What Don’t You Charge Tenants for Concerning Maintenance Issues?

Question

Do you have things you don't charge the tenants for with maintenance issues?

Kelly N. · Answer

I don't charge for maintenance.  Things break and wear out.   I do charge for negligence.

Steve Babiak · Answer

When your lease states that the first so many dollars of any repair are to be paid by the tenant, guess what happens? The tenant doesn't want to pay anything extra, so they never report anything that is broken.  Whether you think that is great or not is a "slumlord indicator" IMO.

I prefer that things remain in good repair and get reported when they are not, so I don't stipulate that tenants must pay for ordinary repairs. Damages due to abuse or negligence is another story.

Account Closed · Answer

Not too much to add to Steve's reply except for this.

When I sign the lease with a tenant, I go over the lease agreement in great detail.  My Lease Agreement has the difference between an emergency repair, and a regular repair and repairs that the tenants will be responsible for.

THINGS A TENANT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR, would be anything that they damage themselves...NOTHING ELSE!

• Broken windows, I will pay for the first time, but if it happens again, it's because of their irresponsibility
• Ripped and torn screens (Usually ripped and torn because the teenage kids are sneaking out of the house at night, via the WINDOWS!)
• Holes in walls
• Bleach and grease on carpeting
• A dish installed on the roof of the house.
• Locks changed without my consent
• and..... you get my point

It is a toss up, as to whether or not you charge them now or later.  If you charge them for their damages now (and why I don't do inspections, but do address the issues if I see them first hand or reported to me by my work crew) that I prefer to wait and charge them for damages when they move.  But it all depends on the situation.

The above examples I've stated can wait to be charged to them when they leave.

Changed locks, however,  I do  charge them when I find out and change the locks back.  I do charge a $250 fine if they change the locks, because my locks are designed for me to use with a Master Key system. So they are told this right up front and it's in the lease!

If it is a broken window, I will charge them right away, if I can prove they broke it and not the neighbors kids.  However, neighbors kids or not, the second time it gets broken they pay for it.

Sometimes, you just have to think about the situation at hand, and then decide at that time the appropriate action to take.

Nancy Neville

Chris K. · Answer

I would stay away from deferring the issue, I would settle something like that immediately.  If they cannot pay to have it fixed immediately than you fix it and work out a plan for them to pay it back. If you wait till they move they could run up a pretty hefty tab if they live there for years.

Craig Smith · Answer

I charge for clogged pipes and toilets. I'll come fix it the first time for free, but (especially if i find the cause) I tell them if it happens again it's $50 charge. Otherwise general wear and tear maintenance issues I just fix.

Things wear down, it on me. If they break it, its on them.

Kweku Ako-adjei · Answer

@Steve Rozenberg agree with most of the posts here about not charging for regular wear and tear. Whatever you decide to do, just make sure you spell it out clearly in the lease so everyone is on the same page. We also do annual inspections before we renew leases, and we let out tenants know that this is to make sure everything in the house is safe and functioning like it should.

Che Chiu Wong · Answer

Kelly says it all.  Normal wear-and-tear, it's landlord's responsibility.  Negligence (sorry, let's be blunt, let's call them idiocy) is tenant's charge.  For example, burst and frozen pipes due to turning off the heat in the coldest day of the month.

Chris K. · Answer

Same here.

Victor Olowu · Answer

You can't/shouldn't charge for wear and tear to the house as a landlord.  However, I track damages that are beyond that to see how much of the security deposit to refund.  Things like breaking a window because their kids were horsing around, I pay for and then subtract from security deposit when the tenant moves out.

Jonathan Key · Answer

I would guess that depends on how you define maintenance?

What Don’t You Charge Tenants for Concerning Maintenance Issues?

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