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If the unit is not habitable you have zero obligation to stay... and with a letter from jurisdiction having authority so much the better.
I have worked in retail and sales for a time... never have customers been shy in demanding the service or good paid for... otherwise they are out the door never to been seen from again.
Tenants have all the power and a landlord cannot stay in business without tenants... in other words... no one can force anyone not incarcerated to live where they do not want...
An angle I think is odd when these issues are brought up is “ how much do you pay in rent”, as if that somehow negates a landlord having to correct issues.
So only people with high rent get issues fixed?
Not exactly but I have seen where rent controlled units way under market often have management taking only the minimum required to be legal... I'm sure the hope in some cases is the tenant will leave.
One of my friends has lived in a small cottage for 11 years in the SF Bay Area... the rent has never increased and the front house is occupied by the 90 year old widow... they get along well enough and the rent is maybe 30% of what the unit would rent if freshened up...
My friend keeps saying what a deal she has but also says it would be nice if the owner replaced the appliances, painted and redid the floors... also on her list are new double pane windows...
I went through the list of items required to be habitable and the unit has no issues...
So in this case how much is paid is a factor plus the owner's advanced age and being house poor... she lives on social security and the rent pays the property tax and insurance...
I knew someone who bought a small house near Stanford U while he was a student in the late 70s. After he left the area, he rented it out to a family. He rented it at a below market rate, and never raised the rent. He left it the same for TWENTY YEARS, while he lived in another part of the country, just let it appreciate. I think the only thing he ever did for it was put on a new roof. The tenants, knowing they had the deal of a lifetime, never ever bothered him for anything. He sold it 20 yrs later, at an immense profit. It paid for his kids to go to college and graduate school.
So yes, if someone has a below-market rental, and wants the LL to not raise the rent, they take care of all but the most major repairs themselves, unless they want the rent to be raised to market level.
I have some families like this... they never bother about anything except for something like a water heater... no drama, no complaints and no service calls...
Don't have any for 20 years without an increase... I have had families go half that.
I have one now that is 5 years and they are moving out... bought a Bay Area home and asked that their adult son and his girlfriend take over the lease... I told them the rent would be higher... they did not expect that.
I knew someone who bought a small house near Stanford U while he was a student in the late 70s. After he left the area, he rented it out to a family. He rented it at a below market rate, and never raised the rent. He left it the same for TWENTY YEARS, while he lived in another part of the country, just let it appreciate. I think the only thing he ever did for it was put on a new roof. The tenants, knowing they had the deal of a lifetime, never ever bothered him for anything. He sold it 20 yrs later, at an immense profit. It paid for his kids to go to college and graduate school.
So yes, if someone has a below-market rental, and wants the LL to not raise the rent, they take care of all but the most major repairs themselves, unless they want the rent to be raised to market level.
This to me is kind of touch and Go though. If I have my guy come in and do all the repairs, is the LL okay with this? Do they want to know the person? Where is the line drawn?
Great in theory, but a landlord generally wants to know what’s going on in their property, and I’m not sure I’d trust them enough to know I wouldn’t be held to the fire when it’s time to move out.
People aren’t in the landlord business to provide a charity service, nobody is operating at a loss. The notion expressed sometimes on here doesn’t make Sense to me. Low rent is because the place is a dump and can’t get high spending renters, the landlord doesn’t want to put in any effort tonthe rental, or they like their tenants. It’s not to do the tenants a favor.
As long as you're renting- an apartment or house, it should be the landlords responsibility. We don't own this house and we aren't fixing anything and we sure as heck aren't putting any money into giving anything.
Part and parcel with fixing is who is causing the damage?
I find ideal tenants rarely if ever damage things and if they do... they own up to it... my rentals are turned over in excellent condition and they take care to keep it this way.
Clearly if the roof is leaking, the heater goes out, a pipe leaks... I am on it.
What took a lot of my time and no longer does are appliance issues... I simply no longer furnish them...
I have many stories from the trenches that all went away when I got out of the appliance side of things...
Had a new smooth top range when the tenant calls demanding a new stove because the stove is broken and she has a dinner party in 3 days... I drop what I am doing and show up within an hour... the glass stove top is destroyed... I'm scratching my head and saying this is a first... just then little Samantha says I told Johnny not to climb on the stove to reach the cookies...
I wish I could say this is isolated but it is not... especially when it comes to broken windows, doors off hinges, damaged window screens, thermostats, busted outlets and light switches, smoke detectors, door locks, grease poured down drains, toys flushed down toilets, grease dripping from range hoods, light fixtures with twisted sockets...
Still remember the daughter of one of my tenants calling quite upset because her Mom is in the dark and has no electricity... I ask if it is just her mom or are the neighbors affected... she says how would she know as she is not there.
OK... I respond and find a circuit breaker tripped... strange because this indicates an overload... I reset the circuit breaker and it trips... I ask the Mom what she was doing when it happened... she had just started to vacuum... well, her vacuum cleaner cord was cut and shorted out...
Or a tenant telling me the yard light is out... I replace the bulb and tests OK... then I get the same call again so I replace the fixture and it tests OK and get the same call again so I drive right over... THE YARD LIGHT THAT WAS OUT WAS THE CITY STREET LIGHT!!!
Owning the property does not mean I am also your 24/7 repair service... and it certainly doesn't mean I am responsible for damages you or your guests cause...
It also does not mean I am your private decorator... if you do not like the floor covering or color selection do not rent... if you don't like doors on your closets don't even thinking of removing mine... this is something new over the last few years with under 30 renters... find all the bedroom closet doors in a pile in the garage or patio???
If the home has a lawn and the rental agreement states owner pays for weekly yard service and tenant responsible for water... not watering but the water used... don't disable the irrigation or complain about the extra $40 a month summer water bill.
If your home is broken into I expect you to file a police report... without a police report it is more likely than not one of your kids got locked out...
Last edited by Ultrarunner; 12-03-2018 at 10:20 PM..
Part and parcel with fixing is who is causing the damage?
I find ideal tenants rarely if ever damage things and if they do... they own up to it... my rentals are turned over in excellent condition and they take care to keep it this way.
Clearly if the roof is leaking, the heater goes out, a pipe leaks... I am on it.
What took a lot of my time and no longer does are appliance issues... I simply no longer furnish them...
I have many stories from the trenches that all went away when I got out of the appliance side of things...
Had a new smooth top range when the tenant calls demanding a new stove because the stove is broken and she has a dinner party in 3 days... I drop what I am doing and show up within an hour... the glass stove top is destroyed... I'm scratching my head and saying this is a first... just then little Samantha says I told Johnny not to climb on the stove to reach the cookies...
I wish I could say this is isolated but it is not... especially when it comes to broken windows, doors off hinges, damaged window screens, thermostats, busted outlets and light switches, smoke detectors, door locks, grease poured down drains, toys flushed down toilets, grease dripping from range hoods, light fixtures with twisted sockets...
Still remember the daughter of one of my tenants calling quite upset because her Mom is in the dark and has no electricity... I ask if it is just her mom or are the neighbors affected... she says how would she know as she is not there.
OK... I respond and find a circuit breaker tripped... strange because this indicates an overload... I reset the circuit breaker and it trips... I ask the Mom what she was doing when it happened... she had just started to vacuum... well, her vacuum cleaner cord was cut and shorted out...
Or a tenant telling me the yard light is out... I replace the bulb and tests OK... then I get the same call again so I replace the fixture and it tests OK and get the same call again so I drive right over... THE YARD LIGHT THAT WAS OUT WAS THE CITY STREET LIGHT!!!
Owning the property does not mean I am also your 24/7 repair service... and it certainly doesn't mean I am responsible for damages you or your guests cause...
It also does not mean I am your private decorator... if you do not like the floor covering or color selection do not rent... if you don't like doors on your closets don't even thinking of removing mine... this is something new over the last few years with under 30 renters... find all the bedroom closet doors in a pile in the garage or patio???
If the home has a lawn and the rental agreement states owner pays for weekly yard service and tenant responsible for water... not watering but the water used... don't disable the irrigation or complain about the extra $40 a month summer water bill.
If your home is broken into I expect you to file a police report... without a police report it is more likely than not one of your kids got locked out...
I would never expect the landlord to replace a lightbulb.
When we moved in, the sink was leaking in 3 different places and the toilet was running constantly. I’m not a plumber, and as a tenant, that isn’t my responsibility. And a plumbing issue is more than likely not due to misuse.
I would never expect the landlord to replace a lightbulb.
When we moved in, the sink was leaking in 3 different places and the toilet was running constantly. I’m not a plumber, and as a tenant, that isn’t my responsibility. And a plumbing issue is more than likely not due to misuse.
Depends...
My plumbing calls are heavily weighted in the tenant caused camp... mostly improper use of the drain... anything from grease/solids down the sink to Swiffer disposable and hygiene products flushed...
Had a drain back up that affected several units... took pictures of what was found... two dozens tampons and half dozen condoms... never an issue in 22 years and within 30 days of a new family moving the problems started.
Also have had problems where tenants have turned water heaters to max and where shower heads were changed out... I document at the time of possession in the rental agreement just like smoke and CO detectors.
The shower head incident required stitches as the tenants sister was staying over and while taking a shower the head flew off and damaged her eye... it was bad.
The sister expected compensation from me and the parents of the sisters threatened to get a lawyer... all I can say is I had proof my shower head had been removed and it turned out the tenants boyfriend had bought her one of the fancy heads and removed the one I provided.
The hot water was also an issue... a young child was close to being scalded... the water coming out was steaming... the water heater had been turned to max... again, I had documentation of the setting at the time of possession.
A properly prepared unit should have few problems... I check all outlets, fixtures, windows, doors, locks, drains, mailbox, screens, water heater, fireplace, light fixtures, bulbs, furnace, thermostat... at each turnover.
Having a hands on manager makes telling tales much harder as there is continuity... especially with the shower head as they had all been changed through a water saving campaign and were brand new... I use the same at my home.
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