Renter wants to do repairs-should we let them?

Question

Hi, my husband and I recently became landlords after a new job took us out of state. Long story short, we wound up with only about a month to decide to move, rent out our condo, and move out of state.

Thankfully we found a renter (we had a background check, credit check, proof of income, all of that done before agreeing to anything) very quickly. Right now we are just trying to figure out what repairs to let the renter handle on their own (at their request) and what to have a contractor or handyman come in and do.

The renter has already replaced one of the toilets without our permission, we were not happy about that one, the toilet wasn’t broke, it took a minute to flush but it wasn’t broke. We would have readily said yes to replacing it (it was on our short list of things that we wanted to fix before we found out about the move) but the fact that it was replaced without asking first was not cool.

There are a couple of other things that they want replaced that aren’t technically broke, a drip in the shower, a faucet that has a small leak when it’s turned on just the right way. Again, it was on our list of things to do...eventually. We are not opposed to any of these things being replaced, but the tenant wants to replace them and we are a little leery of letting them replace plumbing things. Oh, and we just got an email last night with them asking about replacing plugs in the bathrooms and kitchen with GFCI plugs, again, not opposed, but do we want a tenant messing with the electrical?

They are an engineer at an automotive company, so I don’t doubt their intelligence, and they say they have done a lot of this stuff before. I just don’t know what to allow them to do.

and of course, they want the cost of all of this taken off of the rent, which is fine, we could save a few bucks that way actually by just paying the cost of materials. But would it be worth the potential risk? And it’s only been 3 months and they are asking for permission to do at least 4 projects. And I don’t see it stopping, I could see there being 1-3 things a month they want to do and have taken off the rent. At what point do we say “no, it’s fine” or something like that?

We never planned on being landlords, and we were not prepared for this at all. Unfortunately, renting it out made the most sense so that’s where we are at

Scott P. · Answer

Normally I don't like tenants doing things like this.

However, your lease does say the tenant is responsible for the first $100 and you do agree that the faucet is dripping...

It would be best in most ways if you'd hire a licensed electrician and a licensed plumber to do all this work. I wouldn't let a dripping faucet, even one that only needs to positioned "just right," go unrepaired.  As far as the GFCI outlet goes, that may not need to be installed if the breaker the line is on is a GFCI breaker?  If there's neither safety device is in place I'd say absolutely one needs to be installed.

I have an engineering degree and I'm in and out of automotive plants a lot and I could also do all these things.  It's possible the tenant is better at this sort of work than both of us but you never really know...

If I were in your shoes, I'd have a licensed contractor do plumbing and electrical but that will cost you more.

I guess it comes down to whether or not you want to pay more or take a chance the tenant is doing it correctly, in which case you can simply be happy that the tenant is happy and also that he's saving you $, at least in the short run.

Mike McCarthy · Answer

I hesitate letting the tenant do work because you’ll never really know the quality until it’s too late. What if the toilet isn’t tightened enough... you’ll know when stains and mold start growing on the ceiling below.

I will say, I would NEVER let them take it out of the rent though. If you do decide to let them work, treat it as a separate transaction. They pay the rent like usual, and separately, you write them a check for the materials + their time.

Same amount - but you never want them to think they can save on rent by doing something extra.

Austin Mountain · Answer

No.  Pay someone to do the repairs properly who is insured.  You don't need them hurting themselves or installing something incorrectly.  You also don't want to get into the game of discounting rent.  Even if for some reason you would allow a tenant do work at a property (maybe they clean the hallways or cut the grass at a multi unit) they should still pay full rent then pay them for their services.

Tom S. · Answer

@Kristin Kerr  Welcome to landlording!  Does your lease address it?  I put in mine specifically that tenants are not allowed to do repairs and deduct from the rent.

I would state that going forward, any work should be done from your handyman / property manager.

Any issues like GFCI's in the bathroom,safety issues, etc, no problem.

Issues like changing out counter tops or a white refrig for a stainless one, I just say "property is as-is".  If they're good tenants and lease comes up for renewal, I might then upgrade something (10 year old refrig for a newer one).

Good luck!

- Tom

Anthony Rosa · Answer

You have a desirable place and that's great. Don't let the tenant repair anything because it only adds to problems. IMO, Just do a walkthrough for repairs needed and have them done by someone other than the tenant. Write up a good lease. You could even do a month to month lease.

Trey Burns · Answer

I honestly find it ironic that a forum full of diyers (including me) are in outrage that a tenant would take initiative and do it themselves. I would be thankful for the quality of tenant you have after you admittedly rushed the decision.

Get a lawyer to type up a release of liability form or whatever gives you peace and unleash him. We're talking toilets and outlets, not a roof or foundation. You owe the tenant discounted rent after leasing it with those known issues present.

Anthony Rosa · Answer

Sounds like you have a desirable property which is awesome. Protect your investment, its business!!

Kristin Kerr · Answer

@Trey Burns

Knowingly or not they are getting a really good price on the place, I think we could have easily gotten another $100-$150 a month for it. Another unit in the subdivision that is slightly smaller and doesn’t have a basement like ours does is renting out for what ours is. The things you learn after it’s all said and done right? And we left all of our appliances there, everything except the fridge and washer are less than 4 years old and stainless steel in the kitchen.

But I am very grateful for a (so far) good tenant given the situation.

Sean Lambert · Answer

@Kristin Kerr Let them know they can switch out lightbulbs and keep the place clean.  No repairs though.  Good luck.

Jason D. · Answer

@Kristin Kerr no repairs. You do want to be responsible for the liability. You can hire an electrician to install GFCIs, and charge the tenant if they would like.

I would have a plumber address the leaks as soon as possible. No telling at what point it could cause additional damage.

Renter wants to do repairs-should we let them?

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