Lease Clause Requiring Tenant to Accomplish "Easy Fixes"?

[Scott Smith]

I have a tenant who has called repairmen (which are then charged to me, the landlord) on a number of issues that are really just common sense. The most recent was filing a maintenance request because the toilet wasn't flushing. When the plumber inspected the toilet, everything was fine. After a lengthy back and forth with the tenant, we came to understand that the tenant's complaint was related to the tenant flushing the toilet twice in a row before the tank had filled (and thus, to the tenant's mind, the toilet wasn't working correctly).

I'm sort of tired of being billed hundreds of dollars because my tenant doesn't understand how simple things work. What's next - complaining the ice is melting only to realize the tenant is storing the ice in the sink?

Has anyone every put any sort of clause in a lease that states that the tenants are responsible for simple fixes like these, but the landlord is obviously responsible for bigger fixes (if equipment fails, if there is force majeure damage, etc.)? I really am tired of getting a bill every month for something the tenant could've fixed immediately with a screwdriver (or common sense). I realize this is a legal slippery slope because how do you define "simple fixes"? I guess I'm just frustrated but if anyone has similar experiences and solutions, I'd love to hear about them.

[Frank Chin]

Quote from @Scott Smith:

I have a tenant who has called repairmen (which are then charged to me, the landlord) on a number of issues that are really just common sense. The most recent was filing a maintenance request because the toilet wasn't flushing. When the plumber inspected the toilet, everything was fine. After a lengthy back and forth with the tenant, we came to understand that the tenant's complaint was related to the tenant flushing the toilet twice in a row before the tank had filled (and thus, to the tenant's mind, the toilet wasn't working correctly).

I'm sort of tired of being billed hundreds of dollars because my tenant doesn't understand how simple things work. What's next - complaining the ice is melting only to realize the tenant is storing the ice in the sink?

Has anyone every put any sort of clause in a lease that states that the tenants are responsible for simple fixes like these, but the landlord is obviously responsible for bigger fixes (if equipment fails, if there is force majeure damage, etc.)? I really am tired of getting a bill every month for something the tenant could've fixed immediately with a screwdriver (or common sense). I realize this is a legal slippery slope because how do you define "simple fixes"? I guess I'm just frustrated but if anyone has similar experiences and solutions, I'd love to hear about them.

 I included a clause in my lease some years ago that the tenant is responsible for the first $50.00 of all repairs since increased to $100.00. The downside of this is some tenants won't call you on some repairs, in my case, drips under the sink where the U at the drain pipe comes loose. I had a plumber some 30 years ago charge his minimum of $85.00 to tighten the joints to $150 to replace the pipes there. When my tenant complained about the problem, I pointed out the $50 minimum charge and he said forget about it. What happened. When he vacated, I found he placed a pail under the sink, and empty it. How do I know this? The cabinet is still a little moist, and the wood starting to rot, and I figured he forgot to empty the pail sometimes. 

I found the solution is in tenant selection. I choose an older blue collar worker over a young mama's boy who just left home. I got one of these mama's boy who called about a loose doorknob, and I told him there's two screws that he has to tighten. His answer? I can do that if you bring me the right screwdriver as I don't own any, and I don't know the right one to use. I could say to him "I'll have to send my handyman over and you'll have to pay him the first $50 dollars". Back then tenants pay their rent placing their checks into the rent box in the foyer and I told him he has to wait till I come by with a screwdriver set at the beginning of the month. I since kept a set since in the furnace room in case other tenants come up with the excuse that they don't own any screw drivers. A friend of mine, a landlord, sometimes charge his tenants for minor repairs, or write up a repair bill, have his tenant signs it, and deduct on his taxes.

Talking about blue collar tenants. I once saw the gutters all crooked at a SFR rental and was going to call a gutter guy to take a look, and maybe repair it. I got busy, then I did another drive by a month later and found the gutters all straightened out. Out of curiosity I rang the doorbell and the tenant was home and asked if he fixed the gutters. His wife spoke out. She explained he was laid off and sitting on the couch all day. His wife got tired of him complaining about everything and yelled at him one day "if you got nothing to do, get off your butt and straighten out the gutters you're constantly complaining about". He did. I offered to reimburse him for any money he spent. He showed me a box of nails he used, and explained the gutters got loose from the wooden frame, so he took them off and re-nailed it with longer nails. His wife, the boss, shook her head and said it's not necessary joking he needs the exercise. The job took two days. He's a member of the sheet metal workers union and gets laid of when things are slow.

Your choice. Mama's boy or someone in the Sheet Metal Workers union?