How do you charge tenants for repairs?

[Lana LeMay]

I am  trying to crack down on charging tenants for damages they cause (or allow). I have two primary questions:

1) Do most of you charge actual expenses, or do you have a chart that lists common damages with an expense attached? If you charge actual expenses, how do you determine the expense if multiple repairs were made (as in a vacancy) and some were not tenant related?

2) How do you prove they caused the problem when it's not straightforward? Ex: We have a duplex where the kitchen drains are tied together. We've had a backup due to grease more than once. Both tenants deny it, but we "know" where it's coming from. Also, I handle a small, 18 unit apartment complex where some drains are tied together. We can assume the smokers are putting the cigarette butts in the drains and the wipes are coming from the parents, but people always want to argue that you can't prove any of that.

[Wesley W.]

Originally posted by @Lana LeMay:

I am  trying to crack down on charging tenants for damages they cause (or allow). I have two primary questions:

1) Do most of you charge actual expenses, or do you have a chart that lists common damages with an expense attached? If you charge actual expenses, how do you determine the expense if multiple repairs were made (as in a vacancy) and some were not tenant related?

2) How do you prove they caused the problem when it's not straightforward? Ex: We have a duplex where the kitchen drains are tied together. We've had a backup due to grease more than once. Both tenants deny it, but we "know" where it's coming from. Also, I handle a small, 18 unit apartment complex where some drains are tied together. We can assume the smokers are putting the cigarette butts in the drains and the wipes are coming from the parents, but people always want to argue that you can't prove any of that.

(1) Have the contractor separate out the cost for that particular repair form the main job (perhaps only a line item is needed).  You may have trouble in the courts if the tenant challenges the repair cost and the invoice is not itemized for the tenant damage portion.

(2)  Pay a plumber to camera the drain from the "suspect's" unit down into the main.  If he sees grease/cigarette butts prior to the main, have him screen capture (or at least write up a narrative with the bill) and charge the tenant accordingly.  It goes without saying you should have provisions in your lease regarding what is permissible to be flushed/dumped down the drain, and the admonition that the tenant will bear the expense for not following that rule.