Appliance warranties intentionally invalidated by tenants

[Sara Valentine]

I have a 5 year Lowe's warranties on my appliances in a nice 3 bed/21/2 bath duplex unit in a very nice neighborhood. Last Wednesday  evening my tenant said the dryer was overheating. I told him it was under warranty and I would have my warranty service come out and do a full checkup. I called warranty service the next morning as soon as they opened  and made an appointment for Monday.  Tenant was impatient, and wanted to calll someone who could come right away  - I specifically asked (in writing) my tenant NOT to call another service because my warranty would be invalidated if he did, tand he agreed (in writeing - this was a text thread). The repair service person did not show up Monday - so I told the tenant I was rescheduling for Tuesday. He completely ignored my request and had a freelancer service person come out. Probably uninsured, exposing me to liability. Are there any consequences for him ignoring my written request and invalidating the 5 year warranty I had paid for that still had 2 years remaining? Also received a lot of verbal abuse about the +++++ing appliances, my ++++y repair service options, and the incompetence of my homebuilder who tenant says had installed the dryer incorrectly (installed by Lowes, because they won't warranty if anyone other than a professional  they contract with does the installation. Tenant also berated me for my 'inability to get the job done'... I have owned rental properties for years, but am new to managing them myself.  So I want this to be a learning experience.  THANKS SO MUCH in advance for any advice going forward with this.

[Kevin Sobilo]

@Sara Valentine, a few thoughts:

1. It sounds like you purchased the warranty. I would simply prorate the cost and bill the lost warranty value back to the tenant. So, if the warranty cost $100 for 5 years, then that is $20/year and with 2 years left that is $40.

2. I would not reimburse the tenant for whomever they hired. My state's laws give me time to handle a repair typically a couple weeks before a tenant can even consider taking an action. So, if a tenant does something themselves without landlord consent that is on them.

3. I would explain to the tenant that they are in violation of the lease by making unauthorized repairs and if they repeat that they can be evicted. I would follow up that discussion with a formal lease violation letter.

I wouldn't get bothered by how a tenant behaves. They aren't my friend. The relationship isn't personal. If they don't want to be cooperative and productive and speak civilly, I will simply let them know the actions I will need to take and if I need to I'll take those actions.

4. On a side note, I personally skip all purchased warranties. Basically they are a type of insurance and insurance companies make HUGE profits because they pay out MUCH LESS than they take in meaning that over the long term you will lose money with them. In addition, the service is often less than stellar and you are locked in to their providers.

The only time, I would recommend a purchased warranty would be if you are in a position that the thing(s) you are warrantying could cause you serious financial distress. So, if you can budget for maintenance and maintain adequate reserves, you will be much better off in the long run skipping purchased warranties.