Air Quality Inspection - Who Pays?

Question

I have a "high maintenance" tenant who seems overwhelmingly concerned with anything HVAC...from initial inspection seven months later.

Current Situation:  Received email "informing" me he has someone coming in to do an HVAC system/duct work cleaning.  Stated he and his daughter have been congested, so had an air quality inspector come in.  Keep in mind, it is high pollen season in northern VA....but this inspector told him the ducts are dirty, pointing out wood shavings in the base of the unit...apparently from initial construction...which doesn't make sense, as I personally cleaned/vacuumed out the coils, etc.

His e-mail isn't asking for payment, but it is definitely a passive way of asking.  I had the unit serviced less than 12 months ago and had ducts cleaned about 24 months ago...which that cleaning was a joke...got my money back at least. :-)

Opinions?  Who should cover the "additional" service/cleaning?

I'm feeling like picking up the tab, or at least splitting it him since it's a "systems" things, but he has been problematic from day one with trivial/helpless requests that continue to plague me almost monthly...even called me within an hour of arriving, that he locked he and his family out of the house, after a 12 hour drive.

I know the unit is in good working order....I just left the house, after living there for over three years as my primary residence.  It comes down to a "helpless" tenant who would be better served to live in a high-rise or complex with on-site maintenance for anything beyond changing a light bulb.

We've had issues before surrounding the HVAC...he didn't like the uneven heating (3400sf house w/ one unit), so I sent a serviceman out to verify working properly.  It was.  Serviceman adjusted dampers and vents (as I instructed tenant to do)....charged $180 (silly tradesmen and yuppies)....tenant was good enough to realize it was his own doing, so he picked up the bill.

Randy E. · Answer

If you're confident the systems are okay, I'd put all the bill on him. Further, I'd make it clear to him that if a vendor of the tenant's choosing performs a task of the tenant's bidding, then the tenant is fully responsible for any damages caused by the vendor. Put it in writing and have the tenant sign it before the duct cleaning company performs the service.

Also, it's no surprise this "inspector" found a problem. I'm certain the "inspector" was merely a sales rep of the cleaning company. It's his job to convince people they need to have their ducts cleaned.

Also, it's no surprise this "inspector" found a problem.  I'm certain the "inspector" was merely a sales rep of the cleaning company.  It's his job to convince people they need to have their ducts cleaned.

Randy E. · Answer

That's exactly what I tell them.  No tenant has ever moved from a unit because I said that.  In fact, they usually say, "No, I didn't mean that I didn't like the house.  I was just mentioning the issue so you would know how I feel about it."  Okay, now I know how you feel, and you know that I don't think the issue is a valid problem.

Some people are just natural complainers.  Complaints (or more generally, negative comments) stream from their mouths on a steady basis.  If you don't think their complaint is valid, there's nothing wrong with saying you disagree that the "issue" requires your attention.

Account Closed · Answer

I agree with this 100%.  How much longer is this tenant's lease?  You might want to consider letting him go when it's up.

One way I learned to deal with these types of high maintenance tenants was to tell them, in a nice way, that if they aren't happy with the unit, that I will let them leave as soon as they find another place.  You could just say you can't afford these kinds of things that you believe are unnecessary, but you can see it's very important to the tenant.  So, if he's unhappy, perhaps he'd like to look for a place somewhere else, because you can't afford to do more than is required by law anymore.

This usually shuts them up.

My daughter had high-maintenance tenants, too, and I helped talk to her tenants for her.  I sat down with them and told them that my daughter was barely making the mortgage payments and if the maintenance bills continued, she'd be forced to sell and would have to terminate their lease when it was over, so she could then put it up for sale.

They kept bringing up habitability issues - over ridiculous things.  I said that if the habitability issues became too costly, she'd have to just let the city condemn the place and just sell it.  And the city would be kicking them out when they determined the place was not habitable.  I explained that the city can't force her to fix things if she can't afford to, but they can disallow her from renting it, which would mean they'd have to move out.

They shut up, too.

My point is that you have to draw a line with this guy, or he'll just keep you hopping and spending all your profit.

Bob B. · Answer

Allowing a tradesman to perform services-repairs on your home could be a problem for you if he refuses to pay the bill.

I would not allow it as they are messing with your property and as Randy stated will try to up sell.

If you are forced to allow it I would be there and make sure you have documentation as to who is paying.

Good luck

Nate B. · Answer

@Randy E., Thanks again for the information.  Good feedback...especially billing name.

Randy E. · Answer

@Nate B., inform the tenant that the cleaning technician will probably try to upsale once on site to perform the cleaning.  My mother signed up for a duct cleaning from one of the companies advertising in the newspaper.  The service was supposed to be under $100.

Once on-site, the technician convinced my mother that the inexpensive service would not make her happy.  He tried to get her to sign off on an upgrade well over $1000.  They settled on a $600+ servicing.  I really regret I couldn't have been present for that visit, but that's the hustle these guys use.  Just make sure any duct-cleaning service is signed for and billed to the tenant, or you might find yourself liable for the bill.

Nate B. · Answer

Randy, Thanks for the response.  I wanted to go that way, but sometimes find it difficult to be "legalistic" and ensure it's run as a business.  Problem with being overly personal/personable during tenant "courtship."  It's not a friendship, it's business.

I'll likely follow your input, as having it hit his pocketbook may also help to slow it constant requests for menial things going forward.  Thanks again.

Air Quality Inspection - Who Pays?

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