Should I Pass Plumbing Bill Down to Tenant for Negligence?

[Jason L.]

Tenant calls me today to tell me the toilet is clogged. I called the plumber, who after fixing the clog told me that it was because of paper towels being flushed. The lease explicitly states that anything besides toilet paper and waste is the tenant's responsibility. I have had no other issues with the tenant being negligent in the last few months.

However, it should be noted that the unit is in a duplex that is a converted SFH, which means both units share a drain. Therefore, I technically can't prove that it wasn't the other unit who flushed the paper towels, although they did not complain about any plumbing issues to me today.

I'm not really sure which route I want to go down here. How would you approach this with the tenant? Do you pass down the bill? Split it? Give them a first-time pass? I think all 3 options have merit.

[Thomas S.]

Contact the plumber and find out where the blockage was found in the system. If the blockage is limited to one unit then you send the bill for the plumbing to that tenant. If it is undetermined as to who caused it send out a letter to remind both of the consequences in the future and you pay the plumber.

If you intend to give tenants a pass on a clear violation of the lease remove that clause from the lease. You do not pay for what is clearly a tenant caused repair if your lease makes tenants responsible and you know which one is responsible.

There are no "passes" allowed.