Groundskeeper (Lease Up)

The morning starts before most residents have poured their first cup of coffee. You're doing a walkthrough of the grounds, checking that the property looks exactly the way it should when the first person steps outside. On a lease-up community, that standard matters even more: every prospective resident who tours the property is forming a first impression, and curb appeal either supports or undercuts everything the leasing team says.

The Work Itself

This is a Groundskeeper role supporting a lease-up community for Prometheus Real Estate Group in Los Altos, California. The core of the job is maintaining the physical condition and cleanliness of the property: common areas, exteriors, landscaping details, trash, and anything that affects how the community looks and feels to the people who live there and those considering it. You'll work with some independence, managing your own daily tasks without needing step-by-step supervision, while staying responsive to resident needs and the expectations of a team that takes curb appeal seriously.

Customer service is genuinely part of this job. Residents notice the person maintaining their community, and how you engage with them shapes how they feel about where they live. On a lease-up property, that sense of pride in the community is still being built, and everyone on the maintenance and grounds team contributes to it.

The physical demands are real. The role requires regular lifting (up to 50 lbs occasionally), extended time on your feet, climbing, and repetitive physical tasks. Prior custodial or apartment experience is helpful but not required to be considered.

Compensation and Benefits

The pay range for this position runs from $21.75 to $23.25 per hour, and Prometheus layers in additional earning opportunities including a discretionary semi-annual bonus, standby and on-call premium pay, a lease-up bonus, and referral and training bonuses where applicable. The benefits package is notably strong for a grounds-level role:

• Medical, vision, and dental coverage at 100% company-paid (including eligible dependents), with buy-up options
• Life insurance, AD&D, and long-term disability coverage
• 24/7 behavioral health program access
• Tax-free flexible spending accounts
• 401(k) with employer matching
• 10 days vacation to start, increasing with tenure, plus anniversary vacation at milestone years
• 9 sick days annually, 12 paid holidays including your birthday
• Paid volunteer time
• Tenure-based housing discounts and educational assistance with tuition reimbursement

For someone entering property management, a role like this builds habits that carry forward throughout a maintenance career: attention to detail on make-readies, understanding how curb appeal connects to occupancy, and the discipline of maintaining standards on a schedule without being managed closely. Groundskeeping on a lease-up is a sharper environment than a stabilized property because the stakes of first impressions are higher and the expectations are set accordingly. That's a useful place to develop your eye for quality.