Good Neighbor: Property Upkeep

Maintaining the property is a good way to show neighbors that you care about the community and that you and your residents also appreciate the opportunity to live and be a part of a neighborhood.

Consequently, recovery homes must maintain the property appropriately. This means that the home must be in good condition, the yard and any other space must be well maintained, and any exterior buildings must be painted and in good repair. The outside of the recovery house should be free from trash and debris. The yard should be well maintained, meaning the lawn is mowed, bushes appropriately trimmed, leaves raked in the fall, and snow removed from any sidewalks in the winter.

While it is not fair, recovery homes are often under more scrutiny than the typical neighbor. Recovery homes should not use indoor furniture as outdoor furniture or use blankets, towels or similar items in the place of curtains in windows. While these activities may seem harmless, they are often things neighbors use to complain about recovery homes.

While these may seem like small issues, and others in the neighborhood may do these things, it is another simple way homes can show that they are committed to being good neighbors.