After giving tenant a discount, received nasty text

Investor · Scottsdale Austin Tuktoyaktuk · Member since 2021 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes

Hello,

I’m a new landlord, experienced flipper. On our first rental everything was remodeled. We basically rebuilt the entire house.

What did I miss in all of this? I feel like I bent over backwards for the tenants as soon as I learned they considered not having AC to be an emergency (to them). Is that the issue? I gave an inch so they want to take a mile? What are the thoughts of the experienced landlords? They now have a working window ac unit and in a day my husband will be back to fix the thing he missed when installing the condenser.

I had a simliar event, only this is Arizona and it was summer and 115 degrees. A tad bit warm. The only baby through this was the tenant. The 4 bed 2 bath house had two AC units. The twenty year old one failed on a holiday weekend friday. (It was 80 degrees inside the house without the second unit running). That's a nice summer day most places. I took time out of my day to go to Lowes, buy a floor unit that kept a room at 68 degrees and deliver it to the tenants.

Instead of following the manufacturer's instructions, he tried to run the unit makeshift through the duct work, for reasons still unknown. He wanted a free month's rent. He got very heated, wanted to meet in the desert, bring my favorite shootin' iron and we'd have this out.

I said "no" to both demands and sent an eviction notice.

You just can't please some people.

4 Reply

Chris SeveneyBusiness Member

Moderator

Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes

3y

@Rebekah Meyer

We apologize for the inconvenience and if you do not feel satisfied with the rental we will let you terminate the lease early without penalty

Giving them the option to leave typically is lien a checkmate against other claims - because if they think it’s that awful they should have left

Not an attorney but has worked for us in the past.

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12 Reply

Theresa HarrisPro Member

Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes

3y

I would tell them that if they are unhappy, they are welcome to break the lease and move. You dealt with the unit as soon as you could and the repair people were backed up.

84F (29C) is not that warm that people can't make do without AC. There are ways to keep a house cool and my guess is they haven't bothered to keep windows and blinds shut during the day to keep the sun out or used a fan to keep the baby cool.

6 Reply

Ray Hage

Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 755 votes

3y

It sounds to me as if the tenant is just trying to take advantage of the situation. I have had AC units break down here in south FL and tenant not have AC for a couple of days in the summer. It is terrible but I don't know if I would believe your tenants' story.

The $250 offer was nice but unnecessary. At this point, I would offer the to break the lease without penalty, especially if they have been a pain before and if they say, it may be worth just not renewing the lease when it ends. If they have been great tenants up to this point, I would try to talk to them when things are a bit calmer to maintain a good long term relationship.

2 Reply

Nathan GesnerBusiness Member

Moderator

Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes

3y

Quote from @Rebekah Meyer:

This doesn't look like a "nasty" text or a professional scammer. It's been a month and you haven't fixed the A/C unit. I know they said they would be Ok with the delay, but a month is an awfully long time to install a condenser.

This is a brand-new condenser. It should have been covered by a warranty and you should have let the professionals handle it. I would have told them to either put you higher on the list or compensate you for having another company do the work. Surely there are HVAC specialists available within one week in Chicago?

I normally don't agree with compensating them, but in this case I probably would consider something. The new unit failed, you gave them broken window units, the second unit failed...they are rightly upset. I doubt their baby's heat rash was caused by temperatures in the 80s because the majority of the world population puts up with hotter temperatures their entire life. Still, I would try to find a way to compensate them for the higher electric bills and the delays.

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23 Reply

Alan AsriantsBusiness Member

Real Estate Agent · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

3y

Seems like these people are very hard to please and felt some weakness on your end for helping them out right away.

You did the right thing and took action right away. You can't magically fix everything in 1 time or in a day, life doesn't work that way. The heat rash thing sounds like BS in my opinion.

Take the high road and say something like:
"I am very sorry about your situation and I am trying my best to help you and get your AC fixed. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get a technician out right now and everyone is on a 3 week wait. I want to get this resolved as quickly as possible for you. I understand your position, which is why I offered the $250, but that is the best I can do. Thank you for understanding"

put your own twist of course, just an example.

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0 Reply

Alan AsriantsBusiness Member

Real Estate Agent · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

3y

Quote from @Chris Seveney:

@Rebekah Meyer

We apologize for the inconvenience and if you do not feel satisfied with the rental we will let you terminate the lease early without penalty

Giving them the option to leave typically is lien a checkmate against other claims - because if they think it’s that awful they should have left

Not an attorney but has worked for us in the past.

Nice, play with their bluff

[email protected]267-767-0111

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1 Reply

Alan AsriantsBusiness Member

Real Estate Agent · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

3y

Quote from @Ray Hage:

It sounds to me as if the tenant is just trying to take advantage of the situation. I have had AC units break down here in south FL and tenant not have AC for a couple of days in the summer. It is terrible but I don't know if I would believe your tenants' story.

The $250 offer was nice but unnecessary. At this point, I would offer the to break the lease without penalty, especially if they have been a pain before and if they say, it may be worth just not renewing the lease when it ends. If they have been great tenants up to this point, I would try to talk to them when things are a bit calmer to maintain a good long term relationship.

Also agree here, if they are giving you issues like this when you are trying your best, maybe its a good idea to find better tenants and not renew!

[email protected]267-767-0111

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0 Reply

Bruce WoodruffPro Member

Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes

3y

I think that you took too long to fix the problem. Your husband screwed up by doing it himself. I'd bet you could have found some HVAC company somewhere to do the job sooner than you did....

They may be over-reacting a bit, but IMHO, this is kinda on you.

Still the remedy is the same...offer to let them go.....

17 Reply

Scott Mac

Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes

3y

You traded rent money for discomfort, and now the renter wants to haggle you for the amount.

If it were mine I would have not traded discomfort for money, I want the money, and want to provide a "pleasant" Rental Experience as much as possible.

Given that, I would have had a working window A/C installed as soon as possible after learning that the the existing one could not be fixed within a few hours.

I would have picked one up from Home Depot that was less than 15 amps and provided a lot of cooling power--just one--but one that worked.

As far as the repair, I would have updated the customer (renter) on the repair status as things changed.

I would not have cut the rent--even if it was the cheaper way to go. Because that's not the Rental Experience I want to provide for the customer (Renter).

Just my 2 cents!

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11 Reply

Craig Janet

Member since 2019 · 223 posts · 261 votes

3y

If it was under a week, I would have told the tenants to pound sand (stuff Happens). But they went an entire month without AC. Every landlord should have a couple of window or portable units to install within a couple days. Would you go an entire month without AC? Maybe you could compromise and give them half of the rent and consider this a learning experience.

12 Reply

Phillip AustinPro Member

Property Manager · Denver, CO · Member since 2023 · 236 posts · 204 votes

3y

@Rebekah Meyer Agreeing with a few others in the thread, the time it took to resolve the issue is where you went wrong. Not to mention, it's a couple with an infant and parents are understandably overprotective.

Not to add insult to injury but your biggest mistake is not having a backup HVAC vendor. If they're booked out 3+ weeks, find another vendor! Better yet, if your husband is experienced in HVAC and you knew they were 3+ weeks out, he should have gone over there to diagnosis and get ahead of the problem. But, you waited 3 weeks for information that you could have found within the first couple of days.

Always have at least 2 or 3 solid vendors for each trade. Also, if possible, always keep a couple space heaters and/or portable ACs on hand.

5 Reply

Chad McMahan

Residential Real Estate Broker · Sedona, AZ · Member since 2017 · 754 posts · 504 votes

3y

Quote from @Rebekah Meyer:

Hello,

I’m a new landlord, experienced flipper. On our first rental everything was remodeled. We basically rebuilt the entire house. But first of May the tenant reaches out to me and tells me the AC failed to come on. The HVAC company was booked out 3 weeks but the tenant said that was ok. The issue is much larger than we thought and we have to install an entire new condenser. Since my husband has hvac experience, he decides to take time off work and do the install himself.

4 days before the install we get a text on a 76 degree day that his infant son went to the ER because he overheated due to having no AC. I thought that was ludicrous but I still offered them window AC units we just removed from a flip. But sadly those didn’t work. So I felt bad by this point and offered them a $250 one time discount. The guy thanked me and took the discount.

My husband installs the new condenser and it runs fine but in a day it froze. My husband realizes he missed something and gets the refrigerant he needs and let’s him know he will be back this Saturday to make the last repair. This is 5 days after the install. In the meantime it run them down a brand new window AC.

Right after I deliver the AC to the guy, I get this nasty text from his wife (who lives there and is on the lease but I’ve never met in person or had any prior communication with.)

“This is the wife of xxx address ave.

I’m grateful that y’all even thought about giving us a reduced rent but $250, do you not realize what we’ve been through this last month.
These problems have led my 7 month old baby in the hospital sick and now he has a heat rash all over his body. I get stuff happens but I think y’all forgot that actual people are living here and having to live in this. I’m really upset about the whole situation and y’all acting like it’s not a big deal. I get y’all have lives but this is our life and we’re having to live in our HOME while it is 85 degrees inside and outside.
During this time, our energy bill has increased triple to normal, not to mention the additional costs of our son at the hospital. And we’ve been without and it’s still not repaired an ac unit. Though you may feel 250 is enough, we think a months rent off would make better since.
I’m sure if the roles were reversed, y’all would understand.”

What did I miss in all of this? I feel like I bent over backwards for the tenants as soon as I learned they considered not having AC to be an emergency (to them). Is that the issue? I gave an inch so they want to take a mile? What are the thoughts of the experienced landlords? They now have a working window ac unit and in a day my husband will be back to fix the thing he missed when installing the condenser.

Discuss this with an attorney. Be damn careful about taking BP advice, when it comes to issues with tenants. On many posts here at BP, I see advice- that if followed, would result in a slam dunk lawsuit for the other party.

3 Reply

Melanie ThomasBusiness Member

Real Estate Broker · San Antonio · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 490 votes

3y

It appears that you might benefit from the services of a professional property management company to handle such situations. A certified HVAC technician should have been engaged promptly to ensure the issue was resolved correctly and swiftly. A month without AC is far too long, and alternative HVAC service providers could likely have been explored. While the message you received doesn't seem overtly hostile, it's worth noting that situations like these can sour the landlord/tenant relationship rapidly. My recommendation would be to consider hiring a PM to mediate these matters and maintain a harmonious relationship. Wishing you luck and continued success in your investments!

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2 Reply

James Hamling

Real Estate Broker · Minneapolis, MN · Member since 2011 · 5k+ posts · 6k+ votes

3y

@Rebekah Meyer this is a perfect example on how far too often efforts for taking the "cheapest" route to things, is in the end, the most expensive.

I don't read the communication as "nasty" at all, if you think that's 'nasty" I gotta say buckle-up, there is gonna be things far uglier in future than that.

The communication is frustrated, disgruntled, and justly so. This is not a singular event, it's a whole string of failed promises. Each time you conveyed a form of a promise to have the situation resolved or mitigated, and it didn't. They were very patient at start right, and only after the whole string of things did these frustrations erupt.

Those arguing to just blow em off in 1 form or fashion, lol, well I am blunt and compulsively honest so I will just call it as I see it that they have no clue what there talking about, that's a fast-track to more problems.

You need to hold yourself accountable as much as tenants, and in this you really messed up, repeatedly. I'd say empathize, clarify that you had best of intentions and really tried and despite those intentions every effort went haywire, and for the fact that they had such issue for the month you agree a compensation for such is only fair BUT at same time they also had occupancy for the home and free isn't fair either, so for that during time of no a/c your willing to do a 50% rent reduction for those days without a/c.

Fair is fair right. If you leased a property with a/c, a month+ without a/c is due to your decisions not the a/c breaking. And going forward take it as a lesson that doing things the "right" way has $ value. Call a pro and get it done right the first time.

The way you handled this is what put the responsibility in your lap.

5 Reply

Tim Miller

Rental Property Investor · Laurel, MD · Member since 2016 · 383 posts · 382 votes

3y

James Hamling and a few others are right. Day 1, tenant calls and said the AC is broken. You call every HVAC company you can find in the area until you find one that can look at the unit quickly. Still Day 1, you go online to Lowes, HD, Amazon or google 12k BTU window units and you buy 1 or 2 and have them sent next day to the tenant. After that's down you get back to dealing with the AC issues and get it resolved ASAP & that means not DIY.

Great example, we have some units over 2hrs away from where we live. The tenant called and said her window unit smells like vinegar blowing out of it. I told her I would call her back shortly. I googled the issue and it's a bad unit. I googled AC window units and found one with next day delivery. Called tenant gave her the news. Next day new ac arrived and I was there to install it.

Basically there's no excuse to not get issues taken care of within a few days. Since you gave used AC window units without even checking them first. Then you had to go a buy a new one days later. I would be demanding more then the $250 as well.

Apologize for all the issues, give a little more back and learn from this. Do not repeat this.

6 Reply

Bruce WoodruffPro Member

Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes

3y

@Rebekah Meyer Now that you've heard all of the 'experts' weigh in, I'm curious as to your thoughts?

3 Reply

Carlos Ptriawan

Member since 2019 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes

3y

Quote from @Rebekah Meyer:

Hello,

What did I miss in all of this? I feel like I bent over backwards for the tenants as soon as I learned they considered not having AC to be an emergency (to them). Is that the issue? I gave an inch so they want to take a mile? What are the thoughts of the experienced landlords? They now have a working window ac unit and in a day my husband will be back to fix the thing he missed when installing the condenser.

Because you don't treat it as emergency, anything HVaC related need to be resolved in 24 hours (my way). Especially when they have baby.

2 Reply

Jason Smith

Member since 2021 · 109 posts · 130 votes

3y

@Rebekah Meyer Illinios does not require you provide a/c. But if it is provided as an amenity, you have 14 days to repair by law. Otherwise the tenant can withold rent and repair. I found an a/c to be installed during covid a/c unit shortages. I had to call around a ton to get it fixed within 3 days. You should have called until you could get someone out there quickly and bought a 15amp window unit same day. You don't mess around with your husband doing an install especially with them being without for over 3 weeks already. Sounds like you live nearby the tenant, turn your a/c off for a month and see how much patience you have. The house was unrentable without a/c - give them a much bigger discount.

1 Reply

Christina M.

Rental Property Investor · PA · Member since 2017 · 69 posts · 60 votes

3y

@Rebekah Meyer

I am going to be very honest at the same time as kind as possible. You acted unprofessionally on many levels and in trying to save money (I get it) you gave your tenants a reason not pay their rent. You bent over backwards for yourself. Here's a professional caring Landlord:

Tenant A/C Unit is not working and to yourself - it's hot, they have children (a baby) immediately purchase new 2 or more new window units. Install window unit(s) make sure they are comfortable. This would have allowed time to get your house A/C working. Keep the window units handy for the next time. Offering $250 is easy and you showed your tenants they are not a priority. It's your property it's their home. Respect them.

Consider getting a HVAC Maintenance contract - our units are serviced twice a year and we would get priority service. As well as you would have had a professional opinion of a potential issue. Preventive, saves money and even have planned for repairs or replace.

Pickup the phone and speak to them in a professional honest matter take some ownership of your poor handling the situation. Some people just it want to be acknowledged, try to fix it, start over and learn from the experience.

Tenant Management and Communications is just as important as Property Management.

Turn it around. If you want your Tenants to be professional then you must lead by example.

4 Reply

Sam Leon

Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes

3y

Some things are emergency items. Air conditioning in the summer, heat during the winter, broken windows or doors, refrigerators, drain blockage etc...are all emergency items where I am and should be treated as such.

If HVAC companies are booked three weeks out, then you need to find one that can come ASAP. I get that sometimes there are pre-established vendors like a brand new AC unit installed and still under warranty by the installer, who happens to be closed on weekends when you need them on a Saturday, and that happened to me a few times and had to call someone else to come, and a lesson learned so I stopped buying AC systems from companies who are only open M-F.

The moment you told your tenant it's going to be three weeks out this whole thing went side ways. I would say you need to understand "bending over backwards" should not enter into the equation of tenant satisfaction. They just want the issue resolved, and do not care (and should not) the level of effort you went through to make it happen, why can't you get it done right the first time? The multiple trips you made, the window units that didn't work, and the new condenser that froze, to you seems like lots of extra effort and trips to make things work and should have earned points towards "effort" and "bending over backwards", to your tenants those are just a demonstration of wasted time and effort translating into incompetence and carelessness. This is a result driven business and your tenants expect more.

5 Reply

Chris Merchant

Member since 2023 · 216 posts · 133 votes

3y

Use this as a learning experience, go to a store that sells new window units and buy a few to have on hand in the event future problems arise. Seen as they are going to be used solely in the events of emergencies you don't need the best ones on the shelf. You can probably find a decent one for around 200 ($199 to be exact at Walmart for a 6,000 btu window unit). It will be money well spent for future emergencies. Remember we need to keep our tenants happy they are our paychecks.

2 Reply

Bruce WoodruffPro Member

Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes

3y

For the future, maybe consider a portable AC unit. We keep one around for emergencies. The tenant could move it around into the room that needs it most at the time.....

2 Reply

Carlos Ptriawan

Member since 2019 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes

3y

yep, only two hundred bucks would solve your problem.

In this problem, since there's a baby, humanity should come first rather than thinking of profit and loss or being cheap as landlord.

1 Reply

Chris Merchant

Member since 2023 · 216 posts · 133 votes

3y

Sometimes spending a little bit now to keep a good tenant happy pays off huge in the future. I have a strict policy in my leases that changing room colors is strictly prohibited, however I have a family that has been in my first duplex I ever purchased, they are great tenants and they contacted me and asked if it would be okay to paint their sons room a light blue instead of the standard white all my rooms are painted at first I wanted to say no until my mentor told me to rethink my answer, like he said I will need to repaint the room either way if/when they move out so what will it hurt if they paint it now and it keeps them and their 9 year old son happy? So I went ahead and agreed to allow them to paint the bedroom and realized I was at least grateful they had the respect for me and my property to at least ask first. The family used the paint I supplied and did the work themselves, so a few dollars out of pocket for me made great tenants extremely happy and it wasn't like it was an outlandish request. We as landlords and investors need to be problem solvers.

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After giving tenant a discount, received nasty text

After giving tenant a discount, received nasty text

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