Can I charge tenant for clog drain

[Albert Johnson]

Tenant is saying they never used the sink and water is bubbling out of it. 

seems like a clog drain. Can I charge the tenant to get it unclogged?

[JD Martin]

The water may be backing up from another fixture that is not draining properly. The only way you're going to know about the cause one way or the other is to have a plumber inspect and troubleshoot. We have a clause in our lease that plumbing clogs not caused by mechanical/material defects in the plumbing will be charged to the tenant, and if your lease doesn't have similar I would recommend such a clause. If a tenant has a clog and calls, we remind them of this clause and then go ahead and call our plumber, who fixes it and reports back. Sometimes it's not the tenant's fault - tree roots, collapsed pipe, old materials from a previous tenant, etc. If it's a gray area, we usually cover the service call the first time. If there's a second call for the same issue we have the line camera'd to verify the line is in good shape and that it is clear going forward, and charge the tenant if the clog was their fault but do not charge if we discover a mechanical defect; we fix the defect.