The Link Between Landscaping and Your Condo or HOA’s Insurance Affordability

August 2026

Tags: HOA Common Areas, Landscaping, Lawns

Landscaping decisions can quietly increase your condo or HOA's liability exposure, according to an online report. The problem is that our experts respectfully disagree, though they think perhaps that writer was making a broader point, which they agree with. Here's what to know.

Maybe There's a Distant, Loose Connection

“This was an interesting article, but I haven't seen this,” reports Jason Schoenholtz, CAM, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, CEO, co-founder of Trident Management in Miami Beach, Fla., and its director of association management; he's been managing condos and HOAs throughout Florida for more than 25 years. “I know everyone's looking for an edge on insurance, and I'm all for anything you can do to reduce risk. But I haven't seen landscaping make a difference on that yet.”

It's not that our experts don't see the value in property upkeep and curb appeal. And maybe they're parsing words or reading too literally into this idea. But landscaping decisions increasing risk? They say that's a stretch.

“I thought this was strange,” says Janet Oulousian Aronson, a partner at Marcus Errico Emmer & Brooks in Braintree, Mass., who is licensed in that state, in addition to Rhode Island and New Hampshire. “In my opinion, improved landscaping means fewer claims because the property is being maintained properly. You don't have things like walkways that are trip hazards. There are all kinds of things that can happen when a property isn't being maintained. But I can't see how improving the landscaping would lead to lower claims.”

Jesse M. Kanitz, a partner at Williams & Strohm LLC in Columbus, Ohio, who has represented condo and HOA clients throughout Ohio for more than 10 years, says it's not landscaping that's tied to risk. It's property maintenance and care. “I've not seen really any problems with landscaping issues in our communities, not with regard to injuries or insurance,” he says. “I'm not discounting the idea.

“I have seen a little more increased scrutiny from local municipalities with things like ponds,” he adds. “They're requiring more lifesaving devices and signs to help prevent people from drowning. So maybe when we're talking about landscaping and liability, they mean slips and falls in common areas or unprotected waterways increasing risks.”

For Phaedra J. Howard, CCAL, department chair for community association law at Hellmuth & Johnson PLLC in Edina, Minn., it's all about your community's view of routine and ongoing maintenance, not necessarily landscaping by itself. Failing to keep up with maintenance is indeed a factor in increased insurance costs and risk.

“I haven't heard anything of landscaping being a factor in insurance risks,” she says. “Maybe it is and nobody's saying anything.

“If you think about it, if sidewalks are uneven and tree roots are busting through walkways, that could create tripping hazards,” says Howard. “But to me, that's probably a sign of bigger problems with deferred maintenance. I think it's more a signal that you're not properly maintaining your property.”

Reprinted from HOALeader.com