Tenants rejected to cooperate with my assigned contractor

[Bob Zhu]

Hi all,

I am a real estate investment beginner in Chicago. One of my properties needs to apply the basement waterproofing work, but the tenants do not cooperate with my assigned contractor. They said that they have to work during weekdays and cannot allow any people to do the job without their presence. They also reject to pay the rent if I do not fix the basement right away. Are they playing game with me? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

[Jon Holdman]

Yes, they're playing games with you.  You need to take control of the relationship.  Assuming your lease covers this situation, you need to tell them when the contractor will be there and what they will be doing.    If they insist on being there when the work is being done, they need to arrange their schedules to allow that.

I gather Chicago is a pretty tenant friendly area.  So, a phone call and a discussion with your landlord tenant attorney is probably a good idea.