line.