The False Alarm: When a Tenant Calls 911
(Background)
Lo and behold...
I finally committed to my first real estate purchase. At 25, it was time to move away from home and I bought a neat 2 unit rancher, with an attached in-laws quarter (unit #3). While I flirted with the idea of house hacking for quite some time, Scott Trench's, "Set for Life" gave me the extra nudge needed to make this dream a reality. (Plug--Thanks Scott and the BP Family). As the entrepreneurial journey of my real estate career begins, I am having a blast! I'm enjoying the responsibility and I plan to steer my business from the "slumlord" mentality (that many investors in our area have) to a quality portfolio with quality tenants. My goal is to provide my tenants with a beautiful place at a premium price, a feat I think is extremely manageable for the neighborhood I am located in. While this is how I scripted my business plan, I did inherit tenants.
Queue in the false alarm!
(Problem)
One month later....
This past Tuesday, around 11:30pm, I realize there is a Fire Police vehicle parked at my neighbors house. Followed by one firetruck--two firetrucks--
**Imagine the nosey landlord peaking through his or her blinds (thats me)**
I calmly watch them as they enter unit #1. My building... my tenants... is everything alright? I get out of bed and go outside to gather intel on the situation.
"Nothing is wrong." is the response from the fire marshal when I asked about the issue.
I tell them my situation as the landowner, and they proceed to tell me that my tenant called in because there was a weird flicker with there gas stove and the flame was burning orange. In addition one of the tenants had a headache so they speculated there was a carbon monoxide leak. Fortunately for everyones health, the unit was tested in every location and there was no leak. I am relieved of any anxiety.
Now, I keep getting asked who pays for the expense of the fire department. And to be honest, I'm not sure there will be a charge. I'm researching and researching, and I can find no suggestions saying that there will be a charge for the false alarm. Before I call in to the township, I'm wondering if anyone has information regarding a similar situation? How do you deal with a situation like this? I'm curious to see if anyone has other false alarm stories like this? I look forward to hearing your responses.
Thanks in advance!
Cole