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This may seem like a silly issue, but I'm trying to find a tactful way to let my California tenants know that changing burned out light bulbs is their responsibility without coming across as condescending or rude. We have a good relationship, but they tend to need a bit of handholding on small things like this. I'm having an irritating day and I'm not feeling particularly patient at the moment, but that's not their fault and I don't want to take it out on them. Thanks for any words of wisdom you can offer.
I might say, "Purchasing and changing light bulbs is the responsibility of the renters. If you are unable to do it, you can purchase the bulbs that last 9 years and I will put them in for you. If you want to use the regular bulbs you will need to do it yourself."
I rented in Silicon Valley to techies from other countries, and students who never rented on their own before. So, I know what you're up against.
One thing I learned to do was not answer the phone. People will be shorter and to the point if they leave a voicemail. And I encouraged texting and emails for the same reason.
Then, I would normally respond quickly via text or email. In your case, I'd text/email something like this:
"Changing lightbulbs are the tenants responsibility except for the fluorescent tubes in the kitchen. Let me know when one of those burns out."
They may come back with "I don't know what to do!" Or "Our contract doesn't say that!" In that case, I'd ignore them. Seriously. They will rant amongst themselves and call a friend or use Google when they have to. The trick is to not baby them. Then the next time I see them, I'll be pleasant, as if everything is fine.
Otherwise, they will treat you like you're their mommy or daddy, where whining gets them what they want (in the case of students), or they may treat you like people treat landlords in a different country, which believe it or not, can be how they would treat a servant, depending on the culture. So, the trick is to gently train them on how things are done in America. State a simple rule "tenants are responsible for changing regular lightbulbs" and that's the end of the story/argument. Many other cultures figure that everything is negotiable, and it's a game of sorts, to get people to do what they want or lower prices, etc. But, they have to learn at their new American jobs that there are non-negotiable rules, and they will also learn how things work with landlords, too, if you don't get sucked into negotiations.
Because being a landlord includes having to say no a lot. I found the simpler the better - state a simple rule and don't back down and don't get sucked into a discussion or argument. Hence, using texts and emails are perfect. And while you're texting them, you can loudly swear about how stupid they are, etc., and they will never know how you really feel LOL.
LOL, NoMoreSnowForMe. Thank you for the empathy. My tenants are natives of this country, well over 30, and should know better, but I suspect their previous place was not well taken care of by management. They don't seem to know what their responsibilities are as tenants or mine are as a landlord. I have babied them for 3 years and I'm trying to wean them off the teet. After acquiescing to most of their requests, we are now in the "no" phase of our relationship. Fortunately, we do communicate mostly by text and email. Thank you for the advice.
LOL, NoMoreSnowForMe. Thank you for the empathy. My tenants are natives of this country, well over 30, and should know better, but I suspect their previous place was not well taken care of by management. They don't seem to know what their responsibilities are as tenants or mine are as a landlord. I have babied them for 3 years and I'm trying to wean them off the teet. After acquiescing to most of their requests, we are now in the "no" phase of our relationship. Fortunately, we do communicate mostly by text and email. Thank you for the advice.
Oh gosh, one of THOSE tenants LOL. I had those, too. Some are just cheap. They want you to buy their lightbulbs and who knows what else. Weaning them will be tricky. I had one one time who asked us to add a pole in a huge walk-in closet that had literally about 12 feet of poles for hanging clothing. There was one area at the end of one of the poles about 24 inches across, where most tenants would stack boxes, etc. She thought it was weird that there wasn't a pole there, and wanted a pole there. I told her, I didn't think the owner would be willing to do that, but I'd ask him (before I knew better to just say no).
I advised the owner to say no, though, and being a nice guy, he said he'd do it. I could just tell that this was one of those princess types and that it would never end if he agreed to do it. Sure enough. She even had him buy her room darkening curtains!! And he did it!! It never ended with her.
I had a first year law student actually call me up at midnight frantic because he couldn't figure out how to open the window. I said, you need to turn the lock at the top of the window so he could lift it. He actually said, "But there's two of them!" I said, yes, you'll have to put your phone down and turn them and use both hands to lift the window.
I learned to turn my phone off at night. I figured the worst case scenario, they could always call 911. And I stopped answering my door after dinner (I was a resident manager). They'll run you ragged if you let them - that 2% that drive you nuts.
Anyway, some tenants will expect you to pay for and do everything for them. Good luck weaning your needy adults LOL. When they move out because you're so mean, you can train the next ones from the start :-)
Now I just have to find a way to get the husband to change the air filter. I offered to do it for him, but he doesn't seem to want me to come over to do it. After I questioned him several times about the filters with no answer, I insisted that I would come over tomorrow do it for him. What do you know, he magically found the remaining filters I gave him (which should have been used by now) and texted me a picture of the still sealed, but slightly damaged filter saying he would change it, thankyouverymuch. Now I'm suspicious and don't trust him to change it. It will affect the efficiency of the air conditioner and a dirty filter will void my home warranty policy for covered repairs.
ETA: ...of course, I could ask him to send me a picture of the new filter inside of the vent, like I would a child whose chores need to be checked for thoroughness...
My last lease actually had a clause that stated that very minor maintenance (and changing a lightbulb was actually the example) is the tenant's responsibility. Although I can't imagine wanting my landlord around that often even if I didn't consider it a given that I'd change the bulb myself.
Now I just have to find a way to get the husband to change the air filter. I offered to do it for him, but he doesn't seem to want me to come over to do it. After I questioned him several times about the filters with no answer, I insisted that I would come over tomorrow do it for him. What do you know, he magically found the remaining filters I gave him (which should have been used by now) and texted me a picture of the still sealed, but slightly damaged filter saying he would change it, thankyouverymuch. Now I'm suspicious and don't trust him to change it. It will affect the efficiency of the air conditioner and a dirty filter will void my home warranty policy for covered repairs.
ETA: ...of course, I could ask him to send me a picture of the new filter inside of the vent, like I would a child whose chores need to be checked for thoroughness...
LOL, of course they don't want you to come in. Give them 48 hours if you want to be nice, but tell them it's not negotiable. That you need to check the furnace. I wouldn't get into letting them send photos, etc. If they aren't dealing with the furnace, there could be a major leak or something else going on they aren't telling you about.
We did 6 month inspections to check smoke detector batteries, check for leaks, ask them if anything needs fixing. I gave them plenty of notice so they could clean the place.
My last lease actually had a clause that stated that very minor maintenance (and changing a lightbulb was actually the example) is the tenant's responsibility. Although I can't imagine wanting my landlord around that often even if I didn't consider it a given that I'd change the bulb myself.
Every apartment I've ever lived in had something similar in the lease. They've even said that tenants are expected to own their own basic tools (such as a screw driver) and a plunger.
We always change all the light bulbs within a few days of moving in. Apartments always have the cheap dingy yellow bulbs that we replace with the soft white CFL bulbs.
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