Constant Work Orders After New Tenants Move In

[Scott Walters]

I would like to get some observations on this. I had a new tenant movie in about a month and a half ago. They rented sight unseen. PM's handyman goes through the property inspection checklist in between tenants to include checking the drains and caulking in the bathtub.  As soon as the tenants move in there's a barrage of issues that pop up. P trap and faucet are both leaking in the bathroom. The bath tub is leaking. The PM sends out a contractor to fix the valve stem in the shower. After about a week, another leak is reported in the tub. The handyman who did the checklist reported that it is unlikely an issue due to the caulking. Other repairs since the new tenants moved in include, a sliding door lock replacement, drywall repair from a roof leak, 4 cracked windows, a broken front door handle, light fixture replacement, blinds that are longer than the window, window screens and now a ceiling fan making grinding noises. we're about $5000 into repairs/replacements right now since the tenants moved in. After moving in, they requested the house be cleaned, carpet cleaning, the backyard to be mowed.

Now I'm getting a quote to get the caulking done in the bathtub.

The PM did a walk through of the house last week with the tenants but I feel that should have been done before the tenants moved in.  All these repairs/maintenance after the PM did a post tenant (previous) walkthrough seems unusually excessive. Just wondering what people on here think.

[Ned J.]

From what you have posted this isnt a demanding tenant issue... this is a "you didnt inspect the property very well and fix all the needed items BEFORE the tenant moved in" issue

If your PM is responsible for the post move out and pre-move in inspections, then they did a crap job. Sometimes things pop up after tenant move in that were not evident before, so stuff happens.... but your list is pretty long to have missed all of that. 

Sometimes stuff just comes in bunches and is the luck of the draw..... but this sounds like a crappy PM that didnt inspect and fix properly before move in. The items listed sound like they were going to have to be fixed anyway,so the $$$ is what it is.... but the timing sucks

[Theresa Harris]

The PM should have done a walk through AND taken photos after the last tenant moved out and again done a walk through with the new tenants. If they rented sight unseen, there should have been an as-is clause in the lease because of that.

It does seem excessive given the handyman found nothing at move out (and assuming he did a good job of the inspection).  Some things get missed, but not as many as you listed.  I'd demand to meet with the handyman and do a walk through of the unit to see that the changes are being done and that they need to be done.

When I have a turn over, there is often something that pops up after the tenant moves in.  I think twice, I've had problematic tenants (one high maintenance and one who was rough of stuff and should have been charged for some of the repairs but the PM didn't even after I complained to them).

[Scott Walters]

Quote from @Ned J.:

From what you have posted this isnt a demanding tenant issue... this is a "you didnt inspect the property very well and fix all the needed items BEFORE the tenant moved in" issue

If your PM is responsible for the post move out and pre-move in inspections, then they did a crap job. Sometimes things pop up after tenant move in that were not evident before, so stuff happens.... but your list is pretty long to have missed all of that. 

Sometimes stuff just comes in bunches and is the luck of the draw..... but this sounds like a crappy PM that didnt inspect and fix properly before move in. The items listed sound like they were going to have to be fixed anyway,so the $$$ is what it is.... but the timing sucks

 My sentiments exactly. Thanks for the insight. I'll be switching to another PM. They were not very smooth with this transition.

[Scott Walters]

Quote from @Theresa Harris:

The PM should have done a walk through AND taken photos after the last tenant moved out and again done a walk through with the new tenants. If they rented sight unseen, there should have been an as-is clause in the lease because of that.

It does seem excessive given the handyman found nothing at move out (and assuming he did a good job of the inspection).  Some things get missed, but not as many as you listed.  I'd demand to meet with the handyman and do a walk through of the unit to see that the changes are being done and that they need to be done.

When I have a turn over, there is often something that pops up after the tenant moves in.  I think twice, I've had problematic tenants (one high maintenance and one who was rough of stuff and should have been charged for some of the repairs but the PM didn't even after I complained to them).

 Well said Theresa. The PM said they did a post tenant walkthrough and took all these photos but somehow missed all these issues. And no, these all did not just become faulty coincidentally in between the post tenant walkthrough and the new tenants moving in.

[Adam Bartomeo]

I think that you need a better inspector and inspection check list... that seems to be where the break down is.

[Nathan Gesner]

A door lock doesn't function, four cracked windows, a broken door handle...those sound like issues the PM should have found during the inspection.

When you get a lot of repair requests from a new tenant and they seem to be legit, I would recommend they spend a week or two getting settled, write down all the issues they come across, then send your contractor to handle everything at once.

[Account Closed]

Just adding that in my experience, renting a property to a tenant sight-unseen is usually a bad idea, even when the unit is properly turned and professionally cleaned.

Clearly there were missed maintenance issues in this case, but I would still instruct your PM (or future PM) to make it a requirement that all prospective tenants tour your properties first before processing applications.

I’ve even had tenants sign Sight Unseen / As-Is addendums and later be unhappy and still want to break their leases. These instances weren’t even for real maintenance issues, seemingly they were just because of subjective opinions about the property or location.

Prospective applicants can only gather so much from photographs and video. Prospects need to physically go to the property before signing a lease, so everyone is on the same page.

Just my two cents! 

[Alyssa Wright]

It does seem that is both a mix of a faulty PM company as well as a picky tenant - not a good combination. 

As many others have mentioned, it does seem very likely that an adequate walk-through/turn was done by the PM company as well as it may be possible that they also have a poor contractor that is not fully resolving issues like leaks the first time around. 

If the tenants are being picky, it is also possible that they are being picky because of the shortcomings of the PM so they may not be able to (understandably) trust that the unit and carpets were actually cleaned. 

If this has been or seems like it will be a reoccurring problem with your PM team, I would 100% recommend shopping around for a new team. 

[Peter Tverdov]

Every house is different and every owner is different. It's a delicate balance as a PM. What you would normally repair on one house, another house same repairs the owner flips out and cries you're spending their money.

When we get tenants who get carried away with repair requests (like 1-2 a month is ridiculous IMO) we usually get on the phone with them, level with them and then tell them we can find a replacement in that apartment since they feel its so bad. That usually calms them down, although I have had 1-2 leave over the years (good riddance). 

[Colleen F.]

@Scott Walters  ask yourself how do you miss four cracked windows and a broken front door handle? Were any of the repairs something that should have been deducted from the previous tenants security deposit?  Some things popup of course and former tenants hide things, I think your checkout inspection was lacking.  The tenants may be picky too because blinds can a little long for the window if you don't have standard size windows.