Here is a goid one:Tenant drama

[Sherif Kaissi]

My tenant asked me to string a line for his clothes dryer in the garage because the ones that are currently there are for stackable type and not side by side.

I asked for measurements to check cost and in the back of my head I wasn’t giving it a priority because these are wishlist item since I already have connections for washer and dryer and it’s their dryer that is old school.

They came this month saying that they paid for a professional to do it and also add a faucet to the backyard and they want to deduct 300 dollars from the deposit that I am financing ( 300 a month to pay a total of 1300 and it has been 3 months ).

Here is the kicker, I don’t want to pay this because (A) I’m sure they didn’t hire a professional because they said my friend who is a professional made it on the side so he can’t give me a receipt. (B) this guy rebuilt a front fence in the house which he is enjoying so I don’t want to lose his good input to the house.

But then again this is a modification not a fix so technically I don’t have to do it.

What would you do ?

[Nathan Gesner]

1. Never, ever, ever deduct anything from the deposit. That's your leverage to ensure compliance. You hold it until the tenant is out and the lease is terminated, then you handle it according to state law.

2. Do not reimburse him. He is not authorized to make improvements without your permission, which should be given in advance, in writing, and detailed enough to ensure there's no confusion about what's authorized, who's paying for it, how it will be done, when it will be done, and what happens with the improvement after termination. Secondly, you have no evidence it was done by a professional and don't even have an invoice. Third, $300 sounds like a lot for what was done.

Get control of this tenant or you may see bigger problems in the future. Tell him all repairs and/or renovations must be approved by you in writing first. The tenant has no authority to spend your money or make changes to your property.