Tenant overloading washer/dryer

Investor · efrat, israel · Member since 2014 · 93 posts · 20 votes

Thank you to anyone who can advise me in this situation. Tenants complained that the washer and dryer are not working. I sent a technician to trouble shoot. He said the washer would not empty because it was off balance and it was off balance due to the tenants overloading it. He said there is nothing wrong with the dryer other than the tenabts overloading it and then expecting it to dry everything..quickly. These are relatively new machines and it is the second time I have had someone out for troubleshooting. I did not pass any charges on to my tenants the first time. Now I think I will have to do so as they do not really want to be compliant with not overloading.....how would you handle this?

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Scott Mac

Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes

Polite, non-accusatory-ask for help.

Ring Ring Ring, Hello, this is Shoshana, we had a service person out today to look at those pesky driers, he said they were stopping because they were loaded too full.

I don't know if your the one doing it, but can you please make sure you are not loading them so full they stop, because the repairman person is expensive, and I don't want to have start passing the cost of it to you renters.

Thank you.

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Scott Mac
Austin, TX · Member since 2019 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
3y
Polite, non-accusatory-ask for help.
Ring Ring Ring, Hello, this is Shoshana, we had a service person out today to look at those pesky driers, he said they were stopping because they were loaded too full.
I don't know if your the one doing it, but can you please make sure you are not loading them so full they stop, because the repairman person is expensive, and I don't want to have start passing the cost of it to you renters.
Thank you.
10 Reply
Bill B.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
3y
Give @Scott Mac 2 votes. This is the kind of free help on BP you couldn’t/wouldn’t know who to hire to help you with. It makes wading through the nonsense worth it.
4 Reply
Max Ferguson
Real Estate Broker · Denver/Castle Pines/Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2021 · 248 posts · 136 votes
3y
@Scott Mac
Could not have said it better.

Does your lease say you have them warrantied? When I renewed I let my tenants know they washer and dryer are there as a courtesy but once they fail they will be on the hook for providing their own set.
2 Reply
Ned J.Pro Member
Investor · Manteca, CA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Another reason I dont supply washer/dryer..... but I know that is common in certain markets.
As already stated, you basically have to politely tell them that if a technician is sent and the issue is found to be operator error or caused by the tenant habits, the tenant will be billed for the service call. This holds true for any repairs...... plug up the toilet with a bunch of stuff that shouldn't be in there? Tenant pays for that..... make sure you have those types of provision in the lease
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Henry T.
Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
3y
I never supply machines. Tell them to supply more information. What did they put in the machine? How much did they put in? itemize. Send pictures. take a video of problem.. open lid, take more pictures. press Stop. give me a call. I will come and verify. Are they 21 or 60, experience makes a difference sometimes.
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Colleen F.Pro Member
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
3y
@Shoshana Shulman how does the manual describe a full load? Post and send out an email on what full load is. For front loaders typically they say something like you should have two fists worth of space at the top or similar. Let people know not to put large comforters in the machines. Max is twin for alot of machine.
1 Reply
Peter TverdovBusiness Member
Developer · New Brunswick, NJ · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
You charge them. Anytime we send out an appliance tech or someone to unclog a drain clog we tell the tenants they could be liable for the bill if nothing is wrong or it was determined they caused the damage.
[email protected]732-289-3823
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Theresa HarrisPro Member
Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Ned J.:

Another reason I dont supply washer/dryer..... but I know that is common in certain markets.
As already stated, you basically have to politely tell them that if a technician is sent and the issue is found to be operator error or caused by the tenant habits, the tenant will be billed for the service call. This holds true for any repairs...... plug up the toilet with a bunch of stuff that shouldn't be in there? Tenant pays for that..... make sure you have those types of provision in the lease

There are pros and cons to not supplying the washer and dryer. One con is if they aren't installed properly, you can have water damage not to mention damage from moving them in and out.
2 Reply
Pat L.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
3y
we went from inherited high maintenance coin operated to scratch & dent free use. We raised each of the 4 units rent $50/month to cover costs. I also hooked up a meter to audit KWH usage & it was lower than expected running <$35/month.
An electric dryer o/load was the only issue blowing a $15 thermal fuse. It happened twice & they haven't overloaded it since as it was conveniently down mid-winter for 3 weeks, "waiting for parts". Going on 6 years & no issues since, one tenant owns a cleaning company so he keeps the laundry room in great shape.
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Colleen F.Pro Member
Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
3y
@Pat L. but isn't water the bigger cost or I guess its cheaper by you?
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JD MartinBusiness Member
Moderator
Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
3y
Before your tenants signed the lease there should have been something in it that described this situation. As an example, from our lease, in the section regarding repairs:
"Tenant is responsible for maintaining plumbing, heating, and electrical systems in a proper manner and will be billed for any repairs or service calls necessitated by failure to maintain. Proper maintenance includes, but is not limited to: changing heating & air filters on a regular basis; not flushing anything in toilets other than toilet paper (including "flushable" wipes); using proper plugs and extension cords in outlets; and other such events."

You should have similar language for anything that you provide that the tenant is expected to maintain as part of their tenancy.

bills.

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Pat L.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
3y
@Colleen F. yes the expense of water was a consideration, but the rent increase more than compensated. Currently the water for that building runs about $115/month. Interesting but expected, the latter did increase after 2 of the tenants had babies.
1 Reply
Caitlin Cartwright
Rental Property Investor · Palm Springs, CA · Member since 2023 · 20 posts · 9 votes
3y
Quote from @Shoshana Shulman:

Thank you to anyone who can advise me in this situation. Tenants complained that the washer and dryer are not working. I sent a technician to trouble shoot. He said the washer would not empty because it was off balance and it was off balance due to the tenants overloading it. He said there is nothing wrong with the dryer other than the tenabts overloading it and then expecting it to dry everything..quickly. These are relatively new machines and it is the second time I have had someone out for troubleshooting. I did not pass any charges on to my tenants the first time. Now I think I will have to do so as they do not really want to be compliant with not overloading.....how would you handle this?

Does this washing machine happen to be a Samsung?

And this specific scenario just happened to me; I have had three very specific and clear conversations with my two tenants about the sensitivity of the machine and how their laundry day will go much more smoothly if they just break up a huge load into maybe two or three smaller ones.

Last week the tenants sent me a complaint via text, noting that they had been washing the same load, over and over, from 6pm until 11pm, over and over, because the machine “kept filling up with water” (trying to re-balance itself).

I asked for a picture and sure enough the machine was filled to the brim with huge beach towels, jeans, sweatshirts, you name it.

As I am sure you can guess, this is not the only issue with these two and the issues seem to be gaining speed as they continue to go downhill, so I decided this is where my limit is, as I have really taken the time to talk about it extensively with them. I sent a notice of non-renewal of their lease (month-to-month) the next day.
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