What do renters look for in an outdoor living space?

When it comes to an Australian home, one of the key areas of concern is outdoor space. While appliances and indoor amenities are important, Australians live an outdoorsy lifestyle enjoying the summer sun, so a home’s backyard can make or break a sale or rent of a property.

When it comes to outdoor space, people look for an area that is accessible, and entertainment friendly with adequate protection from sun and wind. Choosing these features encourage the use of outdoor space over the summer time, boosting exercise and outdoor activities.

Other important outdoor features include the following:

• Low maintenance landscapes.

• Sustainable landscaping with native plants and easy to maintain structures.

• Full gardens or window boxes that allow people to grow their own vegetables or herbs.

• Adequate outdoor lighting.

• Protected outdoor seating from sun and wind.

Properties with these features typically attract more attention from buyers or tenants.

As Australians tend to live an active, outdoor lifestyle, recreation facilities such as outdoor tennis and basketball courts, pools, grassed areas and playgrounds rate highly amongst typical renters, especially families. While these features are not always available in leased properties, they are favourable amongst tenants as they encourage healthy exercise and social interaction. For a more cost effective feature, make sure you include an outdoor grill or BBQ in your backyard which is often a necessity in an Australian home whilst also encouraging tenants to use outdoor facilities.

As mentioned above, adequate lighting is another major concern of potential tenants. If you’re thinking on updating your outdoor lighting consider LED landscape lighting. LED lights offer many more advantages; they use up to 80 percent less energy than incandescent lights, provide excellent colour and last many years without needing bulbs replaced. They are available in small, inconspicuous sizes, and are perfect for lining a walkway or garden area in smaller spaces.

Of course there are plenty more features that are attractive and useful to tenants, making properties more desirable. Properties can be made more outdoor friendly by implementing the following changes:

• Connect outdoor space to the home through sliding doors or designated walks.

• Design relaxing areas with complementary colours and fabrics.

• Plan to scale, and don’t try to clutter small spaces with too much furniture or too many amenities.

• Give people plenty of room to stretch, relax and enjoy the outdoor space.

• Keep backyard BBQs clean and well maintained.

• Consider routing your sound system to play outdoors.

• Keep the outdoor environment neat by mowing grass regularly, pulling weeds and removing scraggly bushes.

A minimal investment in outdoor landscaping generates maximum returns by increasing property value and providing additional living space.