Offering tenant a hotel room

[Paula Miser]

We are offering a tenant a hotel room due to no water.    We prefer she pay for the room and we reimburse her after she provides a paid receipt.   She would like us to pay.   I am hesitant because if we use our credit card we don't want to be responsible for any damage to the room or paying for extra mini bar.     We don't want to just give her the money and then she goes to stay at a friend or her parents.

Background:   Water has been off and on for about a week.  We have rats that have chewed through lines.   We have responded each time as quickly as possible but it is very hard to get plumbers out as most are booked and short staffed.   We have been able to get the leak(s) fixed and water back on the next day.    We have twice offered her a hotel room and she has declined but we are now into the weekend and still waiting for plumber.   And just to add to the stressful situation, she was given 60 day notice as we are selling the house.   Her move out date is June 2, 2021.    And, when we had to let the first plumber in we saw a cat in the house and a pit bull in the back yard.  She does not have approval for any pets, paid no pet deposit and certainly we could not approve a pit bull.    

We are in California and yes, we have a pest control company that specializes and guarantees rat eradication.    We have normal monthly pest control and we have them set traps for mice but have no caught any.  This is due to the part of town it is in and the general issues.

So, my real question is how do you pay for a hotel room - landlord pays upfront or reimburses tenant?  

Thanks

[Jhanel Wilson]

I would keep looking for plumbers or handymen. Focus all my energy on solving the problem instead of going back and forth with the tenant.

Have them install copper instead of pex.