Acceptable Wait Time for a Plumber

Investor · Bloomfield, NJ · Member since 2015 · 207 posts · 121 votes

My tenant texted me last night at 8:39pm that the toilet is backed up. I called the plumber this morning and he said that he would try to make it there today but has a busy schedule. He is a guy that I normally use and has fair pricing. How long would you say is reasonable for a tenant to wait for a plumber. It is the second floor apartment of a duplex and the downstairs tenant is not having an issue. Chances are it is something they put in the toilet themselves.

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Trenton Miller

Contractor · Coachella Valley, CA · Member since 2017 · 252 posts · 176 votes

This really depends on the plumber's schedule. I know that when I need to send one of our guys out, I check my calendar first to see what I have available, then provide the customer with a time frame.

With that being said, I would say a 6 hour window (Ex: AM or PM Appointment) would be a reasonable wait. (Heck, I have had package/material delivery time frames longer than that!)

Again this really depends on HIS schedule & if it were me, I would have provided YOU with a time frame to avoid this confusion. Communication is key!

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Trenton Miller
Contractor · Coachella Valley, CA · Member since 2017 · 252 posts · 176 votes
7y
This really depends on the plumber's schedule. I know that when I need to send one of our guys out, I check my calendar first to see what I have available, then provide the customer with a time frame.

With that being said, I would say a 6 hour window (Ex: AM or PM Appointment) would be a reasonable wait. (Heck, I have had package/material delivery time frames longer than that!)

Again this really depends on HIS schedule & if it were me, I would have provided YOU with a time frame to avoid this confusion. Communication is key!
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Joel OwensBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Canton, GA · Member since 2010 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
7y
Fair pricing and quality work usually means a big backlog of customers wanting their services.
A toilet clog is likely a small fee compared to bigger jobs where more money can be made. They probably try to fit in the small stuff in between larger and likely more profitable jobs.
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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
7y
Instead of an open-ended statement like, "I'll try to get there today..." you should find a plumber that says, "I can be there between 2 - 4pm."
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Peter TverdovBusiness Member
Developer · New Brunswick, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
7y
Has the tenant actually tried plunging it? Whenever I get that call, I explain that a toilet clog is a tenant caused issue and they could be responsible for the bill. You'll be surprised how fast that clog goes away.
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Karl B.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
7y
And this is precisely why in my lease it states 'toilet and drain clogs are the responsibility of the tenant'.

Once I began this practice I literally never had a tenant contact me since about a clogged toilet or drain (when they know they'll be paying for a plumber they are much more careful).
For this I would call a drain clog specialist (they are the ones with the $99 specials) - they tend to go out to a property within two hours; the one time I used one he was there in roughly an hour (it was a nasty clog too - I had some pipes jetted by a different company soon after buying a property and instead of clearing those pipes they simply clogged the main sewage pipe causing the plumbing to back up).
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