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Updated over 6 years ago on . Most recent reply

Am I being an unreasonable landlord here?
Upstairs tenant in my 2 family brought to my attention a problem with water coming into the property above their front door. A $400 report says the problem is that the roofing wasn't finished properly plus the windows all need removal and reinstallation, a $20k job.
I am trying to schedule the work, tenant is away in August, so I propose to do it then. No, they want it done while they are there because they don't trust contractors. Fair enough. So I scramble to find someone in July who can start this week.
Now tenant is demanding to not pay rent during the time of the construction. I agree it will be a major hassle, but what are the options? I've already offered to do it when they aren't there. Only other option is to do it a year from now when the tenant's lease expires.
I even offered the tenant to break the lease but they think I am being unreasonable. Am I? Is it reasonable for a tenant to demand to pay no rent during repairs? (We have a standard NJ lease with a rider based on the The Book on Managing Rental Properties.)
Need to know where the market is on this situation...
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Most Popular Reply
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- Real Estate Broker
- 3412 S. Harlem Avenue Riverside, IL 60546
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@Lloyd Spencer it is not reasonable for the tenant to not pay rent if you are doing repairs. The tenant's job is to pay rent, period. If they don't like the place then they can leave. If they want to stay, they pay!