Contract left back doors open and I am out $2,000 in appliances

Real Estate Agent · Columbus, OH · Member since 2017 · 6k+ posts · 7k+ votes

A contractor put in barn doors in my out-of-state client’s duplex that I am managing in Columbus, Ohio near The Ohio State University.I guess they left the back doors opened because when I went to do a tour today they were unlocked and 1 fridge and 2 stoves were missing.

I replaced the deadbolts in case they somehow got keys. I ordered replacement appliances from Lowes and they are coming in tomorrow. I am out $2,200.

What would you have done to prevent this?

Bonus pictures of the sweet doors

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Stephen J DavisBusiness Member

Rental Property Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2017 · 529 posts · 468 votes

@Account Closedwow, harsh. Too funny. I have had over 100 houses at a time and over 4000 apartment units. In 30 years I have never let a contractor in and out. What a low quality of lifestyle to be running to property every time a contractor needs in. If you can prove that the contractor did it, ask them to pay. Probably won't get anything but worth a try. Don't use them again as a rule.

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Jon Moore
Member since 2020 · 13 posts · 10 votes
6y
@Remington Lyman. Also be aware of making too many claims within too short amount of time, I've made that mistake that I'm owning up to here for others to learn from. I was dropped by the insurance company and had to go find some other off brand insurance for 3x the price.
Personally, in this situation, even if I had insurance, I'd still spend the $2,200 instead of making a claim.
1 Reply
Adam Leitman Bailey
Attorney · New York, NY · Member since 2019 · 72 posts · 27 votes
6y
If you have this many properties and can not manage them all on your own or be there for inspections, maybe its time to hire a property manager to help you.
1 Reply
Steven Lowe
Real Estate Agent · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2019 · 448 posts · 320 votes
6y
Originally posted by @Patrick Snyder:
Does your contractor have insurance? He should, and it should cover his mistake. If not, he ought to step up and make it right for you.
As for prevention, being there would solve it, but that's not always feasible. Maybe keep a camera in the vacant units?

If a contractor has insurance, it's typically general liability which won't cover things like appliances getting stolen, and the dollar amount isn't worth even filing a claim over. I think installing an alarm and cameras is the best thing to do but even then thieves know how to disable those.
1 Reply
Account Closed
Contractor · Eureka, CA · Member since 2015 · 101 posts · 64 votes
6y
@Nancy P. I'm sorry for your experience with that, I would be so furious.. that is awful. But yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about!
1 Reply
Jon Moore
Member since 2020 · 13 posts · 10 votes
6y
@Nik S. That's how I view it when things like this happen to me. It keeps me from going crazy! And really, it costs roughly the same as a formal college education anyway.
1 Reply
Nadiyah MalbonBusiness Member
Realtor · NJ · Member since 2020 · 109 posts · 31 votes
6y
@Remington Lyman Our property manager let’s the contractors in and out. We also have SimpliSafe installed in each vacant property.
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Leland James
Developer · Tacoma, WA · Member since 2018 · 161 posts · 37 votes
6y
Take the loss but file a claim against the contractors bond!
2 Reply
Leland James
Developer · Tacoma, WA · Member since 2018 · 161 posts · 37 votes
6y
Even small Smalls claims. I never let one penny go unaccounted for
0 Reply
Dan Olin
Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2018 · 51 posts · 10 votes
6y
@Remington Lyman
Very nice doors! Are you able to install discrete cameras near the entry ways of your properties that will provide a video feed to your mobile phone? I know certain Airbnb folks that do this.
2 Reply
Alejandro Uria
Attorney · San Diego, CA · Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 2 votes
6y
Do you live in a safe neighborhood? If you do I would imagine the contractor left the doors open intentionally and someone he knows stole your belongings. In any case, get a smart lock and front door camera that you can check from your phone.
2 Reply
Sean Rhodes
Rental Property Investor · Portland, OR · Member since 2018 · 45 posts · 10 votes
6y
@Remington Lyman seems like a pretty simple fix. If the contractor left the door unlocked when he left your property and something was stolen due to the fact that he left the door unlocked then it seems to me he is liable. Of course he may dispute this and you will most likely be suing his insurance for the damages. But that’s the way of the world. Good luck!
1 Reply
John Nowosad
Coloraado · Member since 2019 · 21 posts · 8 votes
6y
You might want to consider door alarms and video cameras. Companies like SimpliSafe have deals going on frequently for various packages, subscriptions are economical for 24 hour monitoring. Vetting contractors is another way to mitigate these problems. If this is the first time it's a lesson learned. Nice doors, though. It sounds like you're speculating on the contractors leaving the doors unlocked. In court you would need to prove it. Without evidence that would be difficult, another point for 24 hour video monitoring. It could have been worse, suppose the contractors locked the doors or left them open and thieves were monitoring the property then broke in later in the night, they could have trashed the place causing far more damage than stealing some appliances, an unlocked door saved the thieves 5 minutes or break in time, assuming that's what happened.
1 Reply
Kat Gettel
Rental Property Investor · Oklahoma City, OK · Member since 2020 · 1 post · 2 votes
6y
@Sue K. @Remington Lyman
Newbie here. This happens to be the first post I have read. I am taken back at the rudeness of some of the responders here. Is this how it is across the board??
2 Reply
Gabriel Hayden
Member since 2019 · 7 posts · 3 votes
6y
@Sue K. Lol brutally honest and transparent I love it!
1 Reply
Mark F.Pro Member
Rental Property Investor · Northern NJ · Member since 2019 · 673 posts · 678 votes
6y
@Remington Lyman Just fyi, cameras dont do much unless its motion as activated with alters. In my 10+ years of law enforcement experience, cameras aren't any sort of guarantee. Most are not deterred and just because you have them doesnt mean you will stop them or get your stuff back. You'd have to hear the alert and call the cops or yell at them through a 2 way speaker system.
There are delays if you use a 3rd party system. Plus thieves work fast. And just because you see their face doesnt mean they will be identified. And if they are, they still have to be in possession of it, etc. Just saying, don't think of them as a foolproof way of preventing theft.
As we like to say "cameras are good for watching your **** walk out the door."
2 Reply
Account Closed
San Jose, CA · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Nancy P.:
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
@Account Closed Those ideas sound great, and if it could work in real life I would be all for it. I never said the old system is perfect, just that it is the way it currently works. I would rather have the compensation be performance driven in as many aspects as possible, like many other jobs. You have to be careful what you incentivize however. People often hire PM companies because they're remote. If you give a year-end bonus for no issues, how do you know they're not under-reporting or ignoring incidents to get the bonus? You could be paying out years of higher percentages and bonuses for an equal or worse result than the one you were avoiding. Of course across many other industries there are managers who are managed remotely with better results. But that's because those businesses are set up within an entirely different structure where they are compensated with appropriate salary and benefits that are a viable portion of annual income for the company/owner. It just doesn't work the same, but like I said if someone came up with a better way I would hear them out for sure!

Exactly. I'm thinking how, in the 90's, insurance companies paid bonuses to doctors to keep costs down. Suddenly my second child's severe hearing issues didn't warrant ear tubes. A year later we paid for them out of pocket after another doctor said "why the **** does this child not have tubes yet?" He suffered 25% hearing loss as a result of the delay, and it affected his learning ability. Enough people suffered and DIED due to this brilliant idea that it was quickly abandoned.

I'm so sorry about your child. That's really horrible.
But, paying doctors to cut costs, is not the same thing as paying a PM a bonus for making you a profit.
I'll leave it at that, though. I think we've taken this subject to the max. I do love a good debate, though - great things can come from them.
0 Reply
Aaron Lane
Rental Property Investor · Member since 2020 · 8 posts · 3 votes
6y
@Remington Lyman
Dude that sucks man. I went to Ohio state and live in Dublin now. If your house is anywhere east of summit you’ll have the issues but I’d look on Facebook marketplace and definitely file a police report. What brand and color where they and I’ll keep an eye out if they come up online??
2 Reply
Jesse Brennan
New to Real Estate · Salem, MA · Member since 2019 · 5 posts · 2 votes
6y
@Remington Lyman
Honestly sounds like an inside job to me sorry to hear about this
1 Reply
DuBois Othero Toy
Chicago · Member since 2019 · 39 posts · 14 votes
6y
I've read a lot of the comments, and two things I haven't seen mentioned are warranties and just plan old insurance. You can buy newer appliances with warranties to help recover from such situations. There are also a couple of insurance companies that will cover appliances. I hope that helped!
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