Tenant buys appliance on his own and..bills me!

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Tenant buys appliance on his own and..bills me!

Ankan Basak
Investor · Astoria Queens, NY · Member since 2016 · 41 posts · 12 votes

Not that I dont want to fix it. But tenant doesnt give me any heads up. Apparently his refrigerator failed, and he went and bought a new one. Now he wants me to foot the bill. I could reimburse with warning that next time I need to be aware, so I can buy the appliance. Tenant is month to month. Ideas?

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Theresa HarrisPro Member
Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
5y

How does it compare to what you would have bought?  If it isn't comparable, I'd tell him no plain and simple.  He didn't ask and if he had YOU would have found one that worked for you and bought it.  Tell him he's welcome to either return this one at his expense or keep it and take it with him when he moves.  The fact that he didn't even try to contact you doesn't bode well.

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  • Alan Lacey
    Lender · Grand Rapids, MI · Member since 2019 · 175 posts · 82 votes
    5y

    @Ankan Basak they need to return it while your have a new one delivered the same day.

    4Reply
  • Theresa HarrisPro Member
    Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
    5y

    How does it compare to what you would have bought?  If it isn't comparable, I'd tell him no plain and simple.  He didn't ask and if he had YOU would have found one that worked for you and bought it.  Tell him he's welcome to either return this one at his expense or keep it and take it with him when he moves.  The fact that he didn't even try to contact you doesn't bode well.

    7Reply
  • Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Ankan Basak:

    Not that I dont want to fix it. But tenant doesnt give me any heads up. Apparently his refrigerator failed, and he went and bought a new one. Now he wants me to foot the bill. I could reimburse with warning that next time I need to be aware, so I can buy the appliance. Tenant is month to month. Ideas?

    Question: if the tenant called you today and reported the refrigerator was dead, what would you do? Would you attempt to repair it? Buy a used one on Craigslist? Grab the spare sitting in your garage? Buy a new one?

    If your answer is "buy a new one" then you haven't lost anything. Warn the tenant he is not allowed to do that again and that next time you will not reimburse him, period. If your answer is to repair, use a spare, or buy a used comparable unit, then you should only pay the tenant a portion of what he spent. Or you can tell the tenant that it's his fridge so he can use it and take it with him.

    If a renter is otherwise excellent, I'll show a little grace with a stern warning. If they are less-than-ideal in any way, then I'll be a little harder on them like only paying for portion or paying for the entire thing but then giving them notice of termination. The last thing you want to do is give them the impression they can spend your money whenever they feel like it.

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    4Reply
  • Eddie Torres
    Rental Property Investor · Member since 2021 · 76 posts · 36 votes
    5y

    @Ankan Basak if you do decide to keep it, one thing to keep in mind is if he moves out say 2 months from now and the refrigerator fails 6 months from now, you likely won't have the benefit of the manufacturers warranty unless the warranty is transferable which generally it is not.

    2Reply
  • Terrell Garren
    Rental Property Investor · Concord, NC · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Ankan Basak:

    Not that I dont want to fix it. But tenant doesnt give me any heads up. Apparently his refrigerator failed, and he went and bought a new one. Now he wants me to foot the bill. I could reimburse with warning that next time I need to be aware, so I can buy the appliance. Tenant is month to month. Ideas?

    You know the answer.  

    0Reply
  • Jordon Milford
    Member since 2016 · 12 posts · 5 votes
    5y

    @Ankan Basak

    I would tell the tenant they own the refrigerator and they can either use it and take it with them when they move, or you’ll repair/replace the old one yourself. I would never accept a tenant trying to bill me as the property owner.

    Also. Where is the old/broken refrigerator? Did they sell it, trash it, is it still on the property?

    3Reply
  • Max T.
    Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    5y

    @Stephen Bradford

    Nah fam. That’s what renters insurance is for.

    2Reply
  • Andrew B.
    Rockaway, NJ · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Account Closed:

    So what was he supposed to do? Wait for you to respond or replace/repair it while all of his food spoiled? 
    you were going to have to replace it anyway so what’s the big deal. 
    if I had to wait for a landlord to get around to repairing a fridge likely half  a***ed and jury rigged, or replace it when they felt like it, he’d be getting charged for all of my food that spoiled in the broken refrigerator and billed for every time I had to dine out until it was fixed. 

    Dont you get tired of making comments that no  one cares about?

    1Reply
  • Alex Abbott
    Property Manager · Seattle, WA · Member since 2021 · 25 posts · 5 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Account Closed:

    So what was he supposed to do? Wait for you to respond or replace/repair it while all of his food spoiled? 
    you were going to have to replace it anyway so what’s the big deal. 
    if I had to wait for a landlord to get around to repairing a fridge likely half  a***ed and jury rigged, or replace it when they felt like it, he’d be getting charged for all of my food that spoiled in the broken refrigerator and billed for every time I had to dine out until it was fixed. 

     They're supposed to inform their landlord. And if food spoils request reasonable reimbursement. That's how I would handle it as a renter, that's how I would expect my tenants to respond.

    Tenants taking unilateral action and demanding compensation sets a bad precedent. 

    1Reply
  • Ashley Herring
    Realtor · Lake Nona, FL · Member since 2021 · 36 posts · 23 votes
    5y

    I agree with @Nathan Gesner 100%.

    1Reply
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