Things Tenants Ask of Landlords That Are Not a Landlord’s Job

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Hey there, BiggerPockets! So many of you are landlords. Most of you have rented in the past and some of you currently rent your own home, so you can relate to the tenant’s situation.

Some tenants who have been around for a bit understand what their roles are and what they should expect their landlord to do for them. Others, especially those who are new to renting, don’t have clarity on what their landlord should do verse what the tenant should be handling on their own. In today’s video, I talk about what a landlord should not be doing for his or her tenants.

Related: 4 Types of Horrible Tenants (& How to Deal With Their Shenanigans)

Some tenants will expect the landlord to perform maintenance tasks that are typically on the tenant’s list of responsibilities. I remember a tenant who called me about the light in her kitchen, which had stopped working. I went to the property and found that the lightbulb had burned out. Tenants also expect landlords to change out the batteries in their smoke detectors, which is really a job the tenant should have. (Some of my tenants take the batteries out of the smoke detectors and put them in their remote controls for their TVs, but that’s another story).

Related: 5 Legitimate Reasons to Allow a Tenant to Break Their Lease

In this video, I talk about other roles that landlords should not step into with their tenants. Be sure to watch it and leave a comment here on the BiggerPockets blog.

How have you drawn a line in the sand with your tenants on what you will and won’t do?

Have you inadvertently crossed out of the landlord role in the past? I want to hear from you so please leave a reply below!

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.