Tenant changed thermostat

[Ian Handel]

Hi, I have a question of protocol.

My tenant changed out the thermostat in his unit without asking my permission. This was a violation of the lease agreement.

Last night he called me to say there was no heat. The plumber went out and after 2 hours deduced the problem was the tenant's thermostat. Essentially, the heating problem was caused by the tenant because of his personally installed thermostat.

Can I charge the tenant for the plumber's bill? I don't want to hurt my relationship with the tenant, but I also don't want to pay for a maintenance bill I am not responsible for. Should I split the bill in half with the tenant?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Ian