Unnecessary service calls? What to do?

Unnecessary service calls? What to do?

Investor · Louisville, KY · Member since 2014 · 39 posts · 49 votes

Hello! A tenant texted me and said the electrical outlets in her walls were making a "clicking noise." She included a screen-shot from her phone that said clicking sounds from an outlet could be faulty wiring and were a fire hazard. She said the breaker kept kicking off so she turned them off for safety. The words "fire hazard" got me concerned so I called an electrician who went out the same day to look at it.

After looking at the problem, the electrician called me and said that the "clicking noise" she heard was the sound of the compressor kicking on in a dorm sized refrigerator she had. Additionally, she had 4 space heaters running in the apartment. Every time the compressor kicked on it overloaded the circuit and blew the breaker. The electrician charged $90.00.

Here's my question -- how can I avoid things like this in the future? I can't go over there every time something like this happens, because I work full-time and live an hour away from the property. I don't want to be negligent and NOT send out somebody when the situation warrants, but I also don't want to pay for unnecessary service trips.  I just want to know what you all would do if (when) a similar situation happens again? 

Thank you!

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Investor · Topeka, KS · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
7y

Something I notice a lot of property owners don't do or don't do very well is having a reasonable conversation with the tenant about concerns.  In this case, simply explain your concern.  Discuss the current example and let her know that you want to be responsive and take care of the property but that if there continue to be unnecessary expenses, she will need to cover the cost.

Is this the only example or does this tenant have a history of these sorts of issues?  I think that probably informs how you handle this tenant, as well.

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  • HIGHLAND, MD · Member since 2011 · 160 posts · 141 votes
    7y

    @Adam Shelley

    You should attempt to troubleshoot any issues over the phone with your tenant before sending over any contractors. Between having them send me pictures or even doing a FaceTime with some, I am able to ascertain what the problem is and the best course of action. Most tenants are fairly ignorant of how to maintain a home/apartment and less motivated to learn how because they don’t own it.

    You don’t necessarily need A licensed plumber or electrician to look at something as basic as a light switch or clogged toilet. Most of these properly licensed contractors have a trip charge of $50-75 plus and hourly rate of $90-120 hr for time on site. Consider a qualified handyman who has a much lower overall cost and can look at and repair a wider variety of things. If it turns out it’s over his level of expertise then you call in the next level company.

    You can also reinforce with the tenant that if you send someone and the problem is not one you are responsible for per your lease then they will be responsible for paying the bill. You want them to call you first and then you manage the situation appropriately. Once you have been in business a while you will see the same common issues come up again and again.

    I have started to assemble a book of common issues and fixes that I will eventually put together into a handout that will be supplied to the tenant at the time they move in. Continuous learning and improvement of your systems will make you a better LL for your tenants.

  • Ned J.Pro Member
    Investor · Manteca, CA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    7y

    Always a balance of not having them overreact to everything and call you about every tiny thing and them being scared or ignorant enough to not call you and cause more damage by ignoring a real issue.

    Many lease have the "tenant is responsible for all repairs under $X", but that still presents the issue of tenants ignoring an issue because they have to pay for it and then a $75 issue becomes a $1500 issue because they cheaper out and now you have to battle with who is responsible for that bill

  • Rental Property Investor · Edison, NJ · Member since 2016 · 753 posts · 565 votes
    7y

    @Adam Shelley. Now that you know how your tenant is, so not send someone out so fast next time. Especially if she turns off the breaker there was an extremely low risk of a fire. Next time wait until you can drive over there yourself to check it out and then call in a pro if you see that it is necessary.

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