Unncessary Maintenance

[ilusiv]

I've got some tenants in my rental that are generally pretty good.

However, yesterday, they messaged me, fairly urgently saying that the oven had stopped working and wanting me to arrange a repair man asap.

They story was that the top elements were working fine, the side powerpoints worked, but the interior oven was not working. As they were good I took their word for it.

I was thinking fuse, but as im not electrically minded, I organised an appliance repair man to come around to fix the problem the next day.

He turns up, takes one look at it , turns the timer back on, and walla its working again (they had the timer off).

The technician is going to charge us his minimum callout fee (probably around 60$ i'd say).

My question thus is, can we charge the tenants for this, as it was essentially their fault I had to organise a tradesman for no reason?

[spaceman]

IMHO you need to pay......they asked you and you arranged for the repairman.....unless you said beforehand "if it's something stupid you'll have to pay"

you took them at their word and it's on you I reckon.....but hey it's only going to be $60 or there about no big deal surely??

Cheers
Spaceman

[DazRaz]

Haha, been there done that. Got a sparky in for a hot water cylinder not working. It was turned off at the wall. Tenant had lived there for years and didn't know what the switch was for.

You pay unless you discussed first.

[cube]

Pay, but let them know that you won't the next time.

[essence]

This is what is give to my new tenants (after I've done a credit check, internet search etc on them )

Welcome to the House!!!

A couple of points for you to consider –

• I have insurance that covers the building and some fittings (carpet, oven and Hot Water Cylinder) only. I strongly recommend that you have your own personal contents insurance. State Insurance, IAG, Tower, AMI, Vero are just some of the companies who can arrange insurance quickly over the phone. Just have a look in the Yellow Pages.

• Please report any maintenance issues; we will try to get this sorted as soon as possible. If you consider it is an emergency CALL ME IMMEDIATELY. Especially plumbing problems as these can cause major damage. Do NOT call tradesmen yourself to perform work that I have not authorised. If you do this, you will have to pay for the work. We have plumbers, electricians, builders etc that we use and are happy with their service. Do NOT attempt to do maintenance issues yourself. The tenant shall pay any callout fee or repair costs, where the fault has been caused by the tenant, or the tradesperson who attends the callout finds no fault.

• Anybody causing unnecessary and/or repeated disturbance will be warned. Repeated offending will mean you will be given notice to vacate the property.

• Anybody causing damage to the property will be given notice to vacate.

• Please, no hooks, nails, sellotape or drawing pins on walls (use 3M Command hooks or Blu-Tak only).

• Ventilate the house properly. This reduces mildew and condensation, which are the leading cause of asthma attacks and breathing problems. It is especially important to do this during the winter months

• You are on a Periodic Tenancy. Under the Residential Tenancies Act (1986), you are required to give 3 weeks (21 days) written and dated notice if you wish to end the tenancy. If you are sending your Termination Notice by mail, please allow 3-4 workings days for mail delivery.

• All vehicles on the property must be registered and warranted. No vehicles, parts, tyres etc are to be kept on the property.

• No rubbish to be stored longer than one week. Rubbish collection is on Tuesday.

• Enjoy the unit, any questions/issues, please don’t hesitate to call me on xx landline or xxx mobile number.

I get the tenants to sign and date it.

I had to take one of my tenants to TT and he argued that he'd not been told about maintenance call outs. I produced the tenants signed/dated piece of paper that he had acknowledged his responsibilities.

I won the case.

Something I've learned in this business - ALWAYS get EVERYTHING in writing!!

[donnyboy]

essense beautiful! I will use that. thx

[Keys]

Thanks, one of those items has been added to my TA.

As for the timer function on stoves, I recommend to owners that they are disconnected.

[TheLiberalLeft]

A minor but potentially annoying point is with blu-tack. I'd limit use to command strips only. Blu-tack, over time, takes the colour out of paint and wallpaper.

[Nice]

For the $60, seeing as they are good tenants, and this is the first time they have done it, I would pay it, but make sure they are aware of it. I've heard of this one before also, and any time a tenant calls with this sort of issue, I ask them to check the timer first. All part of the learning curve !

[Wayne]

timers are an old problem - next time you will be able to ask if they have turned the timer on. These sorts of issues are annoying but, I think, part and parcel of the tenancy game.

I had one the other day - PM says that Tenant called to say they had a serious leak in the bathroom (towels down etc) and should they call the plumber (I usually look at maintenance 1st). Said yes. Followed up later - condensation from the toilet bowl! Go figure - less than happy but what can I do?

[revdev]

If they are good tenants, pay the fee, and give them a headsup regarding future callouts.

For future reference, elements & plugs working but not the inside oven is the giveaway. Next time you get a sparky at the house, get them to disconnect the timer while they are there.

[mrsaneperson]

timers are an old problem - next time you will be able to ask if they have turned the timer on. These sorts of issues are annoying but, I think, part and parcel of the tenancy game.

I had one the other day - PM says that Tenant called to say they had a serious leak in the bathroom (towels down etc) and should they call the plumber (I usually look at maintenance 1st). Said yes. Followed up later - condensation from the toilet bowl! Go figure - less than happy but what can I do?

Perhaps the bill could be given to the PM. Why pay a PM ? Perhaps all the PM needed to do was to go round & check the property to see the problem or at least advise the tenants they would be charged should the fault lie with them.

[Wayne]

Perhaps the bill could be given to the PM. Why pay a PM ? Perhaps all the PM needed to do was to go round & check the property to see the problem or at least advise the tenants they would be charged should the fault lie with them.

is a good thought but generally I take it on the nose 1st time. Second time not so forgiving.

[ilusiv]

Perhaps the bill could be given to the PM. Why pay a PM ? Perhaps all the PM needed to do was to go round & check the property to see the problem or at least advise the tenants they would be charged should the fault lie with them.

I wouldn't bother. I only have two IP's. In my mind if you do good, thorough tenant selection and vetting, property managers are a waste of money.

[mrsaneperson]

I wouldn't bother. I only have two IP's. In my mind if you do good, thorough tenant selection and vetting, property managers are a waste of money.

Very good point. No doubt some of the PM's on here will rise to the bait..LOL