Does this make sense? A tenant complained he had a leak from his toilet. The PM sent a handyman and this is what he wrote in the description:
Request:
My toilet is leaking from the base
Description:
General Maintenance Labor - Had to take the toilet off I had to put a new flange on had to drill a hole through the metal put a new wax ring on and put the toilet back on and sealed it
They charged me 260.52$ for this. Is it a reasonable price or am I getting ripped off here?
I would like to get recommendations for a handyman if anyone has 1 to share either way... I would like to have the option to send someone I know is trustworthy and will not throw random prices every time.
most handy men have a 2 hour min plus materials. The flange is the part that connects to the pipe and floor, then the wax seal sits on that. So seams like a deal to me, a plumber in my area gets 600 min to do anything.
Property Manager · Grants Pass, OR · Member since 2009 · 429 posts · 201 votes
3y
While replacing a wax ring is very easy, even a do-it-yourself type task, it's not uncommon for plumbers to charge rates like this, especially in an over-regulated state like Ohio. Most importantly is to make sure it gets done right because an improperly installed wax ring will cost you thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars in water damage.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Aloha,
Perfectly reasonable. You are lucky that the subfloor was not rotted and needing replacement due to long term seepage. When was the last time the toilet was pulled? If it has been over 10 years, it should have been done much sooner as a preventative measure. Luckily no genius had caulked the toilet base, or the "leak" would not have been noticed until a LOT of damage had been done.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
3y
90% chance a leaking flapper mechanism in the back of the toilet would have taken 1/10th the time/effort and still cost you $185. That’s the one that rubs me the wrong way, but it’s done and I move on.
Realtor · Boulder, CO · Member since 2016 · 3k+ posts · 5k+ votes
3y
A toilet flange is $10-30, and a wax ring is around $5, so it would be under $15-35 for materials, but yeah any time a plumber pulls a toilet it’s usually going to cost around $250 minimum. So it’s in the right ballpark as far as going rate for the job. The one thing that might bug me if I were you is that you paid a plumber’s rate for a handyman, the difference being that a plumber is licensed and insured, and usually warrantees their work whereas a handyman is usually not licensed and insured, does not warrantee their work, and gets paid time and materials at a much lower hourly rate than a plumber.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Re-reading the original post, both the flange AND a wax ring were replaced. This clearly indicates the likely cast iron flange had corroded significantly and the slots would not hold new toilet base mounting bolts. I would expect that a "toilet flange repair ring" was used, which does involve additional work and time, and certainly justifies the reasonable expenditure. Usually with a handyman, you are paying for all their driving time to get parts. Licensed pros would generally have these parts onboard.
I also note, the handyman "put the toilet back on and sealed it". If this means he caulked the toilet base to the floor, well, refer to my initial response in this thread.
If you think that price is unreasonable do it yourself. 🤦🏻♂️
Some people think everything should be free.
I didn’t get that he was implying that , not everyone knows the costs of things, and he came to this group trying to make sure he wasn’t being taken advantage of
Wow I hadn't expected that many comments! Thanks all, I understand this price is very reasonable for the job done. I was genuinely inquiring out of ignorance, I didn't mean to offend anyone if that somehow was implied.
A tenant complained he had a leak from his toilet.
They charged me 260.52$ for this. Is it a reasonable price or am I getting ripped off here?
First I would triage with the tenant over the phone. Leaking from where? Oh, the base and floor.
I would grab my toilet bag and head over. Pull, repair flange,re-seat with new ring and bolts.
Not sure what re-seal means, but don't caulk around the base. This would take me about an hour all-in because my properties are only 7 mins away and I've done it 4 dozen times.
i would not hire a 'handyman' to do this. Do it right yourself or get a plumber. Too much can go wrong and you may not know until the floor rots through 6 months from now.
The only thing passive about having a PM is passively writing large checks. LOL
Does this make sense? A tenant complained he had a leak from his toilet. The PM sent a handyman and this is what he wrote in the description:
Request:
My toilet is leaking from the base
Description:
General Maintenance Labor - Had to take the toilet off I had to put a new flange on had to drill a hole through the metal put a new wax ring on and put the toilet back on and sealed it
They charged me 260.52$ for this. Is it a reasonable price or am I getting ripped off here?
I would like to get recommendations for a handyman if anyone has 1 to share either way... I would like to have the option to send someone I know is trustworthy and will not throw random prices every time.
Thanks!
The moment you said "this should be a hundred dollar job", the plumber/handyman would leave in no time with disgruntled face and the next guy would do poor job for three hundred bucks.
I talked to my handyman daily where usually I get this kind of job for $150-$200 , but he has to charge you that much because he has to travel, he still has to feed his one wife and five kids they have ; along with pay his rent in today's inflation, and facing ungrateful customer.
Consider yourself lucky they only charge you $260.
Does this make sense? A tenant complained he had a leak from his toilet. The PM sent a handyman and this is what he wrote in the description:
Request:
My toilet is leaking from the base
Description:
General Maintenance Labor - Had to take the toilet off I had to put a new flange on had to drill a hole through the metal put a new wax ring on and put the toilet back on and sealed it
They charged me 260.52$ for this. Is it a reasonable price or am I getting ripped off here?
I would like to get recommendations for a handyman if anyone has 1 to share either way... I would like to have the option to send someone I know is trustworthy and will not throw random prices every time.
Thanks!
I am in the Cleveland area I would have charged you $150 I am not a professional but this is a simple fix
Doesn’t sound that bad. Look people got to make a living. He did a job that you didn’t or want to do.Figure an hour for round trip(time) 15/20$ in parts. Hour of labor and I think you came out all right. There are people here that would say ohh just do it yourself. I’ve done my fair share of gut jobs and remodels. Pulling a toilet sucks. It can be a toilet that is never cleaned. You gotta get the water out. You gotta dry it up. Picking up toilet can be heavy. Don’t sweat it you were charged fairly
Does this make sense? A tenant complained he had a leak from his toilet. The PM sent a handyman and this is what he wrote in the description:
Request:
My toilet is leaking from the base
Description:
General Maintenance Labor - Had to take the toilet off I had to put a new flange on had to drill a hole through the metal put a new wax ring on and put the toilet back on and sealed it
They charged me 260.52$ for this. Is it a reasonable price or am I getting ripped off here?
I would like to get recommendations for a handyman if anyone has 1 to share either way... I would like to have the option to send someone I know is trustworthy and will not throw random prices every time.
Thanks!
Thats a pretty goo price actually. Theres a decent amount of work involved in replacing a flange. Not sure that he had to drill out though lol
Unless the problem was something else and the handyman lied (which I doubt), you didn’t get robbed. It’s an expected price.
Going through the PM’s general handyman will cost more than you getting the handyman yourself but not by much ($230). But you get a handyman that they trust and you get the convenience.
You could do it yourself and save. But you want professionals to do plumbing. Not the area to do cost cutting.
Still not happy about the cost? At least they didn’t get a chain plumbing company with a sophisticated call center and a van with an Angie’s List Super Service award on the side. They would have charged $850 or more without blinking. You might be thinking “Geez, speaking from experience?”…Yes, he is!
Rental Property Investor · Cherry Hill, NJ · Member since 2015 · 626 posts · 495 votes
3y
The end result is you got a fair price for someone else to do the job. In my market it costs $150 each for the toilet to come off and be put back on. So $300 for a plumber to take and replace a toilet.
The cheaper option is Task Rabbit or Thumbtack to get the job done. If you are using a PM sometimes they add 10% onto the cost or some PMs, while not ethical, will get the handyman at a cheaper rate and charge you the full market rate to do a job.
Bottom line, when you have a repair at your house, expect it to be $200 - $250 minimum, unless you have the ability to do the repair yourself.
Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2016 · 25 posts · 7 votes
3y
Yes, if he had to reinforce the flange, that’s definitely worth it. If he just replaced the wax ring, it would eventually leak into the ceiling below and seep onto the joists. He could have also just caulked around the base of the toilet, ultimately buying time but the problem would still persist. I think it’s a fair price considering without the repair, it would a $1000+ job in a few months.
Does this make sense? A tenant complained he had a leak from his toilet. The PM sent a handyman and this is what he wrote in the description:
Request:
My toilet is leaking from the base
Description:
General Maintenance Labor - Had to take the toilet off I had to put a new flange on had to drill a hole through the metal put a new wax ring on and put the toilet back on and sealed it
They charged me 260.52$ for this. Is it a reasonable price or am I getting ripped off here?
I would like to get recommendations for a handyman if anyone has 1 to share either way... I would like to have the option to send someone I know is trustworthy and will not throw random prices every time.
Thanks!
Nope double what it should be. I know a thing or two as I do about 150k a month in repairs. renos there.