Who is responsible for cleaning out the dryer vent?

[Sheri Angier]

I wanted to see if anyone has insight on a dryer vent cleaning issue I have had come up on my rental home. The tenant called to notify the property manager that he bought a new dryer and the sensor is saying that the airflow is 80% blocked. After an in-depth conversation, the manager learned that the tenant was having problems with their old unit not drying as sufficiently as it should, so, they went out over the Holidays and purchased a whole new set. Now that they have their new dryer in place they have discovered the blockage of airflow and they want us to fix it.

My first thought was, did they check the vent to make sure it wasn't clogged PRIOR to buying a whole new unit? The tenants claim they did so after I initially said no to paying someone to come out and investigate their issue. They have been in the house now for nearly 4 years. We lived in that house for 15 years prior to them, and we never had any dryer issues with our units and the vent. My questions is who is responsible to have a company come out and clean the vent professionally? We did not leave a washer and dryer for them to use when they rented the home. 

Any help or insight would be appreciated. I know I could do this, but I feel like they have not really tried to check for a blockage from their use of their dryer. Thanks!

[Will Gaston]

@Sheri Angier I'm not sure who is technically responsible but, assuming they have been good tenants, I would send someone out there and pay to have it taken care of. They've been at the house for 4 years which is fantastic. The number one cardinal sin in my real estate business is vacancy. I do everything I reasonably can to keep the houses occupied at all times.

Keep them happy as long as it's within reason.