Managing Your Property
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback
Updated over 1 year ago,
Tenant wants me to pay for imaginary pest issue...
Hey there! I wasn't sure how to handle this one because I was caught off guard. Curious to get the take from objective and experienced landlords. So I have a good tenant who has been around for a few years and a good relationship with her. She notified me a while back, letting me know that spider eggs were under the refrigerator and that I needed them removed. She sent me a vague, hard-to-see photo of the eggs, but I took her word for it and sent a pest treatment guy there to treat the eggs and spray around the property. As it turns out, there were no eggs, and she mistakingly identified foam from the bottom of the fridge for the eggs. The pest treatment guy continued to treat the property for pests that didn't exist. The bill was $225, $95 of which was just for showing up. Since the report was based on her mistake, I asked her to cover it, but she felt it was still my duty because I'm the landlord. I was annoyed and didn't know how to respond to this entitlement. Considering her bogus report, I'd prefer to pay zero and let her take responsibility. How would you handle this?