Anchorage, AK · Member since 2018 · 5 posts · 1 vote
I own a fourplex, and I live in one of the two bottom units, have a tenant in the other. I get a text while I’m gone saying that her toilet and bathtub are backing up. I call a plumber to come snake my drain after hours and it’s $600. A lot of wet wipes, and everything else, come out of all the drains during the process. My tenant tells me she’s been flushing wet wipes down the toilet.
Can I charge her for this when I have two other tenants? How should I go about this? Just suck it up and pay?
This is why I have a clause in the lease that says damages caused by the tenant are you be paid by the tenant. If you don’t have that in your lease please write up an addendum after this incident.
First, look at your lease to see what it says about tenant caused damages/charges. If nothing then you should revise your lease ASAP. If so, 100% yes. If not, I would say 99% yes. You might get push back on a $600 charge but she admitted to flushing things down the toilet that should not be flushed down the toilet.