Property Manager · Roxbury, CT · Member since 2018 · 30 posts · 20 votes
My tenant wants to put ceiling fans in the unit he is renting from me. He said, he would buy the fans and his brother, who is an electrician, would do the wiring and install the fans for free. There is no ceiling lighting now so the electrician would have to do the wiring from the switch box on the wall to ceiling.
My question is, 1) should I allow him to do it ? 2)Get the electrician’s license number. 3) reimburse the tenant by way of paying less rent?
Forney, TX · Member since 2013 · 119 posts · 101 votes
7y
If you want to install fans for the tenant then hire your own electrical contractor. Nothing more dangerous than having Tenants bro-in-law who is an "electrician" install some jacked up wiring in YOUR house. This is advice from a licensed master electrician (Me). The only thing electrical we allow our tenants to do is change light bulbs.
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes
7y
@Adam Batcheller It benefits the tenant and it benefits you. I personally would allow it. You could get his brothers business information to verify he is an electrician and qualified to do the work.
Find out if the brother is really a licensed electrician. if the tenant wants them, get it in writing that they stay when he leaves and let him pay for them.
Forney, TX · Member since 2013 · 119 posts · 101 votes
7y
If you want to install fans for the tenant then hire your own electrical contractor. Nothing more dangerous than having Tenants bro-in-law who is an "electrician" install some jacked up wiring in YOUR house. This is advice from a licensed master electrician (Me). The only thing electrical we allow our tenants to do is change light bulbs.
Rental Property Investor · St. Petersburg, FL · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
7y
@Adam Batcheller I would allow it, but the brother would have to be personally licensed and bonded, and I would pay the brother as an electrician, with an invoice.
Property Manager · Roxbury, CT · Member since 2018 · 30 posts · 20 votes
7y
@Shannon Slade I am a bit skeptical of his brother’s credentials. I haven’t met him. My suspicion is that he works for an electrical contractor and is just helping his brother out.
Property Manager · Roxbury, CT · Member since 2018 · 30 posts · 20 votes
7y
@Jason D. Since he offered to do it for free, should I have the electrician charge me “small fee”? Or the full amount. I personally would want my own electrician to do the work.
Property Manager · Lancaster, PA · Member since 2016 · 72 posts · 75 votes
7y
If he wants it that bad have him pay your electrician to install it properly. It is an upgrade for you but still your property and liability if some goof wires it incorrectly.
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
7y
Hi Adam,
It risky to let him do this. You have no idea if his brother really is an electrician, or the quality of work he will do for free.
You also have no idea of the quality, price, or STYLE of the fan.
If you want ceiling fans in the unit (is it a unit or a SFH) it less risky to price fans yourself that you want to own, and get bids from fan installers.
Typically they use a rod that goes up into where the old light was, and the tighten it by hand against the joists and hang the junction box from that rod, then wire the fan in.
If the location has no light there, they will have to cut holes in the drywall for the fan and a switch, and make some extra access holes in the drywall for pulling wires also, and those access holes will need to be re-plastered by someone who knows how to do this properly, and has EXPERIENCE matching the plaster finish, and repainting the repair so you cannot see it.
Fans might make the unit more attractive to future tenants in some areas, meaning less time on market between renters or more rent.
Letting a resident, or his brother just "Do Their Own Thing" with your Asset is very risky.
If it were mine, and I wanted fans in it, I'd be the one to have it done, and I'd try to get additional rent for it (re-negotiation the lease for an added $50 a month or something like that).
@Shannon Slade I am a bit skeptical of his brother’s credentials. I haven’t met him. My suspicion is that he works for an electrical contractor and is just helping his brother out.
Listen you are responsible from that point going forward with the installed wiring even after the tenant moves out, there are plenty of ways this could go wrong and become a problem. I have rewired enough houses after fires that you want to make sure that all wiring is done correctly and not overloading, piggy backing and grounded properly (especially if this is an older home).
Its best that the owner or property manager takes responsibility to hire reputable contractors to do all work, of course, unless the owner is qualified to do his own work. You can still charge him for the installation of the fans, even though I do all our electrical work, if a tenant requests something for the property that they want as extra we usually charge it back to them. Glad you came to the forum for answers, hope this helps.
Elkhorn, NE · Member since 2017 · 23 posts · 25 votes
7y
@Adam Batcheller In addition to the wiring, make sure it is supported between the ceiling joists properly. If it is not, you will crack the sheet rock the entire length of the ceiling over time.
Rental Property Investor · St. Petersburg, FL · Member since 2017 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
7y
@Adam Batcheller yes. I would pay him as I would any electrician. "Free" gives an excuse to be done poorly. If you pay him, he is a contractor with insurance, and is responsible for poor or unsafe workmanship
My tenant wants to put ceiling fans in the unit he is renting from me. He said, he would buy the fans and his brother, who is an electrician, would do the wiring and install the fans for free. There is no ceiling lighting now so the electrician would have to do the wiring from the switch box on the wall to ceiling.
My question is, 1) should I allow him to do it ? 2)Get the electrician’s license number. 3) reimburse the tenant by way of paying less rent?
This is what you need to do. Hire your own electrician. They need to prepay you, and you will pay your guy. Once they leave, if they need to remove those fans and take them with them, you would need them to prepay for removing the fan, and any other ancillary work that needs to be done on the project. If they don't then it's your property. Of course check the local laws and such.
Put all this in writing and get them to sign off on it.
Make it as rigid as possible for them to do it. When you do this 9/10 people will say... Never mind.. We will go to Walmart and buy a regular stationary fan. This is what you really want.. You don't want tenants making changes to your property, or even proposing such things.
Chicago, IL · Member since 2018 · 546 posts · 227 votes
7y
Hi Adam! It definitely sounds like the tenant has his bases covered, but make sure you have your bases are covered. I'm a bit more old school as far as my approach (DIY mentality; prone to fix most things myself). Nevertheless, if you're going to allow one of his connections to handle this, it could be a good idea to make sure his brother is a fully vetted contractor. Definitely at a bare minimum get the electrician’s license number. While the tenant might think he's saving money, picking the wrong contractor could potentially cost you money if the job is done incorrectly. Once you find out about the brother's license/contractor job reviews, decide if you want to let him handle the situation. Again, usually not too big of a deal (and I genuinely believe this tenant has good intent), but the last thing you want is any damage done to the rental for something that could have been avoided with thorough vetting.
Rental Property Investor · New York City · Member since 2019 · 703 posts · 538 votes
7y
If i were okay with ceiling fans & provided he is a qualified electrician i would say okay as long as its done correctly, all wires hidden (no wiremold) and fix any patch/paint work if needed.
I do not allow ceiling fans in my rentals because to me they are a liability and just another thing that can hurt someone or break. Adults pick up children and the child gets clocked in the head with the high speed fan blade. Put up a light fixture and buy a nice remote controlled floor fan.
It seems to me that if you go ahead with this, you are aggressively inviting the law of unintended consequences down on your head. I have done this kind of rewiring project myself in a finished room. There's significant electrical work, significant wall and more importantly here ceiling drywall demo/repair/refinishing (if we're talking the best-case scenario, it's drywall and not plaster) and significant repainting, The risk is not just in the here and now, it's in the shoddiness of the drywall repair (and the electrical work in this case) only becoming fully evident years from now.
@Shannon Slade and @Scott Mac are telling it exactly like it is here on the technical side of the work.
Rental Property Investor · Greater Philadelphia · Member since 2012 · 135 posts · 60 votes
7y
@Adam Batcheller the tenant is offering to improve your property at no cost to you, so it's a no-brainer to me. While I agree that you should verify that the brother is a licensed electrician (maybe also ask for pictures of the completed wiring), installing a ceiling fan it's not rocket science. The risk is minimal. I would send him an addendum indicating that the ceiling fans are to stay with the property, and in no way change his lease terms or expectations for security deposit when he leaves.
I've dealt with many tenant headaches in the past, and those that offer to improve the property rarely have been that. It's those that offer to do in their own cleaning and repairs to get their security deposit back are the ones that you have to watch for it.
If you know the tenant and trust that they're doing it to be more comfortable, I would ask why not?
Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
7y
I would be less worried about the wiring and more worried that they are properly supported. Regular light boxes won't support the weight. The newer fans can be screwed into the joist, but it can be tricky to do this correctly. I would prefer a licenses electrician do the work.
Maybe work out a deal that he pays for the fans and you pay for the electrician. Either way get something in writing that that the fans stay when he leaves and that you are financially "even" on the transaction.
I had a tenant pay for a ceiling fan and told me it was "on him" and then when he moved out he wanted to take the fan. Tenants have selective memory, which is why everything must be in writing.
Property Manager · Roxbury, CT · Member since 2018 · 30 posts · 20 votes
7y
@Rob B. Hi Rob, I found out exactly what I thought. The tenant’s step brother is just an employee of an electrical contractor. No way I’m letting this guy do the work.