Open window in bathroom causes havoc
We get a call at 10pm on a weds night from a tenant saying that the radiator in their master bathroom has exploded open and is gushing water. We get it turned off after the entire system drains into the basement below. Plumbers come the next day and make a bypass so that heat is restored (400$ service call). Then the following Sunday morning we get a call from the same tenant that the pipes in that same bathroom but another area have busted & again water is flowing. Sunday call (500$). The plumber sends pictures of the window being left open while it’s 10 degrees outside and said that the tenant had shut off the water in the bathroom. He thinks that is what caused this whole mess. The tenant said that they opened the window because they were too hot to sleep at night. They have access to the temperature controls & we pay for the heat, so we don’t know why they didn’t turn it down besides them having new born baby exhaustion. To top it all off this happened the weekend before they are scheduled to move out.
Could both water crisis have been caused by their open window? The 2nd certainly was. What can we reasonably hold them financially responsible for? Obviously water damage has more cost to fix than the plumber, but if we are withholding deposit funds for it we need to figure out quick what we can keep to cover this. And do we just pay for the repair to the bathroom floor, walls & basement ourselves or should they be paying for any of that too? Your insight is appreciated.
#3 Managing Your Property Contributor
Find out if their insurance will cover it. It was their neglect that caused it. I'd talk to them and offer to pay for the first call, but the second one is on them especially as they knew what had just happened and still left the window open.
Quote from @Robyn Woods:
Can you hold them financially responsible? I think you have plenty of evidence to show they were responsible. You can hold them responsible for the cost of plumbing, plus any repairs necessitated by the water damage.
Apply the deposit. If it doesn't cover the entire cost, send them a bill with 30 days to pay in full. If they don't pay, send them to collections.
It sounds to me like they are responsible. Take it out of their security deposit for all of the repairs.
See if you can get a written statement (if you haven't already) from the plumber of exactly what occurred and that the window was left open by the tenants.
Yes getting a report from the plumber would be ideal; however, I believe your issue will be no one knew that an open window would cause the pipes to explode. had you given them a notification the first time when it happened then you could say "Hey I explained to you this would happen" or have it written in the lease agreement. Therefore, it would be seen as breaking the agreement. However if they were not given notice the first time it happened, no one knew why it happened so therefore I don't think you have a win, but that's just my guess.