Real Estate Investor · Rochester, NY · Member since 2008 · 193 posts · 46 votes
So I have a situation that will be fun to play out over the next few days, but interested to see what other landlords would do.
Tenants contacted us last week because their lights were dimming. Had an electrition go out, he reviewed the panel and replaced a circuit breaker. Tonight (Saturday night) the tenants contact us again about the light dimming issue. We had our electrical supplier come out. They turned off the power to the property (for safety issues) due to a burnt lug. They said they can not turn on the power until an electrition takes care of the problem.
So we are working on getting an electriction out to the property, but it is difficult to get a response on a Saturday night. One tenant called pretty upset because he has several hundred dollars worth of meat in a chest freezer that he does not want to go back. I told him that we were working to get the issue fixed, but recommended he either borrow a generator from a friend or go and put several bags of ice in the freezer until it gets fixed.
Hopefully we can get the issue resolved quickly, but I'm curious to hear what other landlords would do in this situation.
Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
12y
I think it depends on the temperature, How cold is it? Do people still need heaters? Is this a SF property or multi family? How many people are you exactly dealing with?
If you're not far from the property I would should goodwill and bring some ice to each of the tenants, to put into their fridge.
If it's just one tenant and it's cold, maybe put them up in a hotel for 1 or 2 nights.
I would definitely take care of the meat guy, maybe bring a cooler with ice, and do something else for the other tenants.
Investor · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
12y
Also, are any of your tenants using those little electrical space heaters, because they don't want to turn on the gas? That's what will create that kind of electrical problem
Investor · Lafayette/Baton Rouge, LA · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 915 votes
12y
@Tom Sylvester a burnt lug sounds like what's in the meter box and the meter is owned by the property owner (you).
I would pay whatever it takes to get an electrician out to fix it ASAP. Tell the tenant not to open his freezer to keep it cold as long as possible. The frozen meat will not go bad overnight. Tomorrow morning, I would personally bring or have bags of ice delivered to the tenant to help save his meat. A basic component of your house IS the problem.
Otherwise, get creative. Rent a generator and provide fuel if an electrician will cost more on Sunday. Get a dolly and pick up his freezer and take it to your place to plug it in or bring the meat and put it in your own freezer if you have space. There's a few ways you can take care of your customer. Just don't blow them off.
Investor · Whippany, NJ · Member since 2010 · 356 posts · 104 votes
12y
Help the tenants out I say. Call all you electricians; Get them ice; buy them coolers; offer to take their meat; whatever it takes. That's the right thing to do.
West, MI · Member since 2012 · 674 posts · 182 votes
12y
I would be on the phone with our electrcian to get it done tonight the next call would be to the power company and ask to speak with highest level person working tonight to start with and get a time when they are going to restore power. I would get that persons name & extension number and call back once the repair was made and hold the manager accountable until they restore the power.
I wouldnt't be posting on BP about it because I would be to busy coordinating the solution but that's me I guess....
Northern, VA · Member since 2013 · 141 posts · 29 votes
12y
If it was me I would tell the guy with the freezer to not open it and it will be fine overnight. In the meantime, get an emergency electrician out and fix the issue. Then have the power co back out to restore power. If this takes too long, I would rent a generator for the fridges, freezers.
Real Estate Investor · Hampton, VA · Member since 2012 · 562 posts · 109 votes
12y
If my tenants lose food due to electrical or fridge problem, I typically deduct like $25.00 off the rent. However, the tenants should not be opening the fridge/freezer to often to avoid/delay the thawing/warming process . As long as you are within the states or local laws regarding the time frame in which this problem should be fixed and your tenants know that you are working on it, you should be fine.
I agree with bringing the tenants ice and even coolers to help save the items in the fridge/freezer, this will also show the tenants that you are concerned and trying to help save the food/drink items.
However, you may have those tenants that will continue to complain until the problem gets resolved. So get someone there ASAP.
Rockford, IL · Member since 2013 · 330 posts · 62 votes
12y
I would assume I would have at the minimum the same liability as a public utility would in case of a power outage. In Illinois this is:
With the freezer being full of meat, the liability can be quite high, therefore I would beg, borrow or rent a generator for the tenants use while the problem is fixed. In addition, keep records of everything you have or are doing to resolve the problem.
Real Estate Investor · Rochester, NY · Member since 2008 · 193 posts · 46 votes
12y
Thanks for all of the responses. To give a little more information about this specific situation:
I invest in a rural area. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to get contractors to a property on off hours because there are only a few in the area. My normal electrical contractor was not available on Saturday night, so I was trying to call around for backups.
I live ~45 minutes away from the property.
We also had a snow storm Saturday night that dumped 12" of snow on us.
Come to find out the tenant was drunk. He apologized the next day after we resolved the issue.
Lost story short I was able to pick up a new meter on Saturday morning and meet an electrician at the property to install it. The utility provider was then able to turn the power back in, so we had the power back on within 12 hours and the tenant did not lose any meat.
--
@Michaela G. - This property was a duplex. I told the tenant to put a few bags of ice in the freezer and keep it closed overnight. I reimbursed him for the ice. We also live in NY so the outside temperature was cooler.
@Cal C. - You got me. I was working on getting the power back on and definitely did not proofread my post. In terms of the electrician, he is not all to blame. The voltage at the meter was pretty consistent, but obviously as it was burning out that is when the light were dimming and the voltage was probably bouncing around. He replaced the breaker because it was blown and said we might want to check the meter if issues continue. I probably should have been a little more proactive in shutting off the power, replacing the meter and getting it turned back on instead of waiting for a Saturday night.
@Robert Leonard - Thanks for the ideas. Had we not been able to get the power back on the next morning, I probably would have taken a generator to the property until we had. Like you pointed out, I knew the meat would not go bad overnight.
@Mark Langdon - Thanks for the ideas. Had it come to that, we would have done of of those options.
@Ryan M. - Thanks for the comments. As I mentioned above it is difficult to get contractors off hours since we live in a rural area. This is the first time we ran into this problem, because our primary electrician was out of the area. But based on that, we are working to secure a back-up for each of our primary guys.
@Stephanie W. - Luckily we were able to get it resolved, but that would have been the next step.
@Curtis N. - Great to see that your advice aligned with other posters. Luckily we were able to get the power back on, otherwise we would have taken a generator over.
@Edward Burns - Thanks for sharing that. It's a good idea to look at the rules/regulations around the utility company.
@Andy Collins - I agree with you. We use the same people 90% of the time. In this case, our electrician was out of town and we did not have a backup. Lesson learned.
West, MI · Member since 2012 · 674 posts · 182 votes
12y
Thanks for the update, my concern was the utility company because we have found that things can be fixed fast but there schedule can be out a few days.
I assume the guy with the meat was a hunter or bought a 1/2 cow.
who the hell keeps several hundred $ of meat in their freezer? unless you have a restaurant in the back yard.
Me.
We buy our beef on the hoof and have it butchered to our specifications. Same with pork. I know where the animals are raised, how they are fed and cared for, and what kind of medications they are given. I never buy meat at the grocery store if I can avoid it.
who the hell keeps several hundred $ of meat in their freezer? unless you have a restaurant in the back yard.
I trust you have a strong heart if you ever do the shopping at your place. Let's see 10 lbs of Rib eye steak @ $7.99/lb, 10 lbs of ground chuck @ $4.29/lb, 10 lbs of chicken breasts @ $2.39/ lb.. About 2 weeks worth of meat for a family of 4. That's $150.00 and most families with freezers keep more than that on hand.
who the hell keeps several hundred $ of meat in their freezer? unless you have a restaurant in the back yard.
I trust you have a strong heart if you ever do the shopping at your place. Let's see 10 lbs of Rib eye steak @ $7.99/lb, 10 lbs of ground chuck @ $4.29/lb, 10 lbs of chicken breasts @ $2.39/ lb.. About 2 weeks worth of meat for a family of 4. That's $150.00 and most families with freezers keep more than that on hand.
Some people just believe in having several months worth of meat on hand. Its like insurance for some people. If they loose their job, or a natural disaster occurs they feel like they are prepared. Different strokes for Different folks. And no I don't keep weeks and months worth of food in my freezer either.
who the hell keeps several hundred $ of meat in their freezer? unless you have a restaurant in the back yard.
I trust you have a strong heart if you ever do the shopping at your place. Let's see 10 lbs of Rib eye steak @ $7.99/lb, 10 lbs of ground chuck @ $4.29/lb, 10 lbs of chicken breasts @ $2.39/ lb.. About 2 weeks worth of meat for a family of 4. That's $150.00 and most families with freezers keep more than that on hand.
ok, let's be honest here. most people just have one fridge. either a side by side or a top freezer. i'd like to have a separate freezer just for meat (like a whole cow butchered), but that's just a dream of mine, not happening.
those normal freezers do not have a lot of storage space. 99% of people eat crap food which includes hot pockets, pizzas, waffles, not to mention disgusting frozen dinners that are purchased by people that just want to stuff their faces with something. after all, bad food is cheap and people just want to eat cheap. i understand that.
because of the above, most people do NOT have the space to put that much meat in the freezer because meat does not stack as well as pizza boxes. that's my whole point. unless there is an extra freezer or you cook often (not just heat a bagel in the toaster), you dont have that much meat.
oh, and btw, fridges and freezers are designed to keep cool for a long time if the power goes out. some people think that meat starts to rot as you open the fridge door.
I do not disagree that a lot people buy stackable boxes of frozen food and do not a separate freezer, but the original question stated a chest freezer (which is stand alone).
i'd like to have a separate freezer just for meat (like a whole cow butchered), but that's just a dream of mine, not happening.
Why just dream? They aren't that expensive and they last almost forever. Be brave! Be bold! Buy a freezer! :-)
lol. every time i think about it, i also think... "costco is right down the street. i can have a fresh piece of meat in under 30 mins instead of having to defrost a 5 month old piece of meat". :)
Rental Property Investor · Annapolis, MD · Member since 2014 · 214 posts · 140 votes
12y
Going back to "flickering lights" i had found out about two months ago if the lights flicker or halfway on etc.. and it "bounces" kind of like if the house was hunted, than you have a neutral problem.
In our case the neutral was loose on BOTH end of the cable coming to the meter. The power company did come fast, with in an hour because flickering can and does burn the house down.
How ever it is so extremely rear that even my master electrician friend with 40 years experiance behind him had to think back a decade since he saw one.