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Ask the landlord. In theory its an easy fix but not one that falls under anything other then standard home maintenance that the landlord should do.
I am a landlord of a old house and had this exact issue. I am pretty good with home fixes but on that one I knew I needed a plumber because I was certain something else would break. I wanted the diverter and drain replaced. The plumber quickly replaced the diverter but when he went to unscrew the drain the entire pipe fell into the floor of the house. I expected something like that would happen.
A hole had to be cut into the bedroom wall on from behind the tub so he could find the pipe and replace the whole thing with pvc. You do not want to have to try to explain something like that to your landlord. The plumber was neat and I was able to patch the drywall using the cut out and had to have the wallpaint matched at home depot so I wouldnt have to repaint the whole bedroom.
From this LL's point of view....
With the terms of your lease a plumber visit would exceed the $100 most likely.
However, depending on the details of the problem, it could be as simple as removing the tub spout (if that's where the diverter is AND it turns easily) and soaking/cleaning off deposits, which I wouldn't mind if you tried first....IF IT TURNS EASILY.
Also with your lease and IF IT TURNS EASILY....replacing the whole spout comes under the $100 amount.
I would prefer you call and ask first to see whether or not your LL consider this a danger filled repair or a simple one.
You might notice I kept stressing IF IT TURNS EASILY.....
With old plumbing and a mineral encrusted spout, no way would I want a tenant to attempt it nor would I want to, if I was the tenant.
- exactly. It is the type of diverter on the spout and I can feel the little screw on the underside that loosens the spout. That it might just need a treatment of something like CLR hadn't occurred to me. Maybe I should try soaking the faucet head/diverter in CLR while still attached first?
I've done some very basic plumbing things before like changing a shower head and changing out an old washer for my newer washer (which necessitated changing the drain hose) and haven't had any leaks. That's why I was debating doing it myself.
But good point about perhaps asking for a letter if the LL tells me to try before calling a plumber.
There seem to be two schools of thought on this board amongst landlords regarding what tenants should and shouldn't fix themselves. What do you think about this?
I'm renting a house from a private landlord and there's a clause in the lease for what I imagine is nuisance avoidance, that is, I can be charged the first $100 in repairs in the house (note: landlord didn't charge me a few months ago when a hot water pipe started leaking - not my fault, btw ).
The downspout diverter in my shower needs to be replaced. Seeing as how I'm a reasonably responsible adult and I'm the only one in the house, I know I didn't damage it (the plumbing in the house is rather old).
Now, I could either try replacing it myself or I could call him. I really want to do it myself, and I've read up about the repair and it seems relatively straightforward, but I have a (perhaps unreasonable) fear that I'll end up doing more harm than good. As a landlord, would you rather a responsible tenant do it herself or would you rather come do it or hire a plumber? And if you've done this repair before, am I right in thinking it's fairly easy in plumbing terms? Thanks.
I had this exact same issue a few months ago. The old diverter wore out; it was about 40 years old and literally broke in half due to metal fatigue. I had to order a new one from Moen. I had a contractor friend come in and replace it; there is no way I would have been able to do it myself, I don't even have the right tools for it. It took him 10 minutes. It would have taken me hours of frustration and gnashed teeth.
Personally I would get your landlord to fix it. I'd chalk it up to normal wear and tear and that's his responsibility.
In my mind, the $100 clause is to prevent tenants calling up asking for lightbulbs, or batteries to be changed. It is not to discourage the tenant from calling when there is a legitimate repair needed. If you really don't want to be a bother, though, just use a different shower in the house for a while (assuming the house has more than one). The next time you have another plumbing repair needed, have them both done at once.
In my mind, the $100 clause is to prevent tenants calling up asking for lightbulbs, or batteries to be changed. It is not to discourage the tenant from calling when there is a legitimate repair needed. If you really don't want to be a bother, though, just use a different shower in the house for a while (assuming the house has more than one). The next time you have another plumbing repair needed, have them both done at once.
Unfortunately, just the one shower. It's not so bad that I have no water pressure yet, but it'll get there eventually. And I think you're right that the fee is a nuisance preventative measure. As I mentioned in an earlier post, shortly after I moved in there was a hot water pipe leak coming from the bathroom and he didn't ask me to pay the $100 when the plumber came to fix it. Perhaps what I'll do is just tell him it's no rush: the LL is coming in early spring to clean the gutters, and if it's something he'd rather do himself he could just do it then. That way, I make it clear that he doesn't need to jump right in his car and take care of it, but that it is a problem that will eventually need to be fixed.
There actually seems to be consensus here that the LLs would prefer a tenant not fix something that involves plumbing. That's good to know.
In my mind, the $100 clause is to prevent tenants calling up asking for lightbulbs, or batteries to be changed. It is not to discourage the tenant from calling when there is a legitimate repair needed. If you really don't want to be a bother, though, just use a different shower in the house for a while (assuming the house has more than one). The next time you have another plumbing repair needed, have them both done at once.
We have the same $100 clause...and the quote above is almost exactly the reason my LL gave us for having it in the lease. Basically, please do not call a furnace repair man to replace the filter, or a water heater specialist when the pilot light goes out, etc... It's to stop very minor, simple things from costing the LL hundreds because (let's be honest), there are some tenants out there who don't believe they should have to lift a finger for a home they don't own.
There seem to be two schools of thought on this board amongst landlords regarding what tenants should and shouldn't fix themselves. What do you think about this?
I'm renting a house from a private landlord and there's a clause in the lease for what I imagine is nuisance avoidance, that is, I can be charged the first $100 in repairs in the house (note: landlord didn't charge me a few months ago when a hot water pipe started leaking - not my fault, btw ).
The downspout diverter in my shower needs to be replaced. Seeing as how I'm a reasonably responsible adult and I'm the only one in the house, I know I didn't damage it (the plumbing in the house is rather old).
Now, I could either try replacing it myself or I could call him. I really want to do it myself, and I've read up about the repair and it seems relatively straightforward, but I have a (perhaps unreasonable) fear that I'll end up doing more harm than good. As a landlord, would you rather a responsible tenant do it herself or would you rather come do it or hire a plumber? And if you've done this repair before, am I right in thinking it's fairly easy in plumbing terms? Thanks.
This is kind of off topic but you should not have agreed to that clause in your lease. You are in between a rock and a hard place because if you mess things up you will pay more, but you have agreed to let the landlord skirt his responsibility to maintain the property that was not damaged by you.
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