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Posted about 15 years ago

Tenants Nearly Frozen to Death!

As I was driving into town at about noon today, I received a call from one of my Section 8 tenants. She said that they were nearly "frozen to death". Since that sounded pretty serious, I told her that I would be right over, I certainly don't want to have any tenants die from the cold. I knocked on the door and was surprised when the female tenant (the one that called) was wearing shorts and a short-sleeve shirt. I asked her what the problem was and she said that the kitchen was so cold that the water in her washing machine was frozen and that it was "ice cold" in the bedrooms upstairs.

Now I'm no newbie when it comes to operating rentals during the winter. I know that EVERY year tenants call to complain about the cold and about their utility bills. During the winter, I always carry two thermometers in my truck. So, I told her that we would put a thermometer in each room to see what the temperature actually is. Within a couple of minutes, the thermometer in the kitchen read 68 degrees and the one upstairs read nearly 70 degrees! Hardly cold enough to "freeze to death". As I did a little more looking, I determined that the tenants had placed things over the registers in both rooms. So, I instructed the tenants to uncover the registers and expressed my sincere belief that they would indeed survive!

Never underestimate a tenant's ability to exaggerate and be dramatic!!!

Michael Rossi is the author of 1 Minute to Rental Property Riches, which is the only book that tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the rental property business. You won't find any guru motivational nonsense; unrealistic hype; or promises of instant riches without work in this book. What you will find is the critical information that you need to start, build, and operate a successful rental property business. And if you're wondering about the title of the book, 1 Minute to Rental Property Riches, it's a sarcasm of the silly guru infomercials that promise untold riches without work - which we all know is RIDICULOUS!

If you'd like to read more about the book, check it out at www.1MinuteToRentalPropertyRiches.com. When you're ready to buy, you'll get the best price and fastest delivery from the bookstore right here on BiggerPockets!

 


Comments (2)

  1. Many tenants are just plain stupid! That is exactly why they are tenants, because they go through their entire idiotic lives without ever becoming responsibe for their lives or their actions. It's like dealing like a class of 2nd graders!


  2. One of my tenants called this week complaining about the low temperatures in his apartment. He was honest enough to tell me that he went on a four day trip leaving his window open for his cat to have some fresh air. I wonder if they think about landlords as some kind of surrogate parents: "It's OK, you are fine, you are not cold, everything is fine, dear".