On going Tenant Plumbing Requests

[Tommy Kim]

One Tenant has been frequently having toilet and shower clogging issues and requesting us to fix the issues.  I have told them if it's plumbing clog caused by the tenants we have plumber bill the tenant directly.  I'm just wondering what other Landlords here have in place for tenants who call frequently for plumbing clogging issues? Thank You....

[Jill F.]

If I am certain that it isn't my problem (ie collapsed drain line or corroded and scaled cast iron) then I pay for the first unclog on a drain and the tenant pays for subsequent unclogs of that same drain.

[Account Closed]

Depends on where the property is.  In CA, it would be hard to get away with charging a tenant for something that is a requirement for a habitable unit.

Is it possible the tenant wants out of a lease?  This kind of behavior can happen when a tenant is trying to get out of a lease.

If you have a property manager, is it possible they're over-charging you for maintenance issues, to collect more fees than necessary?

I'd get a plumber I trusted in there to see if there is an issue beyond something the tenant is doing wrong.  Normal tenants aren't going to want maintenance or plumbers in their homes constantly.  So, either something is really wrong with the plumbing or there is something else going on here - tenants wanting out of a lease or someone is making money on the supposed problem.

[Carl Millsap]

Our policy is like most. If the plumber pulls something out of the toilet that the tenant did it's on them. What is the complaint? It might be worth the investment to have a camera run down the line to see if there's an issue. One service call vs. multiples for what might be a non-issue. 

[Carlos Tavares]

@Tommy Kim

If it’s a consistent problem the main drain could be the culprit but I’m just guessing at this point with limited information

[Michael Noto]

@Tommy Kim Since you are getting frequent requests for maintenance on the same plumbing lines are you sure it isn't a bigger problem with the main sewer line coming into the home?

[Caleb Heimsoth]

@Tommy Kim if it’s a simple clogged drain, you don’t need a fully licensed plumber for this. A simple handyman will do. My average cost for this is probably 60 dollars