“Honey, before you go out golfing today, there are a few
things I’d like you to take care of around the house. The air conditioning is out upstairs, the front
door squeaks, the gutters needs to be cleaned, the back latch is sticking, the
front bushes need to be trimmed…”
(Cutting his wife off while rushing out the door) “Can’t
you just put it in an e-mail and send it to the landlord? I assume that’s why we pay rent around
here!?!? That nonsensical interruption may
have just cost me a few practices hits with my new driver!”
I wish things worked for me like that. Something in my house breaks? Send an e-mail to the landlord and wait for
the repairs to be addressed at no cost. And
now that there is Wi-Fi on the golf course and the pool, this whole delegating
thing would be even easier! Renting would
really trump owning, that’s for sure.
I refer to this as “genie property management.” Get the lamp out, rub it a few times, and get
countless free repair requests.
But much like a genie, this is (or should be) fiction. Landlords are not genies. With that being said, my three thoughts to
determine viable tenant repair requests are:
1. The landlord needs
to keep the house at code. The major
systems that worked (including appliances) should continue to work throughout
the tenancy. That’s written into most
leases to protect the tenant. Stay on
the right side of the law! Plus, it’s
the right thing to do.
2. Myth: When renting
a home, a tenant will never have to pay anything outside of rent and utilities
for the house. That is very false. This expectation should be expressed
explicitly during the lease signing. Both
parties have responsibilities to each other.
As it has been said, it takes two to tango.
3. A good maintenance
addendum to the lease is paramount to ward off even the scent of genie property
management. Tenant repair and
maintenance responsibilities should be spelled out explicitly so everyone is on
the same page.
So that brings up the inevitable question: so (ha ha ha), you’re
a proponent of “slumlord management”, are ye?
Hardly! When tenants move into a
home, every major system should work! If
there was ever an expectation that something major wasn’t going to work, the
tenant should know about it before signing the lease. And if one of the major systems breaks due to
normal wear and tear during the lease, landlords should address it at their
expense immediately. I would want that
done for me if I was renting.
But what I’m not a proponent of is “slumlord tenancy” (ha ha
ha?). Houses are expensive and need to
be maintained. If a home inspection
uncovers that the air filters have never been changed, the yard is unkempt,
leaves are spilling out of the gutters, all light bulbs are burned out, etc.
this is an issue! These are not landlord
responsibilities. On-time rent is great
(thanks!) but it doesn’t give a tenant license to ignore the other
responsibilities in the lease and maintenance addendum. And if something breaks due to misuse
(pouring hot oil down the garbage disposal, anyone?), I don’t think it is fair
to expect the landlord to pay for it.
That’s not normal wear and tear and it seems unreasonable for the
responsible party to expect the landlord to pay the bill for that.
Yes, if I was renting, I would wish my landlord was a genie! But having Santa around to bring my family
gifts in December each year would be a nice thing too.
Alas, all is not lost.
It still can feel like Christmas year round. When each party does their part, the house
stays maintained, things work well, and the Christmas spirit will abound for
all!
BTW, the e-mail response to the tenants from their repair
request:
Dear Valued Tenant,
Thank you for your e-mail sharing your repair
issues. I’m sorry to hear about
them. See my notes below:
1. The AC upstairs-
we will send someone out to fix it ASAP.
Can the technician call you on the 5641 phone number we have on file?
2. The front and
back door: please try some WD-40 and spray the locks. That usually does the trick!
3. The clogged
gutters and front bushes: per the maintenance addendum signed with the lease,
this is a tenant responsibility. Can you
make sure they are taken care of ASAP?
If you could e-mail us a few pictures after they are done, that would be
great. The owner appreciates you taking
care of the home and we need to make sure we are no one is fined by the HOA for
non-compliance.
Thanks & have a great weekend!
Brett Furniss is the head property manager of BDF Realty (Charlotte Residential
Property Management), the trusted real estate advisor for Charlotte
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