Advice on compensation for tenant

[Maria Crenshaw]

I am a relatively new landlord and would like an opinion from the experts. I purchased my first rental property 3 years ago, a 32 year old condo. The first tenant lived there one year with only two legitimate complaints, which were promptly addressed (new HVAC and dishwasher).

The current tenants ( a pair of ~30 year old females) have been there for six months. They pay on time and keep the place clean/neat, but they have submitted a steady flow of complaints:

• 1. Water leaks when bathtub is filled upstairs (legit issue – fixed by plumber)
• 2. Insufficient seal on back door. Ants are coming in. – I fixed this by adding weather stripping and advised that pest control is on the tenant.
• 3. (New) HVAC not working properly. HVAC company came onsite and addressed the issue. They did not provide a report. Tenant reported that it had been installed incorrectly.
• 4. Front water spigot doesn’t work. This had been turned off intentionally due to a constant drip when it is left on. Showed tenant how to turn it on ‘as needed’.
• 5. Deck door is hard to close due to misalignment with frame. I addressed this by sanding the door down about ~1/8 inch.
• 6. Garbage disposal is leaking. I had personally tested this before they moved in and found no issues. This was replaced by a plumber.
• 7. Tree branch has grown into the parking space. I advised them to file a complaint with the HOA and provided info on how to do this online.
• 8. Water bill seems very high. The tenants moved here from out of state so had no point of reference. I showed them how to monitor the meter to determine if it’s moving while they are away for several hours or sleeping.
• 9. The built-in microwave no longer heats the food. I addressed this by providing a spare countertop model.
• 10. In April, they reported the washer is broken. The washer/dryer set came with the house so I had no history. I promptly replaced them with a new GE set. In August (4 months later), they reported that the new washing machine has not worked correctly since installation “causing extra water usage due to needing repeated rinse cycles, which might explain the high water bills”. I asked why this wasn’t reported earlier, and they said they hated to report anything else, due to all the other issues. Home Depot advised that I had to work directly with GE for repairs since it was still under warrantee. A 50+ day debacle ensued. More info here if you find this stuff riveting:

The GE technician visited three times between April 19 and Sep 30 and I paid a plumber $350 to replace the water pressure control value and adjust the pressure from 131 to 81 because GE was said the water pressure was “too low, and should be addressed by a plumber”. BTW, I have no idea who set the pressure to 131. The WP adjustment had no effect on the washer. On the last visit, GE resorted to blaming ‘calcification in the pipes’, forgetting that they’d already tested for that on a previous visit and found no issues. I finally engaged the BBB and GE promptly agreed to refund my money and collect the appliance.

That brings us to today. A new washer will be installed ASAP next week. I will rent a new one and get out of the washer/dryer business after this lease.

Now they’re saying “sounds like the ‘fridge/freezer’ may be about to go”. I will investigate this next week when the new washer is being installed.

I have always been responsive, taking action promptly after every complaint. While I want to compensate them for the loss of washer service and multiple disruptions by workmen, I am also hesitant to set a precedent at this time because we have six more months together. It’s hard to be objective when you’re in the thick of things.

Any advice is appreciated.