Investor · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2015 · 78 posts · 36 votes
we have had a good, but picky, tenant for seven years. He has a lot of requests and most are reasonable. The three year old air conditioning went out today (Sunday).
We got in touch with a repair company. They said they could be there tomorrow afternoon. They offered to come this afternoon, but there would be a $55 surcharge for a Sunday visit, plus an extra charge if they had to make a second trip because their parts supplier isn't open Sunday. This was the lowest surcharge I could find, by far.
We told the tenant the repair person would be out tomorrow. Since the tenant seemed frantic to fix the air, we said they could call the company out today if they were willing to pay the surcharge themselves. The tenant had called around himself and knew companies were available.
It was a high of 81 today and is going into the 60's tonight. So it's not painfully hot. Our air is not on at our house.
The tenant is furious. Did I make a mistake? Should I have paid the Sunday fee to keep a good tenant happy?
I had a similar situation last month here in Las Vegas, where temperatures are pushing 110 degrees. I think the issue here is that you shouldn't have told him about the availability of a Sunday visit, let alone the fee. I could see that the tenant may feel that you don't think he's worth the $55.
I think I would have just told the tenant the company who is contracted to repair the unit will be out as soon as possible, and provide the date/time you have arranged for Monday. If he asks why it will take so long, most companies are really busy during the summer and can't do same day repairs. Given the temperatures in Michigan, I'm sure he can survive a day without AC.
More than good enough. AC guys are busy as heck this time of year.
You can only do your best. Obviously an AC out is a high priority issue. However, unless you are in 110 degree environment. People can live just fine for a few days without AC.
I call a few HVAC people and use the one that is the fastest. But that can be 24 hours, 48 hours or 72 hours. I simply communicate with the tenant the situation, and that I'm getting someone out as soon as possible.
We tell tenants that we only want top quality work and only hire those contractors that are licensed and bonded with the city, and that those contractors are not available at a moments notice. That way we don't have to worry about saying they found someone who can do it that day.