How do you determine what normal wear and tear is???

Question

Hi all,

I currently own a duplex. Live in one side and rent the other. Have had my current tennants for 2 years now and they have always been good with rent. Through these couple of years, there has been repairs that we have had to take care of not very major for the most part. Since we live on the other side and the units have the same exact appliances they are in the same condition, I am beginning to question wether some things are normal wear and tear or not. Since I've owned this unit nothing has needed repairs though my tenants have had mostly all appliances that need to be replaced or repaired and I am beggining to question at what point do I consider it normal wear and tear and at what point do I charge them? I know this is pretty veg but just as an example, we have had the exact washer/dryer not new but in very good condition about 5 years old and installed at the same time and theirs no longer works. The garbage dispenser was also fairly new and they clogged it so we reset it worked for a couple days and then had to buy a new one. Never charged them for it because I didn't really have anything to back it up with. This may be a silly question but I dont know what the best way to approach it.  Recently there is always things needing repair when we have never had any issues. Any suggestions?

James Wheeler · Answer

This is a rather tough question. I would start by saying that you really cannot compare your own use of appliances to the way tenants use them. In fact, it is very likely that they will be harder on them than you would be, even under "normal" conditions. Since they have not purchased the items and are not responsible for the care and upkeep of them, they will not take as good a care of them as you will under the same circumstances.

If the appliance is out of warranty then you can assume that it needs to be replaced after your tenant moves out. Also, carpeting and paint are common after a tenant moves out. Of course, if there are obvious signs of deliberate damage such as burn marks or cuts/tears etc. then it is beyond normal wear and tear. Of course, it is important that you take pre-move in photos and inspection sheets with the tenants signatures to substantiate any claim of intentional damages that may have occurred.

As for the disposal, well they go depending on usage and what exactly people are putting in them... My mother-in-law went through 4 in a short period of time, fortunately they were all under warranty and we were able to replace them for her without cost...

Hope that helps!

~James

Frank S. · Answer

I just finished Landlord on Autopilot. The middle and last part of the book cover this. You can assign responsibilities to your tenants as described above.  The book discuss how to train your tenants.

Use life expectancy of an item. If the tenant breaks it before x years, that's not wear and tear. It's damage to your property and they should pay for a new one or to get it repair.

The book gives this example: Even to flip burgers, minimal wage workers go through extensive training. A property manager ( never call yourself the landlord) should train the candidates and spend the time discussing how you (owner) want them to care for your expensive investment.  I think this was in the chapter "Teach pigs how to fly"

Light bulbs:  $10 each

Windows: $50 dirty $200 replaced

Clogged toilet:  $200 if toys were flushed down

Air Filters: $50 a piece

"So, it goes"

Account Closed · Answer

This won't help you with the current tenants, but perhaps it will in the future. My leases all say that washers, dryers and garbage disposals are there on an "as is basis". So, if they stop working, the tenant can pay to fix them, or they will have not have them to use.

Michele Fischer · Answer

This is a tough determination to make.  We take lots of photos and even save carpet samples if we decide to charge a tenant for something beyond wear and tear.

During tenancy issues are tougher.  Ideally we train our tenants to take care of their own self caused maintenance issues with good rental agreement language and expectation setting at move in, but the problem is that if they fail to take care of any issue because they don't have the time or money, it becomes a bigger issue for us.

We perform annual maintenance inspections to ensure that the plumbing is working optimally and other things are being done.

There is no doubt that tenants are much harder on appliances, flooring, and plumbing than home owners, I am continually amazed at how often we have to replace toilets and carpet.  We normally pay to get things taken care of since our tenants don't have any extra funds, but our property manager has had some success paying the first time and telling them that next time it's on them.

Adrian Mata · Answer

I'm in Indianapolis. If you provide the appliances, you're responsible for the maintenance of them.

David Wong · Answer

@Adrian Mata Wouldn't it be better to charge a maintenance fee every month and have better appliances that can add value to the unit? These were just questions that came to my mind.

Adrian Mata · Answer

Here it pretty much comes down to paint and carpet.

I would charge them for the disposal since they were the ones that clogged it. On that thought I probably wouldn't even have a disposal. Try to get the cheapest appliances possible. There are places like used appliance stores and Habitat for Humanity that have very cheap appliances.

With all that said, I am serving a fairly low income demographic. If you're owning higher rentals then a lot of that advice probably isn't applicable.

Scott Weaner · Answer

There is no quetion that tenants are much harder on appliances. I really have no idea what they are doing. Just replaced a disposal. We have never had a disposal break in our own houses.

Gisela Pallares · Answer

@ Michelle L.

I will certainly be adding that to my next lease. Thanks for the advice!

How do you determine what normal wear and tear is???

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