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1. Broken porcelain sink - the sink is attached to a marble countertop with cement (not clips or silicone). I got an estimate to have it repaired for $1200. Plumbing disconnect and reconnect not included. A new countertop cost $1000 shipped. I opted for a new countertop. What should I charge the tenants?
2. Cabinet under broken sink heavily damaged and full of mold. They used the sink after it was cracked. I cleaned out the mold the best I could and cut out the rotten wood. I put in new wood but it's a different color. It looks like a bandage. Cabinet cost $1000.
3. Cabinet under Kitchen sink rotted out / full of mold from leak. I cut out the damaged part and replaced with new wood. Cabinet cost $750. I feel the tenants should have reported the leak which I would have gladly repaired.
You should not be band-aiding these things. Replace in its entirety and charge the tenants full price, including labor. You should not be playing nice with people who knowingly broke a whole sink and didn't bother to contact you, in fact even kept using it, which caused more damage.
I would also be looking very closely throughout the place for more hidden damage.
I had a good tenant for 5 years. They created some damage in the apartment and I wanted to get sense of what I should charge. I am NOT charging for the labor.
1. Broken porcelain sink - the sink is attached to a marble countertop with cement (not clips or silicone). I got an estimate to have it repaired for $1200. Plumbing disconnect and reconnect not included. A new countertop cost $1000 shipped. I opted for a new countertop. What should I charge the tenants?
2. Cabinet under broken sink heavily damaged and full of mold. They used the sink after it was cracked. I cleaned out the mold the best I could and cut out the rotten wood. I put in new wood but it's a different color. It looks like a bandage. Cabinet cost $1000.
3. Cabinet under Kitchen sink rotted out / full of mold from leak. I cut out the damaged part and replaced with new wood. Cabinet cost $750. I feel the tenants should have reported the leak which I would have gladly repaired.
A tenant who paid on time during covid and kept the most of your apartment in good shape is a win. If you made a profit on the apartment over five years, I would let it go.
My newly built house has a leak under one of the double sinks in the master bathroom. For what I paid the builder for this house, it should be perfect. Sometimes, you just have let things go.
I'll be renting to new tenants who have already signed a lease. New tenants moved out already. Didn't mention any of the damage to me. The security deposit more than covers the full replacement cost of everything listed. I don't think it's fair to charge full replacement b/c I'm not replacing everything.
Yeah - I've had that experience in the past .... being nice to the sellers of a small multi-family. They didn't clear out the junk from the buillding. I didn't think it would cost more than $300 dollars. It cost me way more than that. Being nice didn't payoff.
All the advice given above is spot on and you should heed it. Although upthread someone mentioned you have to weigh the pros and cons and financial outlay to make your determination whether to take them to court or just let it go. As for being nice, you are running a business. You are in business for what? To make a profit. Your heart has to turn to stone if you are going to continue to be a landlord.
Yeah - I've had that experience in the past .... being nice to the sellers of a small multi-family. They didn't clear out the junk from the buillding. I didn't think it would cost more than $300 dollars. It cost me way more than that. Being nice didn't payoff.
When I bought my house the previous owners who were moving to an apartment in Virginia somewhere were supposed to take everything. They did not. At first I didn't think it was a big deal, but they left behind some heavy and awkward furniture. Fortunately I have a brother and a couple friends who helped with the lifting, but we did scratch the walls on the turns down the stairs. Cost me some beer and pizza money, but more importantly a few hours worth of time.
I wonder if they thought they were doing me a favor by leaving their junk behind or something? Did the couple leaving follow through on their end of the agreement? No. But the house was clean otherwise. Worth taking them to court or trying to shake them down for money? Definitely not.
When I bought my house the previous owners who were moving to an apartment in Virginia somewhere were supposed to take everything. They did not. At first I didn't think it was a big deal, but they left behind some heavy and awkward furniture. Fortunately I have a brother and a couple friends who helped with the lifting, but we did scratch the walls on the turns down the stairs. Cost me some beer and pizza money, but more importantly a few hours worth of time.
I wonder if they thought they were doing me a favor by leaving their junk behind or something? Did the couple leaving follow through on their end of the agreement? No. But the house was clean otherwise. Worth taking them to court or trying to shake them down for money? Definitely not.
Same experience although a tenant left an old fridge which they knew was on it's last legs. It was a unit the tenant bought. Knowing this fact, I just bought a new fridge that is part of that unit. Pain in the butt to get rid of the old one so I was a little annoyed the former tenant left it but I just swallowed the cost on the removal.
1. The sink was damaged during their tenancy but did they cause the damage? Or did it just happen? Things break and vitreous china inherently has flaws. If it simply broke during normal use, the tenant is not liable. If you can't actually prove they misused it, then you are taking a risk trying to charge them.
2. You state that it was attached with cement not clips or silicone. Cement would not have accommodated shifting in the floor vanity and would not have allowed for expansion and contraction in the vanity. This would have put undue stress on the sink and could potentially have caused the crack. Do you have any records that state that this installation method was approved or recommended by the manufacturer? If you didn't follow manufacturer's recommendations then you cannot attribute the damage to the tenant.
3. Was the sink installed right before these tenants moved in? Depreciation for a sink and vanity is 5-10 years so the most generous claim you can make is that it should have been worth 50% of the original value. If it was older, then it's value is worth even less, possibly $0.
4. Can you validate the replacement costs? The costs you posted seem very high. Was this a luxury apartment whose rent reflected that? You can't use this repair to upgrade, merely to replace. Like in kind. If you had a 'builder's special vanity, then that is the most the tenant would be responsible for--depending on the answers to everything above.
5. What process did you have in place to report damage or request repairs? Did you periodically inspect the apartment? Did the damage happen during the move-out process? Can you be certain that they were neglectful in reporting the damage and that thus caused the mold?
Remember, the purpose of a deposit is to cover damage--not normal wear and tear. After five years, something is going to be broken and need replacement and/or repair. These costs are supposed to be covered by profit you gained from the monthly rent you charged. Not from the deposit.
And be careful--depending on where you are, attempting to withhold the deposit without legitimate reason could cost you dearly. In some places, they could sue you for 3x the deposit for wrongfully charging them.
I had a good tenant for 5 years. They created some damage in the apartment and I wanted to get sense of what I should charge. I am NOT charging for the labor.
1. Broken porcelain sink - the sink is attached to a marble countertop with cement (not clips or silicone). I got an estimate to have it repaired for $1200. Plumbing disconnect and reconnect not included. A new countertop cost $1000 shipped. I opted for a new countertop. What should I charge the tenants?
2. Cabinet under broken sink heavily damaged and full of mold. They used the sink after it was cracked. I cleaned out the mold the best I could and cut out the rotten wood. I put in new wood but it's a different color. It looks like a bandage. Cabinet cost $1000.
3. Cabinet under Kitchen sink rotted out / full of mold from leak. I cut out the damaged part and replaced with new wood. Cabinet cost $750. I feel the tenants should have reported the leak which I would have gladly repaired.
OP, they were there for 5 years. You had the right to annual inspections. What happened during those inspections? Did you not discover the damage before rot had set in? There's got to be more to this story. It sounds to me like you either didn't do inspections at all, or weren't thorough in that process. I always keep an eye out for any potential source of water damage, and nip it in the bud whenever possible.
I had a good tenant for 5 years. They created some damage in the apartment and I wanted to get sense of what I should charge. I am NOT charging for the labor.
1. Broken porcelain sink - the sink is attached to a marble countertop with cement (not clips or silicone). I got an estimate to have it repaired for $1200. Plumbing disconnect and reconnect not included. A new countertop cost $1000 shipped. I opted for a new countertop. What should I charge the tenants?
2. Cabinet under broken sink heavily damaged and full of mold. They used the sink after it was cracked. I cleaned out the mold the best I could and cut out the rotten wood. I put in new wood but it's a different color. It looks like a bandage. Cabinet cost $1000.
3. Cabinet under Kitchen sink rotted out / full of mold from leak. I cut out the damaged part and replaced with new wood. Cabinet cost $750. I feel the tenants should have reported the leak which I would have gladly repaired.
How does one break a porcelain sink, NOT on purpose?
I can see a sledge hammer, but that would be outside the realm of "normal wear & tear..."
I say you have every right to be made financially whole as in deduct your full cost from the security deposit. Take the effort to document what you had to do and present it with the portion of the deposit to be returned.
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