Does she sounds like trouble tenant?

[Liz C.]

My friend who is first time landloard took over an tenant and got a long email from tenant FWD to me. Does she sound like a trouble tenant from the email? And any of those thing she describe is need to be fixed? The lease she took over say rent as it is. I personally would hate if someone email me such a long list of small things . After, moving in physically we noticed a few broken issues existing in the apartment and they are as follows:1) The kitchen has a cracked threshold in the entrance on two places and it is moving.2) Some of the cabinet doors in the kitchen are broken.3) The first closet door from the entrance is off its hinges and has to be closed forcibly. The second closet door does not close, the door knob is defective. 4) The wooden flooring all around the apartment had several cracks and niches more distinctly at the entrance area. 5) The ceiling has a crack running through right across the fan.6) The TV Mounting rod from ceiling was turning out to be a hindrance and a lethal weapon. We banged into it on several occasions and so requested the Super of the building to take it down. The super yanked it out of the ceiling and kept it in his custody.7) The bathroom "bathtub" is in deplorable condition with the inner sliding screen door almost off its hinges and can fall on us while taking a shower. 8) The tap is moving around in the sink. 9) The bathroom doorknob was off its hinges but I got that fixed... but now the door does not lock.10)The A/C might have not been installed correctly, cold air seems to flow through from outside constantly, it may pose to be a problem in the winters.11)The window net is torn and patched with a piece of sticker. However, we can work around it as it is... and I am not requesting you to get them fixed. Just letting you know, so that you are aware of some of the immediate pre-existing damages that

[Brian Ploszay]

I don't like that long list.  I would attack some of the problems.  Leave the tough ones like the hair crack in the ceiling.  You can't let your tenants micro-complain, or it will be an awful experience.

[Kim Meredith Hampton]

@Liz C. honestly, I think she is just trying to cover her *** because these were issues when she moved in, she does noy want to be blamed, nor deduct from the deposit when she moves out.

An appointment to physically go and see these issues is important, take a photo of them, notate and take care of any issues that are a hazard or big nuisance 

[Sara K.]

The tenant is notifying the landlord of the issues in the unit so that she doesn't get dinged on her security deposit for pre-existing damage. I see nothing wrong with that.

[Sara K.]

And, yes, some of those items should be fixed. 

Tell your friend that she needs to decide what kind of landlord she's going to be. Unless this tenant is overly exaggerating and completely making things up, this unit sounds pretty rough. 

[Patrick Squires]

IMO- This tenant is concerned about being held accountable for existing issues and possibly wants a couple of the items fixed.

IMO - The landlord imo should call or meet the tenant and discuss and get an idea if there is a problem tenant or a concerned tenant.

[Steve B.]

As others have said, I would offer to fix some of the easy/relevant l/cheap repairer items and explicitly state I'm not fixing others. They aren't being crazy, yet, but you need to establish boundaries so you don't get pushed around.

I would then worry if they don't agree to meeting halfway and keep pushing trivialities. I expect they will back off when they see you are being s professional but not a pushover

[Account Closed]

I agree with the others here. She sounds like she's probably had a bad experience with getting dinged for pre-existing conditions in her previous lease, and had her damage deposit nickled and dimed into nothing. Just had that happen to me, as I was studying abroad and my roommates failed to take pictures upon move-out, so we have next to nothing to combat a $600 cleaning fee with (that's for a 1 level, 3 bedroom house, btw, and the carpet cleaning was a separate fee...). For now, I'd say she's just a proactive tenant, and time will tell whether she's a trouble tenant. Your friend should go over there, take pictures, and get in writing that he/she will fix (xyz), and that the tenant agrees that the rest are fine to be left as is, and that your friend acknowledges they were pre-existing damages. The only ones I wouldn't be too concerned about would be the wooden flooring, the TV mounting rod, and possibly the tap and the A/C. Everything else sounds like it should probably be fixed, and sooner rather than later. It would benefit everyone in the long run to keep the place in tip top shape (and make sure your friend keeps a record of these fixes and updates)!

[Brandon Battle]

Ok seriously,what you are describing sounds like the property could have foundation problems that need to be inspected in case that wasn't done during the due diligence process.

[Ryan Evans]

Sounds like the owner should take responsibility and get the place up to the standard that any normal person would be okay with at least. You shouldn't expect someone to be content living with a bunch of broken fixtures, locks, etc. 

Cracks in the ceiling and worn out floors might not affect the livability, but everything should at least work the way it's supposed to.

It does sound like the tenant is just covering themselves so they don't get blamed for the damage. 

But I think it is a good opportunity for the new owner to prove to the tenant that they are a good landlord. They may have had a bad experience with the previous owner and having a new owner that takes care of the place might be exactly what they want to see to keep them in the place. If you factor in turnover costs vs the cost of fixing some problems and keeping the tenant in place for another year it will probably make financial sense to just get some repairs done. 

I had a tenant tell me shortly after she moved in that she didn't like taking baths because the tub was just a bit too grungy. I personally didn't think it was in bad shape, but I refinished it and left her a nice note with a bottle of wine and some bath soaps. It cost maybe $100, but she was super thankful and has been a great communicator and has paid rent early every month since. 

Don't forget that we're still in the people business at the end of the day!

[Liz C.]

Got it everyone , so fix the thing that need to be fixed leave the small problem out

[Liz C.]

Lol, you guys are funny. She is really my best friend. I am helping her. But I am not here to argue or win or prove anything , If you want to think is me is fine . As long as I can help her to resolved the matter.

Thanks everyone for your advice!