Top 3 Landscaping Companies in Riverside County, CA (Inland Empire)

To provide a landscaper or not to provide, that is the question! This is a question that I have been asked hundreds of times by landlords just like you over the last 10 years of being in property management.

Landscaping can be a nightmare to a lot of people. Most people don’t know when to fertilize, what fertilizer to use, how much water the yard needs, just to name a few… I for one love to take care of my lawn, but it can be overwhelming. Why not leave that up to the professionals? One less thing to worry about.

When you go on a vacation for a week or two, you will have no worries that your lawn is taken care of. The same idea applies to owning a rental property. After 31 years in property management and conducting thousands of monthly exterior inspections, we have seen most residents don’t really know the ends and outs of maintaining a yard. They don’t know when to fertilize, what fertilizer to use, how much water is needed and believe it or not, most don’t know how to program sprinkler timers.

Should you hire a landscaping company for your rental property?

Our best answer is, it really is up to you.

You must weigh out the pros and cons of providing a landscaper. Some residents LOVE taking care of the yard and will ask to take care of the yard even if a landscaper is provided, while others loathe yard work and would gladly pay a bit more in rent to ensure someone else maintains the yard.

Below I have laid out some positives and negatives that we have found over the years.

Positives of providing a landscaper:

• Slightly more in rent. Residents are willing to pay a little more for them to not have the stress of taking care of the lawn.
• You can be at ease knowing your lawn is taken care of by a professional, not your resident.
• Most landscapers will fertilize twice a year, keeping the curb appeal up on your home.
• Provides an extra set of “eyes” on the property, typically on a weekly basis. They will notify the property management company if there is an issue at the home.
• It might reach out to different type a resident. The resident can think, “wow, this owner really cares about his home and will keep up on the maintenance of the home.”
• If the resident is happy, you may get a long-term resident for your home.

Problems from not providing a landscaper:

• We find from experience that there are a lot of residents that don’t take care of the lawn like they should. This leads to violations to the resident, and they get upset because of the fines that they may get.
• Bushes are trimmed incorrectly or not all. Plants are not fertilized or maintained as most residents don’t know how to take care of them.
• Sprinkler timers are not adjusted with the seasons thus the yard is either overwatered or underwatered.

Over the last 31 years, we have worked with many different gardening and landscaping companies. They are sometimes a diamond in the rough. Anybody can purchase a lawnmower, weed eater, and a couple of bags of fertilizer and call themselves a gardener, heck little Timmy down the street does it! However, finding someone that really knows about landscaping from what types of fertilizer works best when, to feed your roses bushes the right food, to when is the perfect time to trim that overgrown tree in the front yard can be a little tricky.

We developed a checklist when hiring contractors including landscapers. We personally drive by the properties serviced by these landscapers, we even call the homeowners during a reference check. This has proven the best way to “weed” out the good from the bad.

Below is a List of our Top Picks for Landscaping Companies in Inland Empire.

Zornes Landscaping

Sean Zornes is a one-man band and has been one of our gardeners for about eight years. He does a fabulous job on his lawns. Sean is accountable for all the work he does, and he takes pride in the work he does. Zornes landscaping has turned a lawn from nothing to a lawn that looks like it ought to be out on a golf course.

If you want timely service and a plush lawn, Sean is your guy. I’ have experience working with Sean since he has been with us; and every time I call him, he has no complaints and does what he says he is going to do.

He takes care of one of our commercial properties. The owner of the complex wanted a lot of work done. I called Sean, he met me the next day, we went over the plans, and it was done two days later. It was a big job to go for two days, but he did a fabulous job.

Sean currently doesn’t have a website, but here is the link to Yelp to see all of his business’ reviews https://www.yelp.com/biz/zornes-landscape-maintenance-riverside.

Associated Landscape

Dan Simmons is the owner of Associated Landscape. He has a couple of different teams that he sends out into the field. I have the pleasure of working with Dan for about three years. He covers our Corona and Riverside areas. Dan is another gardener that does a remarkable job. Associated Landscape gives great timely service. They really care and put a lot of pride into their work. They feel that is an image or a branding of their company. That is what we look for in our vendors. We want them to be accountable for the work they do. It is an image of us as a management company. We are currently trying to expand the route for Dan and Associated Landscape. At this current time, they don’t have a website. But vendors like this are hard to find. I am glad Dan is a part of our team.

DLT Landscape

DLT Landscape is owned and operated by Jaime DeLaTorre and his family. Jamie and his team have been in business for nearly thirty years in the Inland Empire. He has serviced Management One’s properties for fifteen years. Jamie and his team handle everything from tree trimming to designing the backyard of your dreams without breaking the bank account.

Jamie’s is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to keeping your lawn green year around to making sure your rose bushes look amazing at all times.

Weeding out the good and the bad

Over the years we have experienced the good and the bad when it comes to landscaping companies. Some companies really don’t know what it takes to make lawns look great. While others are at the top of the class when it comes to landscaping knowledge. Here at Management One, we take pride in hiring top-notch contractors knowing that they are an extension of our company. The contractors featured in this article have longevity with our company and take pride in their workmanship. They have proven their knowledge in taking care landscaping and providing great customer service.

So, if you are looking to rent out your home or just need a reference for a great landscaping company, call us Today!