Help! Tenant insists there is a leak but repairman can’t find one

[Gigi Smith]

Hey everyone, I need some advice. I have a tenant who is complaining that his fridge is broken and leaking, but the repairman cannot find the source of the leak and said the fridge is working perfectly. There is water in the bottom of the fridge, but no sign of where the water is coming from.

This tenant is constantly complaining about appliances not working properly. I’ve always ended up having the appliance replaced because no matter how many times I or a repairman fixes it, it somehow “breaks” again. For example last year he was complaining that the toilet was too low for him and wanted me to get him a new one. I said no because there was nothing wrong with the toilet. A week after that he said the toilet is not flushing properly. The plumber said it’s flushing normally. Few days after that, my tenant says the toilet is leaking. There was water on the floor around the toilet but the plumber said there is no leak. The water came from no where. Said the tenant is playing games. Since there was still two years left on his lease, I caved and bought a brand new toilet. He was happy and the complaints stopped.

Now the fridge is “leaking” but the repairman says he cannot find where the water is coming from. I think the tenant is putting water there on purpose and claiming the fridge is leaking when it is not. The repairman took a look at it last night and today my tenant has been calling/texting nonstop complaining that his food will be ruined and his house will be flooded from the leaky fridge. I’m a handyman myself and could not find a source of a leak. I think the tenant is messing with me again because he wants a new fridge (the current one is only 4 years old). He has 11 months left on his lease. Also, his lease states that it is the tenants responsibility to maintain and repair appliances but I have been doing so all these years to be nice. What should I do? Do I call another repairman? Do I tell my tenant to handle it himself? Can I get the tenant out before he lease is up? I cant take this anymore. This tenant is driving me crazy.

[Nathan Gesner]

Isn't the answer obvious? Your lease says he is responsible, so remind him of that and stop accepting his complaints. He can put his own fridge in, put yours in storage, and swap them back out when he moves out. Or he can hire his own technician to evaluate it.

Hold him to the terms of the lease or tell him he can move out and find a rental that meets his needs.