I just had a tenant ask about changing a burnt-out light bulb...
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
5yYes, my lease agreement specifically states they are responsible for certain "maintenance" tasks like changing light bulbs, batteries in remotes, etc. I once had a guy call because his garbage disposal stopped working. I told him to try pushing the reset button on the bottom of the disposal and he said, "Are you kidding me? I pay rent so I don't have to do stuff like that!" We've gotten to the point where pushing a button is too much work for some people.
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- 5yGenny LiBaltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 431 posts · 281 votesOP
Can't remember the last time I saw shower glass doors. They are the most hideous, useless and dumbest inventions by mankind. They get stinky mildew between the tracks, they get stinky black mildew outside the tracks and frames, they leak and damage the floors, the glass is hard to keep clean and I personally had a friend who slipped in a shower, fell through a glass door, cot cut bad, passed out and bled to death. When is the last time you saw glass doors in a motel or hotel. There must be a reason!
She said sliding glass door, so I'm assuming a patio door. Can't see how you'd get a chair through a bathroom door in a typical house while horsing around. I'm sorry about your friend. My husband nearly died going through a commercial glass door as a child. Both are supposed to be safety glass, so that is supposed to be impossible. In my husband's case, it was not safety glass at all.
In my own home, I have glass shower doors and absolutely love them, but they're pivoting doors with sweepers on the bottom--no tracks to collect muck. But the new shower doors actually usually have tracks only on the outside and nothing at all on the inside, so they don't collect too much grime.
I wouldn't put them on a rental, though.
Sorry! Guess I did not real thoroughly enough.
It's good for people to be aware if they have an old rental house that it might not have the kind of glass it should to keep people safe, though!
- 5yTheresa HarrisPro MemberMember since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
This doesn't say much for the next generation.
- Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes5y
Originally posted by @Genny Li:
Originally posted by @Huso Akaratovic:
@Genny Li I had tenant call me the other day to change the battery on the smoke detector.🤣😂😅
I lost my ****…..
I have left behind 9V batteries and will just charge them for whatever they use because every single smoke alarm had been disabled by the students who had been there before. There are no hardwired ones in the rooms (they're directly outside the rooms because that was the norm in 1998), only battery powered ones, so it would start beeping when the batteries were low and the students would just take the batteries out and never replace them. I just asked them to pay me (at cost) for the batteries they use, and if some are missing at the end, I'll charge 'em for it.
I am not sure if you are aware, but smoke detectors have expiration dates. They don't last longer than 10 years. We have gone towards replacing the smoke detectors with 10 year life battery smoke detectors. The detector lasts 10 years and you need to replace the whole thing. The other nice thing about this design is you can't remove the batteries. Sometimes occupants will remove batteries intentionally if they are smoking in the property. Some local fire departments will actually update smoke detectors for free as a service, but they may not give you the 10 year battery version.
- Investor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 708 votes5y
Yes, I have had my share of “trivial” service calls, but I’ll add that I’d rather have a couple of those than some overeager tenants who are neither knowledgeable nor handy but, because they know how to search YouTube, will try to “fix” anything themselves.
Case in point, I just had to replace an entire toilet in a unit where the tenant reported “some bad smell” coming from the toilet. He never fessed up to it (though his demeanor got very suspicious when I nodded him on it), but I’m almost certain, that he googled the problem,saw some Reddit comment that suggested tightening the two anchor screws and he went ahead and ended up over tightening and cracking the toilet. Very likely, what it really needed was just a new 2 dollar wax ring. Instead, I ended up having to replace the whole toilet.I wish he had just called me before picking up the wrench…..
- Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes5y
Can't remember the last time I saw shower glass doors. They are the most hideous, useless and dumbest inventions by mankind. They get stinky mildew between the tracks, they get stinky black mildew outside the tracks and frames, they leak and damage the floors, the glass is hard to keep clean and I personally had a friend who slipped in a shower, fell through a glass door, cot cut bad, passed out and bled to death. When is the last time you saw glass doors in a motel or hotel. There must be a reason!
My house was built in 2008 and my shower has a glass door. I have never had mold, but I also clean my house/shower regularly. I just stayed at a Marriot Residence Inn that was built less than five years ago and they have a full glass in the shower. It is very common and even more common in higher end showers. I agree the old sliding doors from the 1980's can leak, get dirty or moldy, but most of this is because of age. They are 30-40 years old. Realistically they should be replaced every 10-15 years. Everything new is temper glass, so it is shatters like a windshield.
- 5yColleen F.Pro MemberInvestor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
@Account Closed is correct they were the sliding glass door to the deck which is more surprizing as they are double pane. And the tenant thought they would just install a new (used) door and I would not notice... Not a new panel mind you, a down to the frame install. Sorry about your friend the older doors were often much more fragile. My father during one of his heart attacks collapsed and shattered the shower door. In his case it was a good thing because it got someone to bust open the bathroom door. I would not recommend that for an alarm system though and I definitely don't put them in rentals.
- Rental Property Investor · Portland OR · Member since 2018 · 2k+ posts · 3k+ votes5y
it goes with the territory! I rented to college students too..... and kids are learning how to be a tenant so teach them right and future landlords will thank you.
But dont feel bad, I have adult tenants text me to change light bulbs too.... maybe that is how the large apartment complexes do it, but I am happy to give them direction.
Love the idea of the book of "how to's" - Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes5y
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
Be glad they didn’t just swing a ball bat at the thing . Ask me how I know , never underestimate the stupidity of most tenants ! Most of them can pass for the third guy back on the evolution chart
🤣🤣😂
Skyline Properties - Real Estate Agent · Commerce CIty, CO · Member since 2018 · 127 posts · 78 votes5y
That's nothing, i had a tenant ask me to "come over and look at the remote for the TV" because it wasn't working. For needy tenants like this its best to tell them "no" early on. I've gotten into the habit of saying "yes, but it will have to be next time i come to the house". I go every two weeks or so to cut the grass.
- Real Estate Agent · Commerce CIty, CO · Member since 2018 · 127 posts · 78 votes5y
@Andrew S. On a similar note, ive done away with wax rings across all my properties, i like the Fluid Master rubber ones. So much easier to work with.
- 5yColleen F.Pro MemberInvestor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
In apartments with high ceilings since tenants don't have ladders we just change them at turnover to LED and they shouldn't go out. @Mary M. I do think some large complexes may do that if they need ladders.
@Genny Li I had a parent calling asking why it was so expensive to heat the place and how I mislead them. Geez that is what happens when you forget to pay the bill for a couple months.
- Investor · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 708 votes5y
Originally posted by @Jason Cacioppo:
@Andrew S. On a similar note, ive done away with wax rings across all my properties, i like the Fluid Master rubber ones. So much easier to work with.
Agree completely. Plus, I HATE dealing with degraded wax rings - you always end up scraping stuff that could be wax or sh... , or both... so it will be much nicer to replace rubber ones when the time comes. Just yesterday, I convinced my handyman to make the switch - I myself have been using the rubber seals for several years now and never had a problem - although, of course, I have not yet had to replace one of them, so I don't REALLY know how well they hold up in the long run.
- 5yMike ReynoldsPro Memberconstruction · Nacogdoches, TX · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
This one is going to be hard to believe. It's like a 3 Stooges skit. Wasn't my house but I helped a guy fix his plumbing this past weekend. One of his renters had cut a pipe because he was trying to install an outdoor faucet to the existing water line. He didn't think he had to shut the water off because in his mind there was no water in the line.
I asked him how did he think he was going to get water with no charged line. Exact words here.
"Duh, turn the faucet on dude."
- Rental Property Investor · Boston, Massachusetts (MA) · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes5y
@Genny Li @Cassi Justiz @Rodney Sums I had basically this happen with a lightbulb and my first instinct was to go ape@#@! on them, then I realized it was an honest question from someone who had no idea what a "typical" division of responsibility was. It amazed me, but then I probably amazed my Dad with what I couldn't do when I was young :)
- Real Estate Consultant · Cleveland · Member since 2020 · 6k+ posts · 3k+ votes5y
@Genny Li I can top that. Had to go to court YES court as the tree branch was laying on the neighbors fence and it cause her, ready for this, PTSD,,,,,,,,, Yes when the judge told her she lost, she went crazy,, or should I say crazier LOL
OK another, the tiny branch from a front bush was taping against the window , she asked us to come over, REALLY !!!!
- 5yBonnie LowPro MemberLender · Asheville, NC · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votesBeing as the audience seems to be college students I'm sure referring them to DIY you tube videos on basic household maintenance would be a hit.
- Saint Paul, MN · Member since 2021 · 35 posts · 15 votes5y
You guys are hilarious! I had a previous tenant "record the loud clanking that was waking her up" it was completely disturbing her sleep and she needed me to stop it. I listened to her 3 recordings.. its the waterpipe from the bathroom above her unit. Told her what it was and she asked if I could discount her rent so she could afford to go to a counselor so she could sleep better. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who shakes my head sometimes.. (and no she was not a college kid)
- 5yGenny LiBaltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 431 posts · 281 votesOP
Originally posted by @Andrew S.:
Originally posted by @Jason Cacioppo:
@Andrew S. On a similar note, ive done away with wax rings across all my properties, i like the Fluid Master rubber ones. So much easier to work with.
Agree completely. Plus, I HATE dealing with degraded wax rings - you always end up scraping stuff that could be wax or sh... , or both... so it will be much nicer to replace rubber ones when the time comes. Just yesterday, I convinced my handyman to make the switch - I myself have been using the rubber seals for several years now and never had a problem - although, of course, I have not yet had to replace one of them, so I don't REALLY know how well they hold up in the long run.
I just switched to these! They make me do a happy dance. I'm not super strong, so I waddle-walk toilets into and out of place, and adding the ring and having to be extra sure I don't gouge it with the bolts (if new) or get it on the floor (if old) is a pain. I trusted them because I liked their wax rings to begin with, but they aren't kidding about it being Better Than Wax! It's one of those little handyman pleasures to work with.
- 5yGenny LiBaltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 431 posts · 281 votesOP
Originally posted by @Bonnie Low:
Being as the audience seems to be college students I'm sure referring them to DIY you tube videos on basic household maintenance would be a hit.Yeah, I didn't have time to do the Video Guide To Your Apartment that I wanted to do. That'll have to wait until next summer! I'll record videos of me doing stuff like emptying the dust canister on the vacuum and cleaning the filters (kids, remember, so I supply the vacuum!), running the laundry, etc.
- 5yGenny LiBaltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 431 posts · 281 votesOP
Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:
Originally posted by @Genny Li:
Originally posted by @Huso Akaratovic:
@Genny Li I had tenant call me the other day to change the battery on the smoke detector.🤣😂😅
I lost my ****…..
I have left behind 9V batteries and will just charge them for whatever they use because every single smoke alarm had been disabled by the students who had been there before. There are no hardwired ones in the rooms (they're directly outside the rooms because that was the norm in 1998), only battery powered ones, so it would start beeping when the batteries were low and the students would just take the batteries out and never replace them. I just asked them to pay me (at cost) for the batteries they use, and if some are missing at the end, I'll charge 'em for it.
I am not sure if you are aware, but smoke detectors have expiration dates. They don't last longer than 10 years. We have gone towards replacing the smoke detectors with 10 year life battery smoke detectors. The detector lasts 10 years and you need to replace the whole thing. The other nice thing about this design is you can't remove the batteries. Sometimes occupants will remove batteries intentionally if they are smoking in the property. Some local fire departments will actually update smoke detectors for free as a service, but they may not give you the 10 year battery version.
The 10 year battery life ones only last about 7 years. I know because I replaced all the batteries in my house right before my daughter was born (that's what I do when I nest loool), and before she was 8, we had to replace all but one. The one lasted about 8.5 years.
I replaced all the battery-operated ones in the bedrooms because no one had written the date on them, and two were already nonfunctional. A hardwire one was still bopping around the supply closet with a 2013 sticker on it, so I'll replace the hardwired ones in 2 years, because it matches the ones that are hardwired now.
No one has smoked in this unit because roommates would murder them. lol. Every bathroom door does have dents from a chinup bar, though.
- Real Estate Broker · Coppell, TX · Member since 2011 · 5k+ posts · 4k+ votes5y
@Genny Li Hopefully they will engineer a forever lightbulb, so they don't have to be changed...or self charging.
- 5yGenny LiBaltimore, MD · Member since 2018 · 431 posts · 281 votesOP
Originally posted by @Bruce Lynn:
@Genny Li Hopefully they will engineer a forever lightbulb, so they don't have to be changed...or self charging.
Ugh. Watch out for what you ask for. They're now making LED light bulbs built into fixtures. It's a "forever bulb"....until it burns out and you need a whole new fixture instead of a bulb. And LEDs don't last as long as they promise, of course.
I love the idea of condensing dryers, but I see them right now as replacing something that can last 20 years with something a lot more expensive that will probably last less than half that. Why can't we have the bells and whistles and also reliablility?
- Flipper/Rehabber · Sugar Land, TX · Member since 2015 · 17 posts · 6 votes5y
@Genny Li sorry, Genny. I feel for you. I once had three medical student tenants in the Houston Texas Area not understand how to test a popped kitchen GFCI so I had to call an electrican. $150 service call later, the 3 brightest bulbs in the future of our healthcare system were once again able to resume their education and toast.
- 5yJon KellyPro MemberInvestor · Bethlehem, PA · Member since 2016 · 929 posts · 951 votes
@Genny Li consider yourself lucky that the students call you when things are a problem!
I've seen plenty (and lived in one) of college rentals where they wouldn't think about calling the landlord even if the tub was backed up for weeks or there was a leak in the roof and the ceiling was about to cave in...
- Rental Property Investor · Sioux Falls, SD · Member since 2015 · 9k+ posts · 18k+ votes5y
Originally posted by @Genny Li:
Originally posted by @Joe Splitrock:
Originally posted by @Genny Li:
Originally posted by @Huso Akaratovic:
@Genny Li I had tenant call me the other day to change the battery on the smoke detector.🤣😂😅
I lost my ****…..
I have left behind 9V batteries and will just charge them for whatever they use because every single smoke alarm had been disabled by the students who had been there before. There are no hardwired ones in the rooms (they're directly outside the rooms because that was the norm in 1998), only battery powered ones, so it would start beeping when the batteries were low and the students would just take the batteries out and never replace them. I just asked them to pay me (at cost) for the batteries they use, and if some are missing at the end, I'll charge 'em for it.
I am not sure if you are aware, but smoke detectors have expiration dates. They don't last longer than 10 years. We have gone towards replacing the smoke detectors with 10 year life battery smoke detectors. The detector lasts 10 years and you need to replace the whole thing. The other nice thing about this design is you can't remove the batteries. Sometimes occupants will remove batteries intentionally if they are smoking in the property. Some local fire departments will actually update smoke detectors for free as a service, but they may not give you the 10 year battery version.
The 10 year battery life ones only last about 7 years. I know because I replaced all the batteries in my house right before my daughter was born (that's what I do when I nest loool), and before she was 8, we had to replace all but one. The one lasted about 8.5 years.
I replaced all the battery-operated ones in the bedrooms because no one had written the date on them, and two were already nonfunctional. A hardwire one was still bopping around the supply closet with a 2013 sticker on it, so I'll replace the hardwired ones in 2 years, because it matches the ones that are hardwired now.
No one has smoked in this unit because roommates would murder them. lol. Every bathroom door does have dents from a chinup bar, though.
That is good to know on the 10 year detectors. They say they warrantied for 10 years, but often those warranties are useless. I have installed LED bulbs in my home for years. Early ones were advertised as "lasting forever". I have replaced some LED bulbs faster than incandescent bulbs.
On the smoking subject, I was thinking weed more than cigarettes. Maybe college kids don't do that anymore, but I figured it was even more common with all the legal ways to obtain it now. My friends brother died in a house fire at a college house. There was only one smoke detector in the house in the living room and the batteries were bad. I am a big fan of hard wired or permanent battery for that reason.
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