How should a landlord prepare for spring?

I have been holding Wednesdays to talk about landlord-tenant issues. Is my audience still there? What do you want talk about or learn about? Let me know.

Today’s topic: normal seasonal maintenance. What needs to be done and who does it?

My tenants had to wait until mid-April before we got to clear the front yard. (We keep it covered in mulch over the winter. It looks normal in the winter, but begins to look shabby when the flowers come up.) Our poor spring bulb plants struggled through it and so did the tenants. We take care of all the common space at our rental. Is that what your landlord does?

When I was a kid, we had screen windows that were entirely separate from the storms. The storms had to come off in order to put the screens up. What I also remember is being unable to get fresh air if the storms were on too long. But that’s a thing of the past. Everyone has screens on tracks with the storms or double-glazed windows with no storms.

The modern equivalent would be if your landlord winterizes part of the house. Who takes that down and when? Usually, this will include uncovering or installing air conditioner units. In a big building, when does the central heat become central air conditioning? There is also a point in the year when winterization can get in the way. Who removes the extra insulation on windows, bulkhead doors, fireplace flues, and attic openings that need to come off in the spring? Who sets up the outside hoses? In a shared yard, who takes out the patio furniture and washes that for the new season?

Is there an advantage or a disadvantage to having an on-site landlord or superintendent for problems and conflicts that arise due to deferred spring maintenance?

What spring maintenance do you wish your landlord would do?