Why do tenants wait weeks to report maintenance issues?

Question

Lease states that maintenance issues should be reported immediately to landlord.

Even though I go over the lease clause before signing with tenants, they frequently wait weeks before reporting things such as leaks or clogged drains.

How do you respond?   Any way to train tenants better?

Damon Duperre · Answer

I am sure there are all kinds of different reasons why but a lot of times it is that they don't want you coming inside the house to make the repairs so they put off reporting it until a convenient time for them.

Jerry Bruckenheimer · Answer

Because the rent is due 😤

Michael Boyer · Answer

Lois, great question....probably many factors can contribute to a reporting delay, from tenants not knowing a lot about some property issues and realizing there is a problem (I know, I know, it seems obvious)  to them worrying they may be blamed or face an angry landlord or inconvenience or even fee or deposit offset....my best angle is to thank the tenant every time they let me know of an issue, keep it positive, reinforcing the behavior, avoiding blame... Sounds simple but if they hear an angry "what did you break now" versus a "thanks for catching that," you could see more willingness to report early.... Best of luck..

Jeff Gates · Answer

People are afraid to get on the phone with a landlord

Lois S. · Answer

Thanks for all the great responses.

Mike Wood · Answer

When I happen upon something that needs to be fixed, I often ask why they did not call before. I have heard everything from "I didn't want to bother you" to "I was afraid it was my fault", just crazy.

I once had a tenant with a plunger by the kitchen sink. When I asked what it was for, they told me they use it to unclog the kitchen sink. Huh, what? Then I asked if the garbage disposal is working (it was clogged on the side with the disposal), they said know. I ask how long has it not been working, response 2-3 months.  Turns out they had dropped a bunch of change in the sink (could have been their children) and the garbage disposal had jammed, tripping the overload on the disposal.  I was able to clear out the change and get it working again in less than 10min.  Why they don't ask is beyond me.

Candace Ellison · Answer

I just had this conversation with a tenant recently who waited a month to tell me about a leak. Then complains about a $100 water bill. Some attempt to hold the rent hostage until you fix the repair. Honestly, I don't think there is a way to train them better. I highly enforce this in the beginning before move-in, but some ignore it until it's time to pay then they act like you are a slum lord. When you find out let me know.

Marcia Maynard · Answer

Our tenants do it too. Continual reinforcement is key. When doing periodic inspections I catch a few. When tenants report a problem or I discover a find a problem, I always ask... When did this happen? When did you first notice it?

One tenant didn't tell me his oven had stopped working a few months after moving in. At move-out inspection time I asked if all the appliances were working properly... it is then he told me about the problem with the oven. I said, "Well, things do wear out and appliances do have a lifespan."... "If you had told us at the time you noticed it, we would have replaced the range at that time!" Too bad. He had lived there three years and could have been baking cookies! (I now use that story as an illustration to new tenants about the importance of reporting maintenance items in a timely manner.)

Marcia Maynard · Answer

Also, things can get broken during the course of a normal tenancy. We tell our tenants "When something breaks, let us know right away, we can usually repair or replace it quicker and less expensively than you could." The ones that are the worse are the ones that come up with lame excuses and/or denial.

Here's a short list of our most non-plausible:

Broken Window ("Broken window? Oh, my daughter's elbow went through it when she was trying to slide it open.")

Torn Screen ("Well, how did that happen?".... cat sitting on the window ledge.)

Broken Bath Exhaust Fan Cover ("I don't know what happened, I didn't even know it wasn't there!"... found the broken piece in the cabinet under the sink)

Broken Front Door Casing ("I don't know what happened, the door frame just fell in!" .... actually forced entry by an angry ex-boyfriend - some of the wood trim had even been thrown into the bushes outside.)

Smoke Detector Missing ("I don't know anything about it".... candle wax found in carpet nearby.)