Tenants asking me to pay for their negligence

[Nat C.]

I'm looking for a document to give to tenants which outlines what is a tenants responsibility and what is a landlords responsibility.

This week I've had tenants calling me with some pretty outrageous requests-

'We accidentally put a hole in the wall; can you come and fix it?'

'The sink is clogged, can you send a plumber?'

I'm looking for a document with an extensive list of examples that shows what a landlord is required to fix as opposed to repairs which are needed as a result of tenant negligence/damage.

I also want to get them to sign a document which states that if the handyman attends the property and the tenant is found to be responsible, that they will be required to pay for it.

Tenants are signing new leases next month, so I want to ad it as an addendum to the lease.

Does anyone have something like this they can email to me?

[Joel Owens]

If the tenant is responsible in the lease for those items then the tenant needs to pay for them.

If a worker goes out there to fix the problem they shouldn't start the work until paid in full with cash or certified check from the tenants.

If they do the work and you try to bill the tenants the money will never show up to reimburse you. I have also seen tenants lie and say the landlord owes me money or I paid the landlord already etc. The person does the job and never gets the money. To save the relationship you end up paying the handyman what the tenant should have.

If the tenant agrees to pay upfront and signs a statement that the money applied is for (list repairs) caused by tenant damages and that no money paid is going toward the monthly rent then you will know their intentions.

If they will not agree to something like that then you know they are out to screw you in some way. Clogged sink and hole in wall a handyman can generally fix for maybe 75 bucks to 100. A plumber or drywall person will charge you a mint (much more).

No legal advice