How to deal with petty tenant requests...

Real Estate Agent · Souderton, PA · Member since 2016 · 591 posts · 414 votes

Do any seasoned landlords out there have any advice on how they’d handle this situation? Truth is, I hear from these tenants about once a month or so, maybe less, for stuff like this. With 1 or 2 properties, stuff like this isn’t really an issue. 2 hours trip to the property round trip included to make this repair is no big deal. But with 25 properties, this could become a full time job.

3 Reply

566 views

Most Popular Reply

Account Closed

Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes

Originally posted by @William C.:

I'm trying hard not to curse you. I deleted the first response because I'm trying to be a nicer person on the internet. You are being an absentee slumlord.

It's not their fault the chain broke. Accusing them of breaking it is deflecting your responsibility on to them in the lowest way possible. Expecting them to pull the lid and reach their hand into the tank water to flush the toilet every time they use it is vile.

If I was your tenant the word I would use to describe you starts with an A.

You chose to invest and self manage out of market. Now you want to make the tenant bear the responsibility of that choice and worse, are accusing them of being petty.

I might start pouring grease down every drain in the house if you were my landlord and treated me like this.

What you could do instead of accusing, deflecting and insulting, is work with them on the phone and maybe, just maybe, you can work together and have them fix it. Now that you've insulted them, that ship may have sailed.

Or get off your lazy duff and go down there and fix it. Or call a plumber and pay them to do it. You might have been halfway there in the time it took you to write and manage this thread.

22 Reply

See this reply in the discussion

64 Replies

Jump to latestLatest

Sort by

Lynnette E.
Rental Property Investor · TN · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
I always go or send someone.
But for my one tenant that seems to give me another to do right after I completed the last one, I have given him notice on the last 2 repairs that he may be given the bill if it is considered maintenance that he should be responsible for of he is mis-using the house.
For example: he said they could not use either bathtub. One the plug would not hold in water and the other had a very bad smell when they used it. (Note, both baths were completely redone prior to this renter, down to the studs, all new pipes, electrical, etc.)
The plumber found that the plug was wrapped with a big mess of hair. He removed it and left it in the tub for their viewing and disposal and explained that they could pull it out themselves, and showed them the plug worked fine. The hair was keeping the plug from sealing. The other tub was filthy, when water hit the filth it stunk. He told them to clean the tub.
His previous complaint was that he had an electrical outlet that kept tripping the breaker. He was tired of resetting the breaker. The electrician found a plug expander with a microwave, coffee pot and extra frig plugged into it. So he got the explanation only one of those items per plug. Problem fixed.
Yes, it gets old, but I would rather know of a problem than risk the house being damaged...but this tenant is on notice!
2 Reply
Jon S.Pro Member
Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2015 · 530 posts · 92 votes
6y
@Mary Mitchell
Hopefully it goes well.
1 Reply
Gray Hall
Real Estate Broker · Denver, CO · Member since 2017 · 54 posts · 30 votes
6y
@Gareth W Knight
I wouldn’t recommend adding a clause that requires tenants to pay for repairs. Tenants rent for a reason and if I were renting with this clause, it would push me to move out. Things break in houses. Landlords need to have a system in place to fix these. Yes, it costs money (more if you are remote) but that is part of owning rentals.
2 Reply
Greg Morris
Flipper/Rehabber · Spanish Fort, Ala · Member since 2019 · 97 posts · 88 votes
6y
Wow lots of good advise...l have 15 years experience taking care of maint problems so don't think I'm just talking off the hip. If l was you do an inspection of each Apt and replace or repair all maint needs. Usually high maintenance calls are due lack maint. Nothing towards you. You have a choice hire a maint man are repair and replace. The 2nd choice is the best choice. You can write off your trips, parts. Easier to replace than hire someone...Afterwards you should be able to relax
1 Reply
Michael King
Rental Property Investor · Navarre, FL · Member since 2019 · 913 posts · 640 votes
6y
Originally posted by @William C.:
Do any seasoned landlords out there have any advice on how they’d handle this situation? Truth is, I hear from these tenants about once a month or so, maybe less, for stuff like this. With 1 or 2 properties, stuff like this isn’t really an issue. 2 hours trip to the property round trip included to make this repair is no big deal. But with 25 properties, this could become a full time job.

William if it was my property I'd make the drive, especially since the chain needs replacing. Stay away from tenants fixing stuff that breaks. They will break it worse or patch it up. Take the opportunity to be the good LL that you are, and use it to inspect the property (check the other loo's and whatever else you feel you need to check). I try to be super responsive to my customers, so when they have a problem they report it knowing it will be tended to. It's cheaper in the long run.
4 Reply
Steve K.
Realtor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 5k+ votes
6y
In order to avoid the text you just got, inspect the guts of your toilets whenever a unit turns, and replace the flappers at minimum plus anything else that looks old and worn out. IMO replacing an old flapper during a unit turn is the best $5 you can spend as a landlord, unless you like getting "my toilet is broken" texts.
I wouldn't call this issue petty, or push it back on the tenant. Everyone needs a place to crap 5-6 times a day (completely normal, right?), and as a landlord it benefits you to have all those craps flushed successfully away from your property. The whole inside of that toilet looks like it needs replacing, so it's on you as the landlord. Lift the lid of all your toilets and replace parts as necessary, so your tenants don't have issues flushing. As a landlord you should know about the product you're selling. Inspect and maintain all appliances, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, windows, gutters, systems etc., it's your job.
It's no surprise you're getting a maintenance call once or twice a month on this property. It's obvious the inside of that toilet hasn't been addressed in a long time. What else are you neglecting? Replacing the guts of that toilet won't cost more than $30, and should have been done years ago. Get in the habit of maintaining your properties and you'll get less maintenance calls.
12 Reply
Ricardo R.Pro Member
Property Manager · Michigan Ctr, MI · Member since 2016 · 663 posts · 581 votes
6y
@William C. Although I agree that your Tenants shouldn’t be bothering your for petty issues... a non- working toilet is not a petty issue, especially considering that the reason it’s not working is due to normal use and items just running their life expectancy.
Regardless, to ease the burden on you, you should be requiring the Tenants to send you photos for workorder such as this, doing so would save you time... you’ll be able to reasonably tell if you should call a repair tech or at very least will show up with the needed repair items if your doing it yourself.
In addition you should require tenants to be responsible for repairs within $50-$75 AND you should be charging a fee if they schedule a call with you for items which are caused by operator error (faulty appliance... when it’s just unplugged)
Some one here posted that the Tenant should be replacing it because they used it last... and your obviously seeking advice so good on you... but certainly that is bad advice, you need to know the difference of when the tenant should be responsible .... if items break because they have run their life expectancy YOU are responsible as the landlord for the cost of replacement, if your tenant breaks it or misuses it prematurely, it’s the Tenants responsibility.
[email protected]810-844-1104
2 Reply
Billy Smith
Shawnee Mission, KS · Member since 2016 · 719 posts · 313 votes
6y
With 25 doors I would have a handy man on call.

My upper rental I let them know everything should be perfect. Telling them that can open a can of worms if need be, I will let hem know they are calling too much. I want them to like renting where then don’t have to fix stuff that breaks. I charge big bucks for the house provide top A service.

Toilets calls do happen I fix they easy ones unless I feel lazy then call my handy man.

I use modern phones if I am confused, I have then taken a picture send it to me.
0 Reply
Daniel SmythPro Member
Rental Property Investor · Rockford, IL · Member since 2019 · 471 posts · 342 votes
6y
@William C.
It might be helpful to include certain tasks as Tennant responsibility in the new lease.
25 properties word require a management team for me. Many with fewer tenants already use property managers.
As far as toilets go, sometimes the guts in the tank need replacing. More than one cat to me about the same problem, tells me that the fix was bad, or well short of what should have been done.
When they have to keep removing the lid, that says soon that lid to the tank will break. Good luck finding a matching lid.
Good luck.
[email protected]
1 Reply
Joe Cassandra
Rental Property Investor · Woodstock, GA · Member since 2017 · 517 posts · 772 votes
6y
Any local handyman should be able to fix this for less than $50. If you're paying $100 for a handle fix, you might as well just buy a new toilet for $80.
For stuff like this, I'm not looking for licensed professional plumbers. Go on "Nextdoor.com" and find a local guy who works from home and bored.
0 Reply
Matt M.
Specialist · Easton, PA · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
If properties are routinely maintained, a lot of stuff can be avoided. I have my own properties, and I’m the on-call guy for 35 others of my clients, tenants contact me directly. In 10 years of being the tenants go-to for repairs, I can honestly I rarely get calls. I’ve gotten 2 calls in ten years in the middle of the night, both no heat calls. When a property goes empty, I do whatever needs to be done, and whatever I feel needs attention. We have some properties that I haven’t even been to in 3-5 years. Maintenance is key, and you don’t want tenants doing anything other than changing a light bulb or smoke det battery, which they don’t even do.
5 Reply
Kevin Smith
Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2019 · 24 posts · 15 votes
6y
@William C. Looks like you're on the right track with this particular issue. I have a DEVIATED solution, that works for some scenarios, certainly not all.
I like to give my occupants a chance at sweat equity repair, if I know the skill set of the person and difficulty of the job. Folks love the chance to fix simple things. I send them what they need via Amazon, and extend them a discount of next months rent for their efforts/time and saving me the trip. Sometimes I'll send them a YouTube video for additional help.
The added bonus to this system is that with each small project, the occupants take ownership of the property and better care thereafter. I manage SFHs that I own, so different then apartments, but a cool approach none the less, I think. I understand some won't trust the folks to do it right, but there are risks and costs to any option. Some people you pay professional pricing and they still don't do it right. I choose to first involve the local community within the home and see if we can figure it out together.
1 Reply
Erik W.
Real Estate Investor · Springfield, MO · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@William C., hi there.

I echo the others who say that you should not make tenants responsible for minor repairs. I tried that and it was a miserable failure.  People either A) didn't report stuff and it got worse B) did a half-butt job and messes other things up or C) had their drunk uncle who was a "contractor" come in an tear things apart. For ever dollar I "saved", I spent $5 fixing it right.

As another respondent said, repairs are one of the many challenge of long distance land lording. Who told you that was a good idea, someone on Bigger Pockets, right? *grins We have so many out of town / out of state investors here, perhaps one of them has a good solution?

One thing I use to help is all repairs except for emergencies must be in writing. To be clear, emergency is defined as "Fire, Flood, or Blood." Actually, it includes a few other things too (like HVAC and electrical), but those 3 words are catchy and stick in the tenant's mind. A squeaky kitchen cabinet is not an emergency. Water spewing everywhere or a break in is an emergency.  Anything else gets put onto the monthly routine maintenance list and gets dealt with as my maintenance man has available time. I'm not going to call a broken chain an emergency: they have developed a work around as noted in their text. Lift the chain: ta da! What I would tell them to do is find a flat place they can lay the tank cover for now where no one will step on it or knock it over. Those things break surprisingly easy and correctly sized replacements are sometimes hard to find. Put it on the "to do" list and get to it this quarter along with whatever other items they come up with.

Amazingly, I lived in a rental during college where I was always having to "jiggle this" or "pull up on that" to get things to work. It was what it was. Day to day rentals in Class C houses do not get the same level of service as a 5-star hotel, probably because the tenants are not paying $250/night. If they want 5-star level service, we can do that provided they want to pay 5-star level rent.  Otherwise, we will fix it, but we cannot send someone over an incur a $50 service charge every time a light bulb burns out. Time for them to put on their big-boy/girl britches and make do, like our ancestors the pioneers did. I hear their land lords didn't drop everything and fix their toilet handles immediately either.

Set expectations up front is critical, because if people know what to expect they are less anxious.  Put it in your lease. "TENANT agrees minor repairs will be handled once per quarter (every 3 months-January, April, July September), and all repairs must be submitted in writing on or before the 25th of the month prior to the quarterly service appointment to be included in that quarterly cycle."

Easy cheesy! Keep your tenants happy by keeping them calm. Then if they decide addressing minor inconveniences once per quarter isn't quick enough, they can rent from someone else. Or you can do once every two months: whatever you think works for you.

I hope this helps.
2 Reply
David Clay
Real Estate Investor · Chattahoochee, FL · Member since 2014 · 133 posts · 107 votes
6y
@Merritt S. Um, this is a bit harsh and unnecessary IMO. The original question was related to small pesky repair requests which transitioned into this one specific issue as an example. Granted, he acknowledged that it is now a repair issue and seemed to be looking for solutions (that’s how I read things). I’ve been reading through the posts looking to see what answers come in for the ORIGINAL question not to see a fellow landlord berated and brow beaten. I’d like to think we are a support community. Given the content available I don’t know this person’s experience with rentals, he could have 2 rentals or ten for all we know. He certainly wouldn’t have a hundred as I’d expect someone with that many units to have his question figured out already. So, maybe we can avoid this level of discussion. You can do what you want, obviously, but I don’t find your response very friendly. I’m surprised by others upvoting this. Just my opinion.
3 Reply
Theresa HarrisPro Member
Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
6y
When I hear 'petty requests' to me that is along the line of I don't like the colour of the door handle in which case I'd say tough it is the same one that was there when you bought it. For other repairs, they fall into the minor or major repair category along with are they truly urgent (broken water pipe) or not (old window that needs to be replaced).
0 Reply
John Bucci
Real Estate Agent · Tarrytown, NY · Member since 2016 · 149 posts · 63 votes
6y
This is why they call it PASSIVE income. It's the best!
As others have said, all about weighing the option of paying a handyman vs driving out yourself. Depends on your skill set, time, job, life, family, etc.
0 Reply
Israel Torres
Rental Property Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2017 · 40 posts · 54 votes
6y
Hey Matt,

I agree 100%. I always try to maintain my properties as frequent as possible. When people move out, we go in and fix all issues. A lot easier to fix an empty apartment than one that is filled with stuff. Also, manage my own properties so when calls do come up we jump on them. It is all part of the business. I think the one thing the post-er is missing is a property manager. The challenge is finding one who doesn't want to just collect rent and get paid. Few and far between.

Anyway, I'm from Bethlehem myself originally. You are doing well in that area with 35 units. Congrats sir. Cheers!

Originally posted by @Matt M.:
If properties are routinely maintained, a lot of stuff can be avoided. I have my own properties, and I’m the on-call guy for 35 others of my clients, tenants contact me directly. In 10 years of being the tenants go-to for repairs, I can honestly I rarely get calls. I’ve gotten 2 calls in ten years in the middle of the night, both no heat calls. When a property goes empty, I do whatever needs to be done, and whatever I feel needs attention. We have some properties that I haven’t even been to in 3-5 years. Maintenance is key, and you don’t want tenants doing anything other than changing a light bulb or smoke det battery, which they don’t even do.

0 Reply
Matt M.
Specialist · Easton, PA · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Israel Torres
Thank you sir, but unfortunately those 35 I take care of aren’t mine. Maybe one day..
2 Reply
Jim K.
Handyman · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2018 · 5k+ posts · 13k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Matt M.:
@Israel Torres
Thank you sir, but unfortunately those 35 I take care of aren’t mine. Maybe one day..

I manage an 8-plex like that myself, Matt. Maybe one day...

1 Reply
Josh CissellBusiness Member
Property Manager · Oxford, MS · Member since 2017 · 37 posts · 19 votes
6y
@Jacob Graves I haven't read the rest of the responses but this is wrong. ALL of the guts of that toilet are old and worn out. The owner should have replaced this stuff before the tenant ever moved in while he was there taking care of anything else that was wrong. This isn't petty. They pay rent so they don't have to take care of this.
He just isn't wanting to be a landlord. I call this being a scumlord. How you treat the property is exactly how the tenants will too.
Cissell Management Co., LLC4.997 Reviews
Website View Page
0 Reply
Account Closed
Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
@William C.
Fix the toilet. Hire a handyman. Unless you like picking up your phone to crap like this I suggest transitioning folks to a google form for request of non-emergency maintenance.
0 Reply
Account Closed
Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Sean McKenna:
@Merritt S. Come on man. The op is here seeking advice. If they truly intended on being a slumlord then they wouldn’t be here asking how to handle this situation.
I’m glad you deleted your first post. You are also a contractor. Help this person see the light and what it takes to be successful. Attacking someone who is new to this game is not helpful.

Well, you can scold me if you like - this is the internet.
But do you seriously believe my response was not helpful? I dunno...seems to me vacancy and repairs are the two most expensive things we encounter, and any advice that any of us can give to minimize these things is advice I consider helpful. I would absolutely appreciate someone telling me how it is if I was being dense, even if it didn't feel good to hear it. I think the term is wake up call. None of us go through this without making mistakes. Isn't identifying mistakes part of what this forum is all about? Or is it just about being nicey nicey 100% of the time?
This is a people business. This is more than shifting numbers on a ledger. Deliberate property damage is real. Incidental property damage is real. Accidental property damage is real. Physical property depreciation is real. As a contractor, not just an investor which I also am, my advice to anyone is to do everything they can to minimize these threats to our investments in every way possible. Treating a tenant with contempt works against that IMO, potentially to a very significant degree. Think about it, we place our high-dollar/low-margin/variable-outcome investments in the hands of strangers (are we crazy???). Is it really bad advice to treat these strangers as nicely as possible? The OP is, IMO, so far on the wrong side of the spectrum with this issue that I felt the most appropriate response was to illustrate the tenants likely point of view.
And finally, there are plenty of people on this forum willing to give advice on how to be a more efficient slumlord all day long. I'm not ever going to be one of them, for all the right reasons, including being nicey nicey.
Peace and Happy Investing!
4 Reply
Ricardo R.Pro Member
Property Manager · Michigan Ctr, MI · Member since 2016 · 663 posts · 581 votes
6y
@Josh Cissell although I agree with you that this issue ins't petty (as mentioned in my post above) and it is the Landlord's responsibility to repair or schedule a repair... the guts are worn and the Tenant was using it normally so... no worries there and the Landlord should be finding a resolution/fix here. However, as far as the Landlord being required to replace all the guts simply because they 'look' old prior to a Tenant moving in, is just not right nor is it required, especially if it was functioning properly. Now I'll agree that it would be in the Landlord's best interest to consider replacing the parts before a Tenant moves in which would avoid this situation all together... but that is purely a personal choice and no the Tenant is not paying for every properly functioning item to be replaced to like new condition, they are however, paying for a safe and functional living space.

Requiring tenant's to be responsible for repairs $50 and under is not meant to 'push' needed repairs onto the tenant, the clause is meant to protect the Landlord from truly 'petty' issues such as light bulb replacements, broken microwave plates, etc. It also doesn't mean that the tenant is required to fix it themselves (although they can if approved by the landlord) which opens up a whole new can of liability issues... it just means that the tenant is responsible for the cost of such and in all cases the landlord should be notified. This is a needed repair caused purely because the hardware is old and ran its life, it is a LANDLORD responsibility. Now how landlord's choose to address it is really up to how they do business... some will work it out with the Tenant and pay or credit them to replace it, others will pay for the parts and the Tenant will choose to install, others will fix it themselves and yet others will send a technician... but really if it's a Tenant that is not comfortable doing the repairs when it comes down to it... it is the Landlord's responsibility to make sure this issue gets addressed and really in the LL's best interest.
[email protected]810-844-1104
0 Reply
Matt M.
Specialist · Easton, PA · Member since 2018 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
One of the biggest assets to this game is the old cliche of having a “team”. My best client has 25 properties. I have keys to all of them. All maintenance issues go to me. I handle them, whether it’s myself or I call in my HVAC guy, roofer, carpet dude etc. The best way to do rentals is have a guy like me. Establishing a relationship with your main guy is key. Paying timely is key. My clients don’t want the calls of broken toilets or no hot water or heat. They just want to write me a check to handle the bs, and when I send a bill it isn’t questioned, it’s just paid. Of the 35 I take care of over the last ten years I have established a good rapport with tenants. They like me, they know they can trust me in their homes, and they know they can count on me to fix stuff. The same goes for my own properties. Petty or not, the stuff needs to get fixed. That’s what makes us good landlords and not slumlords. Us good ones buy these as long term investments, not just cash cows that flow in the money without fixing stuff when it breaks. Either find someone you can trust or do it yourself.
3 Reply
Victor Trujillo
Rental Property Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2017 · 21 posts · 12 votes
6y
The more you do, the less you make.
Know what tasks you'll tolerate, if it isn't one you'll tolerate, have someone (handyman, property management company) ready to pass the task on to.
80% of your earnings come from 20% of your actions, taking care of that task (or one of the like) does not constitute any of that 20%.
0 Reply

Join the conversationCreate a free account to reply, vote on answers and follow this thread.