What's your most ridiculous maintenance request?

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Scott TrenchPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 6k+ votes
6y

When I was a tenant, I once complained of my broken AC unit. I call the landlord. No response. I begin to make a stink and call several more times. 

Finally, the maintenance guy shows up and plugs it in. 

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  • Aaron K.
    Specialist · Riverside, CA · Member since 2015 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    Not worst but funny.  Had a tenant request that the extra flooring material be removed from the rafters of the garage in case there was an earthquake.  Nevermind that it had been there for nearly a decade and spanned multiple rafters making it unlikely to fall unless the roof fell as well.

    This tenant also learned an $80 lesson about flipping breaker switches after being told 7-8 times that it was likely a breaker issue and saying that they had flipped the switch.

    1Reply
  • Cameron TopePro Member
    Property Manager · Katy, TX · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y

    We got a request from some students to check the electrical. They had rewired parts of the house so they could play video games all day. They had 2-liter bottles of urine next to their chairs because they didn't want a bathroom break to interrupt their all day gaming. 

    I have never seen such commitment! 

    [email protected]832-770-7090
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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y

    Yes, I can't remember how many times I've charged tenants after sending an electrician to flip a breaker. I tell them, usually more than once, to flip it off and on HARD and sometimes more than once. 

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  • Dennis M.
    Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    6y

    Section 8 tenant calls says there’s no lights in her kitchen , power won’t work in the room assures next it’s a serious issue and I must come quick . I’m an hour away mind you and at my w2 job do I fly up there thinking the whole time in my mind what the heck could it be then when I arrive I realize she let all the bulbs burn out over time and when the final tube bulb went out she called so I went to Home Depot and spent 4 bucks to get her up and running again . I lost about three hundred dollars that day but what did she care , she never had to work a day in her miserable life

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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Dennis M.:

    Section 8 tenant calls says there’s no lights in her kitchen , power won’t work in the room assures next it’s a serious issue and I must come quick . I’m an hour away mind you and at my w2 job do I fly up there thinking the whole time in my mind what the heck could it be then when I arrive I realize she let all the bulbs burn out over time and when the final tube bulb went out she called so I went to Home Depot and spent 4 bucks to get her up and running again . I lost about three hundred dollars that day but what did she care , she never had to work a day in her miserable life

    Yeh, I would have charged her.

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  • Jennifer T.Pro Member
    Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
    6y

    I had a tenant upset because her hot water heater wasn't working.  I assumed maybe the pilot light had gone out on it.  Then she adds in that her heater isn't working either.  Hmmm...interesting.  Those are the only two things in her house that run on gas.  I asked her if her electricity is working (gas is on the electric bill) and she says it is.  So I assumed her bill was current and my husband and I went out there to check out what was going on.

    I assumed wrong, lol.  Her gas meter was gone, due to non-payment (she pays her own utilities).  While it was really annoying to waste our time like that, I was glad it was nothing we had to deal with.  Yeah, if you want hot water and heat, you need to pay your bills.  Just sayin'.

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  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y

    Anyone have problems with spiders? I had an elderly woman that insisted she was being over-run by Brown Recluse spiders. I shared an article (printed out, because she doesn't have internet) written by an expert arachnologist at University of Wyoming that says this is a common - but false - claim. He has lived here for decades and only seen 4-5 instances of a Brown Recluse and in every case they were brought into the area by someone moving.

    She even dropped off an envelope full of spider bodies she had collected. They were all harmless wolf spiders but she refused to believe me.

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  • Karen O.
    Knoxville, TN · Member since 2019 · 111 posts · 57 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Nathan Gesner:

    Anyone have problems with spiders? I had an elderly woman that insisted she was being over-run by Brown Recluse spiders. I shared an article (printed out, because she doesn't have internet) written by an expert arachnologist at University of Wyoming that says this is a common - but false - claim. He has lived here for decades and only seen 4-5 instances of a Brown Recluse and in every case they were brought into the area by someone moving.


    Yeah, have a house with tenant that complained constantly of spiders (and millipedes). To be fair, there were a LOT of them (worse on the millipedes), driven in by torrential rains last year. Had to put out sticky traps and treat outside. I think they are finally under control (but maybe not gone). At least he didn't want me to come kill them for him.

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  • Jennifer T.Pro Member
    Investor · New Orleans, LA · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 944 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Nathan Gesner:

    Anyone have problems with spiders? I had an elderly woman that insisted she was being over-run by Brown Recluse spiders. I shared an article (printed out, because she doesn't have internet) written by an expert arachnologist at University of Wyoming that says this is a common - but false - claim. He has lived here for decades and only seen 4-5 instances of a Brown Recluse and in every case they were brought into the area by someone moving.

    She even dropped off an envelope full of spider bodies she had collected. They were all harmless wolf spiders but she refused to believe me.

    Oh, that reminds me of another one!  Not spiders, but flies.  She's complained about those a few times in the 3 years she's lived in this property, though I at least don't think it's a constant problem.

    But flies fly.  Hence their name.  They can come from anywhere and I don't know what she thinks I can do about them.  I've given her advice on common attractants in a home and free/low cost traps and detractions.  But I do have a pest control clause in my lease and flies are her problem.  Overall, she does keep a pretty tidy house, but also has a child who may/may not pick up leftover food and drinks as well as he should.  Plus, I don't see an issue with flies around the property or in the other unit (it's a duplex). 

    1Reply
  • Scott TrenchPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2014 · 2k+ posts · 6k+ votes
    6y

    When I was a tenant, I once complained of my broken AC unit. I call the landlord. No response. I begin to make a stink and call several more times. 

    Finally, the maintenance guy shows up and plugs it in. 

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  • Jeff Bousquet
    Rental Property Investor · RI · Member since 2017 · 94 posts · 52 votes
    6y

    I had a tenet call because the thermostat and furnace wasn’t working. When I got there there were no batteries in the thermostat, and the heat wasn’t turned on. I now try to troubleshoot stuff remotely.

    3Reply
  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Scott Trench:

    When I was a tenant, I once complained of my broken AC unit. I call the landlord. No response. I begin to make a stink and call several more times. 

    Finally, the maintenance guy shows up and plugs it in. 

    HAHA! I started renting on my own at age 17 in the military in Germany. It was a rough start. I'll get another thread going to discuss that! 

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  • Kenneth GarrettPro Member
    Investor · Florida Panhandle/Illinois · Member since 2016 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    I had a tenant send in a maintenance request that they had a doctors appointment the next day and could I drive them.  I told them no.

    2Reply
  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Kenneth Garrett:

    I had a tenant send in a maintenance request that they had a doctors appointment the next day and could I drive them.  I told them no.

    Funny!  I had an elderly tenant that lived in the same apartment for about 25 years. She did not have a car but we are a small town and she could usually walk everywhere she needed to go. I would occasionally see her walking downtown when it's really cold and would offer to give her a ride, usually to the liquor store where she could buy her gut-rot wine. She was a paranoid nut, but harmless.

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  • Scott P.
    Rental Property Investor · Indiana...mostly · Member since 2019 · 468 posts · 245 votes
    6y

    Tenant wanted toilet replaced "because it flushes too loud."

    Long term tenant.  So, I actually agreed as long the tenant picked out the new model as i didn't want to pay for another toilet if the replacement was also too loud.  fortunately the tenant never picked a new one.  The toilet was still in place and used by the current tenant last time I was there.  (It doesn't flush any lounder than any other toilet in my opinion.)

    1Reply
  • Petur Karlsson
    Rental Property Investor · Bucks county, PA · Member since 2019 · 58 posts · 24 votes
    6y

    Thanks for cracking me up!

    Just closed on my first property two days ago and have 4 months of rehab before even getting a tenant in so I have yet to experience the drama.... Looking forward to it though!

    2Reply
  • Account Closed
    Rental Property Investor · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2020 · 14 posts · 5 votes
    6y

    @Scott Trench

    Hahaha. That’s the best.

    2Reply
  • Patti RobertsonBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Virginia Beach, VA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    Our latest ridiculous one is a couple who swears their kitchen sink is leaking. Plumber goes out and finds the sink full of dishes, but no leak. Tenant calls again saying it is still dripping, so we send the plumber again who has the tenant show him what she was doing when it supposedly leaks.  She was using the sprayer in a haphazard way, causing water to spray everyplace, including sliding down the hose attached to the sprayer, through the hole the sprayer comes through, right under the sink. Neither the plumber or I can get her to understand that she is causing the water to be under the sink.  I manage this one for another owner, and we collectively decided to let it fail a SEC 8 inspection so we can force the tenant out early and hope to find one with more brain cells.  

    Stupid is as Stupid does! 

    757-472-2547
    3Reply
  • Max T.
    Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    Tenant attempted to change lightbulb on one of those basic "boob" flush mount ceiling fixtures. Couldn't unscrew the nipple and somehow ended up working the entire fixture off of the electrical box! Then they called me.

    2Reply
  • Pat L.
    Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    6y

    We had a mid 60's lady move in, who was referred by good friends. She immediately wanted her apartment number changed from Apt 2 to Apt 1. Then she wanted 6 names added to the hand built antique mailbox (made by the original old farmer owner). The names included all her grandkids, as she paid their cell phone bills & that of her deceased mother?? 

    When we refused she blew us into the USPS who insisted that we supply her with a regulation mailbox that was much smaller & according to the USPS we were ONLY required to have the name of the current resident on it. Then she complained about the color of the new mailbox so my fed-up maintenance guy painted it fugly & right over her name. Now she had to go to the post office to pick up the little parcels she was having delivered because they wouldn't fit in the 'regulation mailbox'. 

    She was another who complained about the toilet, because it was the wrong color & she wanted a wooden seat not the 'bendy' plastic one. Then she wanted all the permanently fixed vanity mirrors moved down because she was only 4" 7". 

    BUT she paid on time & drove everyone crazy, until our "swarthy refugee couple" (her words), moved in & she was convinced that they were going to kill her, so she gave notice after such a fun filled 2 years. Our refugee couple are still there 4 years later & are perfect hard working, no problem tenants.

    5Reply
  • Joe SplitrockPro Member
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    Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes
    6y

    I had a tenant say the thermostat was not working. They set it to 70 and when they came back later it was set to 68 degrees. It was a programmable thermostat and when you override, it just goes back to the preset program at the next time change. 

    This is why landlords need to have a process for screening maintenance requests. Many landlords would have sent an HVAC person out.

    1Reply
  • Jim K.
    Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
    6y

    So far, it was an incident I call Superrat: Rat of Steel.

    The wife is convinced she saw a rat outdoors. Shows me a small hole next to the poured concrete three-step stairway leading up to the back porch that she insists is how the rat will eventually get into the house. The back porch is built on a slab -- unless Superrat can dig under a footed concrete slab and tunnel about 8 feet, and then chew through the cinderblock foundation wall to get into the basement proper, there's no way it can get into the house through the hole she found. But the wife understands less than nothing about how houses are built, of course, and I realize anything I try to say will be taken as the word of a slumlord trying to blow smoke and save work. It's kind of like telling an Evangelical that "Jesus" is just the Greek name for "Joshua" and not what he was actually called -- they're just not going to believe you.

    I dug out around the bottom step of the stairway and poured three 60 lb. bags of concrete around the bottom step to make an eight-inch concrete perimeter around it. Cost me about $11 in material, maybe 2 hours of work, all done completely and purely for show. She was suitably impressed with my commitment to keeping Superrat out of her home.

    3Reply
  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Jennifer T.:

    I had a tenant upset because her hot water heater wasn't working.  I assumed maybe the pilot light had gone out on it.  Then she adds in that her heater isn't working either.  Hmmm...interesting.  Those are the only two things in her house that run on gas.  I asked her if her electricity is working (gas is on the electric bill) and she says it is.  So I assumed her bill was current and my husband and I went out there to check out what was going on.

    I assumed wrong, lol.  Her gas meter was gone, due to non-payment (she pays her own utilities).  While it was really annoying to waste our time like that, I was glad it was nothing we had to deal with.  Yeah, if you want hot water and heat, you need to pay your bills.  Just sayin'.

     I had one just like this. 3 college girls, with their mother as the co-signer. I gave everyone the info sheet, which lists all the utilities, when they moved in during the summer. At the first cold snap I got a request to have the heat checked because it wouldn't turn on. I sent my HVAC guy out there on a service call, and yes there was no heat because the numbskulls never had the gas turned on because it was summer and what would we need to have gas for? 

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  • JD MartinBusiness Member
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    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:

    I had a tenant say the thermostat was not working. They set it to 70 and when they came back later it was set to 68 degrees. It was a programmable thermostat and when you override, it just goes back to the preset program at the next time change. 

    This is why landlords need to have a process for screening maintenance requests. Many landlords would have sent an HVAC person out.

    Programmable thermostats are the worst in rentals. We get a lot of young people, so they generally tend to understand the technology, but I've had the same types of calls. 

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  • Jeff Ronningen
    Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2015 · 242 posts · 182 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G. Elderly tenant is a smoker and her car’s not running. Says she had lighters delivered but they’re childproof and she wore a sore into her thumb trying to use them but still couldn’t get them to light. She called and said she might have to keep a candle burning. I said don’t do that and told her to crank up a burner on the electronic stove, when it’s just about hot enough to glow you can get a light. Bought some easier-to-light lighters the next day and dropped them off.

    2Reply
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