Who pays for salt for water softener?

[Kyle Hoppman]

Hello everyone,

I am a new investor that owns two duplexes. I was wondering how everyone deals with their water softeners? Do you have tenants pay for and fill the water softener on their own? Do landlords buy the salt and drop it off and the property? How does everyone handle this?

[Brendan Miller]

@Kyle Hoppman it depends on the lease agreement, however most leases likely don't get that detailed. At minimum, I would assume your lease includes which equipment exist in the unit (i.e. washer, dryer, fridge, etc) and which party is responsible for maintenance of it. Typically I have a 'Maintenance Responsibility' section in all of my leases clarify that the tenant is responsible for cleaning, yardwork, air filters, etc however I've never had a rental unit with a water softener but I would include that also if i did. I also have heard of some landlords that prefer to have these types of items covered by the landlord since it increases the odds of the tenant actually swapping the filters out or refilling the salt in this case.

I assume it's a pretty minor expense, so if your lease doesn't indicate, then I'd have a discussion with the tenant and if they push back you could pay for the salt to drop off to them, and then make sure to update your lease before you renew or resign a new tenant.