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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  • Account Closed
    Rental Property Investor · New Braunfels, TX · Member since 2018 · 141 posts · 103 votes
    6y

    @Nathan G.

    A lady tenant requested that I put a longer drain hose on her dishwasher. This was 3 years after she had been living there. No reason, just thought it should be longer🙃 Since they had paid me over $50,000 in rent in those 3 years I had my handy man go put a longer hose on for her. Now she has paid over $67,000 in rent and no more complaints about the dishwasher🤑

    3Reply
  • Sylvia B.
    Rental Property Investor · Douglas County, MO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Max T.:

    Tenant attempted to change lightbulb on one of those basic "boob" flush mount ceiling fixtures. 

     Glad to know I'm not the only one who calls them that!

    2Reply
  • David Sisson
    Architect · Providence, RI · Member since 2016 · 258 posts · 195 votes
    6y

    I just swapped out a perfectly good 5-1-1 programmable thermostat for a non-programmable thermostat because the tenant couldn't figure out how to program it with the instructions right in front of her. Never installing a programmable again, unless it's a wifi programmable and I can control it remotely. So much for being green and trying to save money and the environment. Lucky, same tenant was complaining about heat and I fixed an actual problem with the boiler a few weeks ago, so I'm not complaining, really. 

    1Reply
  • Nancy P.
    Naperville, IL · Member since 2018 · 330 posts · 357 votes
    6y

    31 year old tenant says disposal doesn't work first time he used it.  It was new when he moved in.  Send over my guy who finds it full of aquarium gravel.  Yep,  this twat thought you could pour ROCKS down a disposal.  It's shot,  my guy puts in better one.  Tenant gets home about ten minutes after my guy leaves,  calls me and says still doesn't work,  and sink is backing up.   My guy goes back as he is only two miles away.  Tenant has failed to take out the plug before trying the disposal,  is running water "like you're supposed to".  Sink is not backing up,  it's FILLING UP because he doesn't know to pull out the plug.  Is now gone, got married to a pregnant girlfriend.  God help that kid.

    2Reply
  • Amber G.
    Member since 2020 · 5 posts · 3 votes
    6y

    #1 Tenant called saying toilet wouldn't work. Went to house and re-attached chain to handle lever. She had a five year old who got into everything including the toilet.

    #2 Tenant called saying AC won't cool, crazy nonsensical symptoms. Three AC techs later (all confirmed the old unit worked fine) and after much research on my own about the thermostat her engineer brother had installed, figured out that it cut itself off (condenser but not the fan) after running awhile bc engineer brother didn't know how to wire new fangled thermostats and the onboard battery when discharged would issue an emergency cutoff call to the condenser. But the fan would still run. Mimicking every failing unit ever known to man, except the unit was fine. Third AC tech attached the right wire (that engineer brother had carefully coiled unused behind the thermostat) and it runs fine to this day.

    1Reply
  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Account Closed:

    @Nathan G.

    A lady tenant requested that I put a longer drain hose on her dishwasher. This was 3 years after she had been living there. No reason, just thought it should be longer🙃 Since they had paid me over $50,000 in rent in those 3 years I had my handy man go put a longer hose on for her. Now she has paid over $67,000 in rent and no more complaints about the dishwasher🤑

    It's all perspective. Nice!

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

    31 year old tenant says disposal doesn't work first time he used it.  It was new when he moved in.  Send over my guy who finds it full of aquarium gravel.  Yep,  this twat thought you could pour ROCKS down a disposal.  It's shot,  my guy puts in better one.  Tenant gets home about ten minutes after my guy leaves,  calls me and says still doesn't work,  and sink is backing up.   My guy goes back as he is only two miles away.  Tenant has failed to take out the plug before trying the disposal,  is running water "like you're supposed to".  Sink is not backing up,  it's FILLING UP because he doesn't know to pull out the plug.  Is now gone, got married to a pregnant girlfriend.  God help that kid.

    LOL!

    I've had a lot of plug disposals. One tenant called me to say that his disposal was not working. I asked him to push the reset button underneath and he said, "I rented an apartment specifically so I would not have to do maintenance." Seriously?!?

    I drove over to check the disposal and noticed he had hiking boots sitting outside his front door. I went to the disposal, pushed the reset button, and it immediately started running but I could hear something was stuck inside it. I reached inside and pulled out gravel. I went to the hiking boots and matched the gravel in the garbage disposal with the gravel in the bottom of his hiking boots. He had apparently rinsed his boots out in the kitchen sink. I took a picture of the gravel from the garbage disposal and the bottom of his hiking boot for my records.

    I sent my handyman down a couple days later to clean out the disposal and passed the charge to the tenant along with my pictures. No complaints and he paid the bill.

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  • Lane Kawaoka
    Rental Property Investor · Honolulu, HAWAII (HI) · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    6y

    This is why I sold all my 11 turnkey rentals and went to being a passive LP so I don't have to deal with this stuff. Once you net worth goes over 500k-1M be an investor not a landlord.

    2Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ 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. 

     ..............Tenants......SMH

    1Reply
  • James Wise
    Real Estate Broker · Cleveland Dayton Cincinnati Toledo Columbus & Akron, OH · Member since 2013 · 30k+ posts · 20k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Nathan Gesner:

    What's the worst maintenance request story you have to share?

    Here you go. Actual request that came in on our website.

    3Reply
  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y

    Actual call  ""There is a racoon in the driveway and its not doing anything"  

    0Reply
  • Devin M.
    Real Estate Agent · NH · Member since 2020 · 23 posts · 54 votes
    6y

    I had a tenant call to tell me that the garbage disposal wasn't working... There wasn't one lol

    4Reply
  • David Sisson
    Architect · Providence, RI · Member since 2016 · 258 posts · 195 votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Devin M.:

    I had a tenant call to tell me that the garbage disposal wasn't working... There wasn't one lol

    Hilarious. I’ve gotten “oven light isn’t working “. Oven didn’t have a light.

    3Reply
  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    6y

    It's also very common to get complaints about the air conditioner not working, and then I have to explain that there is no air conditioning. Unfortunately, most thermostats have an air conditioning setting even when air conditioning does not exist, which confuses the tenants.

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  • Patrick Squires
    Investor · Oxford, MI · Member since 2016 · 110 posts · 41 votes
    6y

    @Scott Trench

    Honest response of the day!

    0Reply
  • Jerry W.Pro Member
    Moderator
    Investor · Thermopolis, WY · Member since 2012 · 4k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    6y
    Two that jump to mind.  First water heater not working, it lights then goes out.  I come over to light an ancient water heater.  Wow this things was green and white Montgomery Wards.  I light it, runs a few seconds, goes out.  New thermostat installed, lights, then goes out.  I go get a new water heater, install it, light it, runs then goes out.  Now I get a sinking feeling, go out and look at gas meter, yep there is the lock.  it has been shutoff for nonpayment.  Must have a terrible leak by.  The water heater would run about 20 to 30 seconds before it would go out.
    The next, the new tenant sent dire message of life or death safety issue.  When I went over, her complaint?  The apple tree outside had had blossomed and there were a huge number of bees on the flowers.  Either all the flowers needed removed, or the tree needed to be cut down.  I assured her that the blossoms would only last a week at most, but I was not going to pick every flower off.  As to cutting down the tree, it was there before she arrived and I assured her it would be there after she was gone.
    Same tenant also complained she could not figure out how to turn the dishwasher on.  She had never had one before.  As this was like request number 10 or 12, I told her to google it, or call a friend.  When she was moved out later at my firm request to the judge, I didn't think about it.  Two months later after new tenants are in they ask could I look at the dishwasher it wasn't working.  I couldn't get it to work.  Took several hours of trouble shooting I finally figured out some guy I had told to wire in a new GFI had just stuffed the wires in the back and had not wired it at all.  that fed the outlet to the dishwasher.  It really had been broke before, I had just tired of the crying wolf.
    2Reply
  • Chris Jakubicek
    Real Estate Broker · TX · Member since 2016 · 15 posts · 8 votes
    6y

    I have a tenant that complained for months that there must be oil in her water lines because she cleans her bathtub and it keeps getting dirty again.

    Same tenant complained that her air conditioner wasn’t working because she had the thermostat set on 70 and it wouldn’t get below 72. It was summer in Texas and about 106 degrees outside.

    2Reply
  • Connie Chan
    Investor · Member since 2017 · 239 posts · 149 votes
    6y
    @Nathan G. Adding a pool heater! But it was a great tenant and they’ve always taken good care of the house. My mom decided to split the cost even though we know we probably won’t recoup it. Most annoying request? Flickering light bulb. Second most annoying request? The floor makes a creaking sound.
    1Reply
  • Michael Peters
    Member since 2019 · 215 posts · 122 votes
    6y

    Had a tenant move in and request the kitchen cabinets be moved down 6 inches to accommodate her height.  Heated blanket kept tripping the breaker in her bedroom multiple times a time and requested we rewire the room to accommodate it as it was required for a medical condition.

    Had another tenant put in multiple requests convinced the property had ghosts or a past murder.  Asked if we would split the cost of having the property exorcised after I wouldn't let her out of the lease without penalty.

    1Reply
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