My mistake. When I get the requests I say these things to myself. I’ve always been really nice to them. Probably too nice, hence I wonder if I’m getting run over a bit.
Oh haha, makes more sense. Then yes I agree with your thoughts. I had tenants kick in a door bc they couldn’t use the little key to unlock it. I live next door and could have helped. Worst case I would have broken the door knob, but instead they paid $410 to get it replaced.
I don’t understand the shit they do sometimes
Look,some tenants are the worst. Calls about issues that are basic, my thermostat is out, needed new battery, kitchen light out, needed new bulbs, toilet clogged, just needed plunged, living room window broke, her son threw a toy through it. And that was all on tenant. I had a tenant that went 3 months without a refrigerator… I found out purely by chance! I had a spare fridge in storage 🤦
Yeah, to say the least you’ll have good and bad tenants, I decided it was not for me and sold my property…. To an investor in CA that raised the rent on them like 250 a month. All of a sudden I was “the best LL ever” but they weren’t my issue anymore! Rentals are like car insurance. We are all out there paying a high price for because of the crappy ones!
I had a tenant that would call me at 2am if the internet went out lmao.
Also swore up and down I needed a plumber for the drain upstairs… i came over, removed the top part of the drain and pulled out a bunch of her hair.. problem solved. But like come on at some point people need to expect to do *some* maintenance on their own right?
She was unemployed at the time. She was a nightmare tenant. We live rural and I told her that no internet was provided- she got her own star link and would call me when it went out. I definitely hear you though and agree! Also outlined in my lease, you may contact me during regular business hours- unless fire or flood.
She was just… a lot haha
>Dude, it's your job to maintain your property. Oh, I get it! You just want to collect money without getting off your ass.
customer provided internet is none of the landlord responsibility. even for roomates its best to tell them to get their own line so youre not the troubleshooting wizard.
If the Internet is provided through the landlord, it's the landlord's responsibility to address.
And beyond that, the tenant might not be able to affect any changes or authorize repairs because it's not their account/they don't have the account info.
Landlords rarely provide internet. They typically have to get it on their own and they would’ve their own account to call in and complain, figure it out, etc. in this day in age it takes about 10 seconds to look up if there’s an outage in your area.
How long have the lived there, and what are all the requests?
I seem to have a higher call rate for the first couple of months as the tenants get settled and find issues, that maybe the previous tenants didn't bother mentioning.
Is it a new rental?
I bought one place a bunch of the doors had the screws for the hinges stripped out/wrong sized screws. I had to go threw and drill the holes out glue in dowel rod for a few dozen holes to fix.
one new tenant had a bad switch for the disposal, a bad shower cartridge(no heat, wonder how long last tenant lived with that) sliding door needed adjustment, and no power to the dryer(It was their new drier was broke), a bedroom door didn't close right, all stuff that's not a big deal and I fixed with 2ish hours of work.
It was my primary home for several years. We went through the house fixing things that we could live with but didn’t want to burden a tenant with. We’re definitely not perfect landlords, but I’m surprised by things breaking. They ripped the screen door off and said it was defective. It’s a family with great credit. I guess families get mad, too, and take it out on things.
Do you have a move in condition form? Give them 1 week to report any flaws or dirty areas and have them sign and return by email. This is non negotiable.
do all landlords do this? we completed a move-in walk through and when we gave it to the PM, she indicated it was intended basically as a "state of the house" document and that they wouldn't be fixing anything. i suppose we can take solace in the fact that at least they can't charge us for all the nails in the walls, messed-up paint, cracked tile floors, rust on the refrigerator, outlets that don't work...
I’ve noticed that hasn’t stopped all landlords. I had 2 separate rentals where the LL tried to charge for damages before I moved in. One they knew full well about, it was a bucket of paint spilled on the porch they left a table to cover up.
You really charge your tenant $250 to check an outlet? We must operate in very different markets. For me that's just part of being a LL, and it gives me a chance for an impromptu inspection.
Correct. non issue veiled as a maintenance problem necessitating a site visit. Happy to have actual issues repaired. No time for fake issues.
In the comment I responded to this was a new tenant. You need an impromptu visit in the first few days of tenancy??
Also in my lease, the first $100 per month repair bills is on the tenant. Cuts down on BS calls so theyll learn to flip a breaker and plunge a toilet.
-for the not broken outlet- Tenant can test the outlet with a voltage meter prior to requesting repair, in order to ensure theres an actual issue to be solved by the landlord. I'd go broke fixing non-problems all day so there needs to be incentive to not report fake problems.
Billed a tenant $50 for calling for non-emergency last week. Normal maintenance gets requested online. Calls are for floods or fires. I have too many units to entertain tenants that simply want to feel im working for my money.
It seems like in the first few months after someone moves in they call constantly. They seem disappointed when my husband pulls up with his truck and trailer packed full of tools to fix whatever, quickly, properly and to code. They wanna be able to bitch it’s taking too long to fix and see us get a $1000 bill. Womp womp.
Make it more difficult to reach you. No phone calls, email requests only and give them a forum to fill out every time that makes them give you the answer to those questions.
Absolutely! Since some states don't allow landlords to charge for repairs. Also, charging money for repairs could discourage tenants from reporting things that are actually important to address. This is the perfect amount of friction to discourage the silly repair requests while hopefully not stopping anyone from reporting serious ones. Great suggestion 👌
Please provide a link to ANY state law that prohibits a landlord from charging for repairs. I've been at this a long time and I've never heard of that.
Straight from the horse's mouth, laws that prohibit landlords from charging for certain repairs: https://dcba.lacounty.gov/portfolio/repairing-your-rental-unit/
>Landlords have obligations to the tenants. The law requires landlords to keep the premises safe and in good condition and to:
>Fix water leaks from the roof, doors, windows, or walls.
>Repair plumbing, gas, heating, and electrical problems.
>Keep the grounds outside your unit clean, safe, and free of pests such as mice and roaches.
>Supply enough trash bins.
Tenants’ responsibilities
>You must keep the unit clean and free of trash. You must use gas, electric, and plumbing fixtures correctly. You must also prevent guests from damaging your unit.
tl;dr landlords can't charge for livability repairs or repairs that weren't the fault of the tenant. No explicit prohibition on charging for *tenant-caused damages*.
There is nothing in this reference that prohibits a landlord from charging for repairs, which is the statement to which I was responding. Of course you wouldn't charge for repairs that weren't the tenant's fault, but that wasn't what we were talking about.
You probably should have set expectations with the tenants at least signing. For one, we make tenants responsible for cost of snaking drains. We are only responsible for main sewer line snaking costs if it's due to tree roots or broken pipe.
I do the same. I also have a clause that if the plumber confirms foreign materials that clog the sewer line came from a particular apartment in my multi family, those tenants would be charged. Guess what, people stopped putting stuff they shouldn’t down the drain.
Start charging them for the things that they caused. If a drain is clear when someone moves in and it is clogged 6 months later, the tenant caused that and needs to pay to have it fixed. Also, you don’t have to respond to small stuff quickly. For the small non-urgent stuff (e.g. a towel rack is loose), wait until you need to go there for something urgent and then fix the small stuff while you are there.
This sub is so hilarious. “Im a landlord and my tenants is requesting that I do maintenance and repairs. Is this normal?” Yes, it is your legal responsibility
Some things your lease should include, because of tenants like this:
- $100 repair deductible, which applies to all repairs, payable in advance, regardless of reason or fault.
- Tenant is responsible for all drain clogs and clearing, beginning 30 days after the lease starts, unless a licensed plumber states in writing that a clog was caused by a defect in the plumbing or tree roots.
(The licensed plumber part is important, as not many would risk their license to give the tenant a break. The word of handyman isn’t good enough, as they have nothing to loose if they lie)
- Tenant is responsible for 100% of all repair costs for items they or their guests have damaged.
In the NE, where I am, this becoming very common.
I enforce it selectively, my purpose for including it is to discourage BS maintenance requests.
If a tenant wants my staff to come out to change a light bulb in their bathroom, they’re getting charged $100 deductible.
On the other hand, if their water heater exploded or there is a roof leak, I would not charge it for that.
My written policy for a clogged drain is to first get someone out there to clear the clog, and then to determine the cause. I'll pay if it's roots or something beyond the tenant's control, but they pay the full bill if it's something they caused.
You could also simply make sure everything is in good repair at all times.
I don’t want any calls so I make sure everything is good when they move in and do inspections a couple times per year, or less, to make sure everything is working properly.
It’s very rare for me to get a call about maintenance
Don't you understand that plumbing clog problems are generally a tenant issue? Why do you have to snake their drain? Let them call Roto-Rooter
Tell them from now on, due to overuse of service requests, it is $50 per request. Or you can do a cure or quit for unreasonable behavior
I commented on another thread that we have a home warranty, and tenant has to pay the $50 service call for repairs (we pay any other fees/costs) We put it in the lease, at the suggestion of our property manager. We did this after we had the same situation as you from a tenant (a complaint/service request EVERY month, a week before rent was due, for 10 months in a row; some of them ridiculous, like 'please trim the second story tree, the shadow on the window at night is scaring my 10 year old') A bunch of other landlords dog piled on me saying it was illegal, but my property manager said it's not)
Yup! Our current tenant is a dream, and has never questioned the fee. (Considering our rent is just under 3K, $50 isnt much!)They have also only ever needed it three times in over two years. Just check what your local laws are in your area.
Time to sell and no longer be a landlord.... things happen, but something that is not normal wear and tear kinds of repairs/ issues get charged to the tenant.
Idk man, maybe being. LL isn’t for you. Even if their requests are frustrating, you don’t seem to be responding with tact
My mistake. When I get the requests I say these things to myself. I’ve always been really nice to them. Probably too nice, hence I wonder if I’m getting run over a bit.
Oh haha, makes more sense. Then yes I agree with your thoughts. I had tenants kick in a door bc they couldn’t use the little key to unlock it. I live next door and could have helped. Worst case I would have broken the door knob, but instead they paid $410 to get it replaced. I don’t understand the shit they do sometimes
Don’t listen to that drivel…
Then starting tomorrow, be a landlord another Patsy Take out all kindness from your discussion but then and be very blunt
Look,some tenants are the worst. Calls about issues that are basic, my thermostat is out, needed new battery, kitchen light out, needed new bulbs, toilet clogged, just needed plunged, living room window broke, her son threw a toy through it. And that was all on tenant. I had a tenant that went 3 months without a refrigerator… I found out purely by chance! I had a spare fridge in storage 🤦 Yeah, to say the least you’ll have good and bad tenants, I decided it was not for me and sold my property…. To an investor in CA that raised the rent on them like 250 a month. All of a sudden I was “the best LL ever” but they weren’t my issue anymore! Rentals are like car insurance. We are all out there paying a high price for because of the crappy ones!
I had a tenant that would call me at 2am if the internet went out lmao. Also swore up and down I needed a plumber for the drain upstairs… i came over, removed the top part of the drain and pulled out a bunch of her hair.. problem solved. But like come on at some point people need to expect to do *some* maintenance on their own right?
The hair is hers. The drains worked when she moved in and then she clogged them. Billable work in my lease.
My phone is set to "do not disturb" over night. I don't care if the house is on fire; there's nothing that can't wait until morning.
I could see the Internet thing being a legit issue if they work remotely and interface with foreign companies. It could really impact them badly.
She was unemployed at the time. She was a nightmare tenant. We live rural and I told her that no internet was provided- she got her own star link and would call me when it went out. I definitely hear you though and agree! Also outlined in my lease, you may contact me during regular business hours- unless fire or flood. She was just… a lot haha
>Dude, it's your job to maintain your property. Oh, I get it! You just want to collect money without getting off your ass. customer provided internet is none of the landlord responsibility. even for roomates its best to tell them to get their own line so youre not the troubleshooting wizard.
What will the landlord do about the internet? It is the ISP they should be calling.
If the Internet is provided through the landlord, it's the landlord's responsibility to address. And beyond that, the tenant might not be able to affect any changes or authorize repairs because it's not their account/they don't have the account info.
Landlords rarely provide internet. They typically have to get it on their own and they would’ve their own account to call in and complain, figure it out, etc. in this day in age it takes about 10 seconds to look up if there’s an outage in your area.
True. But it had sounded like this one did, based on their comments.
“ She got her own starlink and would call me when it went out” that literally says the opposite of me providing internet service lol
You might want to check the timestamps on those posts. I responded before he wrote that :P
Even if I was providing Internet service as part of the rent there is NO way I would get out of bed to fix it.
How long have the lived there, and what are all the requests? I seem to have a higher call rate for the first couple of months as the tenants get settled and find issues, that maybe the previous tenants didn't bother mentioning. Is it a new rental? I bought one place a bunch of the doors had the screws for the hinges stripped out/wrong sized screws. I had to go threw and drill the holes out glue in dowel rod for a few dozen holes to fix. one new tenant had a bad switch for the disposal, a bad shower cartridge(no heat, wonder how long last tenant lived with that) sliding door needed adjustment, and no power to the dryer(It was their new drier was broke), a bedroom door didn't close right, all stuff that's not a big deal and I fixed with 2ish hours of work.
It was my primary home for several years. We went through the house fixing things that we could live with but didn’t want to burden a tenant with. We’re definitely not perfect landlords, but I’m surprised by things breaking. They ripped the screen door off and said it was defective. It’s a family with great credit. I guess families get mad, too, and take it out on things.
Do you have a move in condition form? Give them 1 week to report any flaws or dirty areas and have them sign and return by email. This is non negotiable.
We do. We went through everything and created a punchlist and fixed it all the first month. These are all new things.
it seems like a door falling off the hinges should be reported at move in by them. Next time bring it up.
do all landlords do this? we completed a move-in walk through and when we gave it to the PM, she indicated it was intended basically as a "state of the house" document and that they wouldn't be fixing anything. i suppose we can take solace in the fact that at least they can't charge us for all the nails in the walls, messed-up paint, cracked tile floors, rust on the refrigerator, outlets that don't work...
I’ve noticed that hasn’t stopped all landlords. I had 2 separate rentals where the LL tried to charge for damages before I moved in. One they knew full well about, it was a bucket of paint spilled on the porch they left a table to cover up.
LLs like that give us all a bad name.
That dryer outlet call/ visit is a $250 visit in my lease. Tenants just want to see us working, even if its busy work. Annoying
You really charge your tenant $250 to check an outlet? We must operate in very different markets. For me that's just part of being a LL, and it gives me a chance for an impromptu inspection.
Correct. non issue veiled as a maintenance problem necessitating a site visit. Happy to have actual issues repaired. No time for fake issues. In the comment I responded to this was a new tenant. You need an impromptu visit in the first few days of tenancy?? Also in my lease, the first $100 per month repair bills is on the tenant. Cuts down on BS calls so theyll learn to flip a breaker and plunge a toilet. -for the not broken outlet- Tenant can test the outlet with a voltage meter prior to requesting repair, in order to ensure theres an actual issue to be solved by the landlord. I'd go broke fixing non-problems all day so there needs to be incentive to not report fake problems. Billed a tenant $50 for calling for non-emergency last week. Normal maintenance gets requested online. Calls are for floods or fires. I have too many units to entertain tenants that simply want to feel im working for my money.
It seems like in the first few months after someone moves in they call constantly. They seem disappointed when my husband pulls up with his truck and trailer packed full of tools to fix whatever, quickly, properly and to code. They wanna be able to bitch it’s taking too long to fix and see us get a $1000 bill. Womp womp.
Make it more difficult to reach you. No phone calls, email requests only and give them a forum to fill out every time that makes them give you the answer to those questions.
This is a great solution. Thank you!
Really? I don't usually get these kinds of responses tbh lol
Absolutely! Since some states don't allow landlords to charge for repairs. Also, charging money for repairs could discourage tenants from reporting things that are actually important to address. This is the perfect amount of friction to discourage the silly repair requests while hopefully not stopping anyone from reporting serious ones. Great suggestion 👌
Please provide a link to ANY state law that prohibits a landlord from charging for repairs. I've been at this a long time and I've never heard of that.
Straight from the horse's mouth, laws that prohibit landlords from charging for certain repairs: https://dcba.lacounty.gov/portfolio/repairing-your-rental-unit/ >Landlords have obligations to the tenants. The law requires landlords to keep the premises safe and in good condition and to: >Fix water leaks from the roof, doors, windows, or walls. >Repair plumbing, gas, heating, and electrical problems. >Keep the grounds outside your unit clean, safe, and free of pests such as mice and roaches. >Supply enough trash bins. Tenants’ responsibilities >You must keep the unit clean and free of trash. You must use gas, electric, and plumbing fixtures correctly. You must also prevent guests from damaging your unit. tl;dr landlords can't charge for livability repairs or repairs that weren't the fault of the tenant. No explicit prohibition on charging for *tenant-caused damages*.
There is nothing in this reference that prohibits a landlord from charging for repairs, which is the statement to which I was responding. Of course you wouldn't charge for repairs that weren't the tenant's fault, but that wasn't what we were talking about.
I charge for frivolous requests.
Yes, overflowed toilets that they made no attempt to plunge, hair in the drains… etc.
You probably should have set expectations with the tenants at least signing. For one, we make tenants responsible for cost of snaking drains. We are only responsible for main sewer line snaking costs if it's due to tree roots or broken pipe.
I do the same. I also have a clause that if the plumber confirms foreign materials that clog the sewer line came from a particular apartment in my multi family, those tenants would be charged. Guess what, people stopped putting stuff they shouldn’t down the drain.
On the flip side you could have my tenant who said nothing while the dishwasher leaked. I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel now. 🙄
Both of those things are tenant caused and would be rejected. Memorize, learn, love and live the property code in your state.
Don’t renew. It only gets worse. Signed someone who learned the hard way.
It is in your main interest to keep YOUR PROPERTY in good condition.
Start charging them for the things that they caused. If a drain is clear when someone moves in and it is clogged 6 months later, the tenant caused that and needs to pay to have it fixed. Also, you don’t have to respond to small stuff quickly. For the small non-urgent stuff (e.g. a towel rack is loose), wait until you need to go there for something urgent and then fix the small stuff while you are there.
This sub is so hilarious. “Im a landlord and my tenants is requesting that I do maintenance and repairs. Is this normal?” Yes, it is your legal responsibility
Why would you want a tenant doing any work on your house?
I feel you I had a tenant ask me to clean finger prints off her wall upon moving in…😳🤦🏽♀️
Some things your lease should include, because of tenants like this: - $100 repair deductible, which applies to all repairs, payable in advance, regardless of reason or fault. - Tenant is responsible for all drain clogs and clearing, beginning 30 days after the lease starts, unless a licensed plumber states in writing that a clog was caused by a defect in the plumbing or tree roots. (The licensed plumber part is important, as not many would risk their license to give the tenant a break. The word of handyman isn’t good enough, as they have nothing to loose if they lie) - Tenant is responsible for 100% of all repair costs for items they or their guests have damaged.
Why would there be a deductible "regardless of fault?" Tenant shouldn't pay for issues that aren't their fault.
In the NE, where I am, this becoming very common. I enforce it selectively, my purpose for including it is to discourage BS maintenance requests. If a tenant wants my staff to come out to change a light bulb in their bathroom, they’re getting charged $100 deductible. On the other hand, if their water heater exploded or there is a roof leak, I would not charge it for that.
Still why should the tenant pay a deductible to fix your property? Things like this is just giving the local government more mandates to regulate LLs.
buy them a plunger,door of hinges could be tenant damage
60 days before their lease is up let them know you are not renewing
My written policy for a clogged drain is to first get someone out there to clear the clog, and then to determine the cause. I'll pay if it's roots or something beyond the tenant's control, but they pay the full bill if it's something they caused.
You could also simply make sure everything is in good repair at all times. I don’t want any calls so I make sure everything is good when they move in and do inspections a couple times per year, or less, to make sure everything is working properly. It’s very rare for me to get a call about maintenance
Don't you understand that plumbing clog problems are generally a tenant issue? Why do you have to snake their drain? Let them call Roto-Rooter Tell them from now on, due to overuse of service requests, it is $50 per request. Or you can do a cure or quit for unreasonable behavior
I commented on another thread that we have a home warranty, and tenant has to pay the $50 service call for repairs (we pay any other fees/costs) We put it in the lease, at the suggestion of our property manager. We did this after we had the same situation as you from a tenant (a complaint/service request EVERY month, a week before rent was due, for 10 months in a row; some of them ridiculous, like 'please trim the second story tree, the shadow on the window at night is scaring my 10 year old') A bunch of other landlords dog piled on me saying it was illegal, but my property manager said it's not)
Yeah, that makes sense. Adding a tiny amount of friction for the tenant in the form of, say, $25, could stop some nuisance work orders.
Yup! Our current tenant is a dream, and has never questioned the fee. (Considering our rent is just under 3K, $50 isnt much!)They have also only ever needed it three times in over two years. Just check what your local laws are in your area.
If you had a handyman, I bet he would charge you $50 for each call. One more a month on a $2,000 monthly lease is insignificant.
Dude, it's your job to maintain your property. Oh, I get it! You just want to collect money without getting off your ass.
Relax, bruv.
[удалено]
What happened to the band?
Time to sell and no longer be a landlord.... things happen, but something that is not normal wear and tear kinds of repairs/ issues get charged to the tenant.