Tenant keeps complaining when nothing is wrong. What should i do?

[Jacob C Olinick]

One of my tenants has been constantly complaining  bout the water bill. She claims something is leaking in the walls but there are no signs of water damage anywhere. I have gone out to the property several times and the outside meter is telling me no water is running or leaking. I have been managing this property for many years and never had a tenant complain about the water bill before. She isn't a bad tenant, so I would like to renew her lease because she pays on-time, but I can't keep going out to property every week to tell her nothing is wrong. What should I do?

[Andrew Bang]

What's your definition of a "bad tenant" ?  If I have to visit the property weekly to tell her there are no water leaks...too much hassle for me.   If you contact the water company to print off a history of water usage, show her its always been the same, even before she was there.

[Greg M.]

Is her water bill close to that of the prior tenant? If so, that should show her likely nothing is wrong. If it is significantly higher, maybe there is an issue. Also, the water company should be able to tell you the average usage in that area, so you can see if it is out of line.

[Isaac S.]

I had a slab leak that took one month to figure out we had, because it was not profuse, but constant enough to make the water bill 2x, and then the plumber brought out a special machine that checks for leaks under concrete slabs, and sure enough we had one. This was a 2" supply line for a large apartment building, was $10k repair.

[Theresa Harris]

Are the water bills higher than they used to be?  Tell her if they are consistent with previous usage.

[Gabriel Hall]

Quote from @Isaac S.:

I had a slab leak that took one month to figure out we had, because it was not profuse, but constant enough to make the water bill 2x, and then the plumber brought out a special machine that checks for leaks under concrete slabs, and sure enough we had one. This was a 2" supply line for a large apartment building, was $10k repair.

Ugh, don't even utter the words slab leak!  Sorry you had to go through one, they're a bear!  He DID mention that the meter isn't spinning when he goes out, so thankfully he doesn't have one of those on his hands.

[Erol Eugene]

It could be possible that this is the first time your tenant has had to pay for the water bill, many landlord cover at least one utility the most common would be the water bill. They might want you to take over the bill but that is up to you. They might also be trying to claim that something is broken and you are refusing to fix it which leads to them with holding rent. You never know with tenants and I pray this is not the outcome. Just make sure you have proof (work orders, recites, emails, documentation) that everything is in tip top shape and keep an close eye on that tenant and the property.

[Quincy Lockett]

@Jacob C Olinick

If there is no leak I would inform her just that. I would then let her know ‘I understand that she would probably want to end our lease agreement and I’m willing to allow that with no penalty.’ That tenant sounds like too much work.

[Matthew T.]

Document Document Document

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Jacob C Olinick:

One of my tenants has been constantly complaining  bout the water bill. She claims something is leaking in the walls but there are no signs of water damage anywhere. I have gone out to the property several times and the outside meter is telling me no water is running or leaking. I have been managing this property for many years and never had a tenant complain about the water bill before. She isn't a bad tenant, so I would like to renew her lease because she pays on-time, but I can't keep going out to property every week to tell her nothing is wrong. What should I do?

This is ridiculously easy to disprove. Contact the utility company and ask for past water use. Compare that to current water use. If it is not higher, you've proven your point and can move on. If it's higher, then maybe you missed something like a running toilet.

Collect data, answer the question, and move on. If the tenant isn't happy with it, she can move out. Running out to the property isn't doing anyone any good.

[Curtis Mears]

@Jacob C Olinick

Assuming tested and no leak, I would explain her usage may be the issue. Long showers, watering lawn, etc all uses water. Tenant may not realize taking a 20 minute shower, or filling the bath tub uses a lot of water.

[Ray Hage]

Quote from @Jacob C Olinick:

One of my tenants has been constantly complaining  bout the water bill. She claims something is leaking in the walls but there are no signs of water damage anywhere. I have gone out to the property several times and the outside meter is telling me no water is running or leaking. I have been managing this property for many years and never had a tenant complain about the water bill before. She isn't a bad tenant, so I would like to renew her lease because she pays on-time, but I can't keep going out to property every week to tell her nothing is wrong. What should I do?

 Hi Jacob. If I were, I would head over to 100 N Andrews Ave (assuming the specific city of the property is FTL) and get a print out of all the past water bills that they have on file. I actually did this when I got my first residential income property because I had zero idea of a what a "normal" monthly water usage and bill was being only a renter before that. With that printout, you'd be able to show that everything is ok. 

Also, if you have checked the meter and it's not spinning, then there's no leak. After showing her the printout and water meter being fine, she should understand that there is no water issue. If she doesn't, I would tell her she can leave without punishing her for breaking the lease early. It's not worth having a constant headache.

[Alex Talcott]

I agree with Andrew in spotting/asking about "bad tenant." Consistent rent payment is just a given, not a particular positive.

I see your job title is Property Manager, so if it's more about handling than outsourcing, I recently shared suggested language with a local property manager to parrot to an ungrateful tenant -- "It sounds like you're not satisfied." Then either pause or proceed with something like, "I understand that we may not be renewing here." <Intentionally vague as to "we" and who's making the choice/move.> She may get in line. Most people should know that there are not many great options for them based on current housing nonavailability.