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God do I not miss being a residential Landlord! I used to hate nonsense like this.
I think a previous poster is correct... with the high cost of the new light bulbs your renters probably just don't want to pay for them.
Side note of the new light bulbs... read the packages carefully. Mine were burning out very quickly, then I realized why... if you read the box (and I'm sure they're all different) it assumes it'll last 1 year at 3 hours of use a day. All of mine burnt out in six months. Ridiculous! Thank you government for getting rid of $.99 light bulbs that last years!
I've been using CFLs and/or LEDs for 7 years and had maybe 1 ever burn out.
The fixture in question takes normal, non-fancy bulbs, and can be reached by most people without even a step ladder, and as I mentioned the tenants are able-bodied 20-somethings, so I am relieved to see a consensus on this. Sometimes I wonder if there's a New Normal and I just didn't get the memo, LOL.
I think I was more annoyed that they not only expected me to purchase their light bulbs, but also to screw them into the sockets for them.
Yes, light bulbs do cost more than they used to "back in the day", but my position is that light bulbs are "consumed" by the tenants, just as toilet paper is (and so far they haven't asked me for that).
So I suggested to them that changing a light bulb is an important adult life skill they would do well to master now.
Yes, light bulbs do cost more than they used to "back in the day", but my position is that light bulbs are "consumed" by the tenants, just as toilet paper is (and so far they haven't asked me for that).
If incandescent bulbs are banned in the state, and the only option are those $10 each fluorescent coil or LED bulbs that last like 7-10 years, then I can get how someone who lives in a house for only a couple of years and switches out all the bulbs as they burn out in their first year would either take the bulbs with them or want the landlord to help pay for them. Think about it: a tenant could pay HUNDREDS (or thousands, in a large house!) in light bulbs that would last the length of the lease for the tenants after them (and probably the tenants after THEM too!) so I'd darn well take my bulbs too. They last 1/3 of a mortgage period. When you think about it like that, it isn't so crazy.
If the house is already fully equipped with the mandated (expensive) bulbs, then yeah, replacing them should be the responsibility of the tenant. It's just a little unfair to expect a tenant to move into a house equipped with incandescents, switch them to the expensive 7-10 year bulbs as they burn out during the first year, and then leave them there for the next two tenants to benefit from since they last so long, all while having to presumably re-buy the bulbs in their next place, too.
Just a different perspective. Where rent in a city is only hundreds per month, the cost of $10 each bulbs adds up for a tenant. Maybe bulbs are cheaper there. Maybe you guys have something in between 99 cent incandescents and $10 bulbs. We don't up here, so it's becoming a bit of an issue as the government phases out incandescents.
In the case of the OP, if regular bulbs are still available in the state, and the tenant can reach the bulbs, then they're being silly.
ETA: I just looked online, and there actually do seem to be more options now in the mid price range for bulbs in compliance with government regulations than there used to be up here in Canada. So my comments may seem exaggerated. Nevertheless, the point remains: if incandescent is what's in the house when they move in, and incandescent is subsequently made unavailable in the state, then they're entitled to keep their 7-10 year bulbs when they move out, or the landlord should help out with the cost. Otherwise they're being silly. They should of course install the bulbs themselves. JMO.
Last edited by AikenHorses; 10-29-2014 at 11:49 AM..
While shopping in the Walmart in Bernallio yesterday, I noticed they had 60 watt incandescent bulbs on sale. $1.00 for a box of four... No crowds and plenty still for sale.
While shopping in the Walmart in Bernallio yesterday, I noticed they had 60 watt incandescent bulbs on sale. $1.00 for a box of four... No crowds and plenty still for sale.
Yeah, doesn't sound like it is a problem to find cheap bulbs. LOL
Yeah, doesn't sound like it is a problem to find cheap bulbs. LOL
I didn't even want to bother with them. Been using "fluorescent lamps/bulbs" wherever possible for over 20 years... The low energy bulbs keep getting cheaper and more efficient.
I have one incandescent bulb high up in the garage which has been operating daily since we moved into our current house in 1998. I'm considering what to name it.
The CFL bulbs around here are definitely less than $10. The most I've ever spent on a standard CFL is $7, but you can get cheaper ones for around $1-$2.
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