Is the tenant responsible for replacing ballasts?

Question

Hi Bigger Pockets! Hopefully a quick and easy question;  Are commercial tenants responsible for fixing bad ballasts in the florescent light fixtures in their suites, or is that the job of the landlord?

The only lines in the lease describing who pays for repairs that could pertain to lighting/electrical in the individual units are these:

"The Tenant agrees to maintain Property in good order and repair, normal wear and tear expected.  If Tenant does not promptly perform its maintenance and repair obligations as set forth herein, Landlord may make such repairs and/or replacements and Tenant shall promptly pay the costs of the same.

....Landlord shall keep the common areas and all major systems serving Property and/or the Common Areas in good working order and repair, normal wear and tear expected."

Thanks in advance!

Austin Martel · Answer

I would say that replacing a ballast should not be considered normal wear and tear as the ballast is wired to a property fixture. Normal wear and tear, in my option, would be for the tenant to change out the lights in the ballast but not the actual ballast. This is just my opinion but I hope that's helpful.

Mike Larson · Answer

@Jacki F. I agree that the ballast is part of the fixture, and the fixture is part of the property. Something to consider is if you really want renters in charge of making lighting and wiring decisions on their own, doing them diy, ect without you having any say or control of what goes on in your building.

In an office I rent, the space had been spruced up in the not too distant past, but the lighting is older. Some bulbs were out when I moved in, some more went out over time to the point where it was a nuisance. I actually bought bulbs and replaced some, but in most cases there were ballast issues. Turns out the landlord and the local electrician had a deal in place. They came in, bypassed the ballast and installed LED lights that'll probably outlast the building and sent him the bill. Easy for me, and he knows that some wannabe handyman wasn't fiddling around creating a fire hazard.

Cason Acor · Answer

It might go without saying now, but this is a good lesson on what specifics to include in your future leases.

Josh C. · Answer

@Jacki F.

I might encourage you to watch some youtube videos on things you are having done so you’ll have some understanding for what something is or how involved it is.

I’m dealing with a client right now that paid a rotter router over $16,000 to deal with a plumbing issue. You could re-plumbed the whole house twice over all the way to the street for 16k. But she is new and had no clue. So learning a little about maintenance and construction could help you not get taken advantage of and also help you know what is reasonable and not reasonable to ask of your tenants.

Good luck and YouTube is your friend.

Josh C. · Answer

No. Have you ever replaced one? They are not easy. You have to remove the housing and ballast have like 10 wires coming off them. Plus if you hook it up wrong you can fry the ballast and melt wires. I’m not sure the average maintenance guy is capable.

Light bulbs, furnace filter, and batteries. That’s it.

Jason Turgeon · Answer

Depending on your state and electric utility, there may be some really good incentives for you to upgrade to LED lights. They'll save energy and money, you'll get a building upgrade that makes your space more valuable, and the utility will pay for most of it. Plus, you'll never have to deal with fluorescent ballasts again. Look here to see if your utility offers anything: https://www.birddogdistributin...

Mike Larson · Answer

@Jacki F. I agree that the ballast is part of the fixture, and the fixture is part of the property. Something to consider is if you really want renters in charge of making lighting and wiring decisions on their own, doing them diy, ect without you having any say or control of what goes on in your building.

In an office I rent, the space had been spruced up in the not too distant past, but the lighting is older. Some bulbs were out when I moved in, some more went out over time to the point where it was a nuisance. I actually bought bulbs and replaced some, but in most cases there were ballast issues. Turns out the landlord and the local electrician had a deal in place. They came in, bypassed the ballast and installed LED lights that'll probably outlast the building and sent him the bill. Easy for me, and he knows that some wannabe handyman wasn't fiddling around creating a fire hazard.

Scott Mac · Answer

Hi Jacki,

In my opinion, Ballasts are service life items (wear and tear) vs cinder block walls which are not wear and tear items.

Ballasts seem like maintenance issues. As in replacing burnt light bulbs.

The ballasts are separable from the lighting Trophers, and ballasts go bad and must be replaced. But not everyone knows this. So in the case of you two, a hidden (new to both of you) cost has come up to bite someones cashflow.

But Your contract is "Hazy" regarding ballasts and bulbs, and fixtures, so it seems to fall to you to decide what to do, while keeping in mind that drawing a lawsuit over this might be more costly than the replacement.

Good Luck!

Jacki F. · Answer

@Josh C. Uggghhh 16k yeah that’s painful.  Yeah I try to get at least three quotes for any project, and every contractor has a different take on the issue and different pricing so that has been helpful, but that’s great advice to do my own research as well. I’ll be looking at more YouTube videos￼ before calling contractors now.

Jacki F. · Answer

@Jason Turgeon looking into this- thank you!

Is the tenant responsible for replacing ballasts?

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