I think they are kind of dumb, but I think as a landlord or property manager, it should be your responsibility to ensure everything is working prior to move in. I'd also ask for a receipt since I agree probably not everything was perishable. That's a whole lot of perishable food.
Our fridge went out when we moved into our last house. It was a Thursday. I emailed my landlord thursday AM, he and his wife went shopping Thursday evening, fridge arrived on Friday. It was super easy for us. We made it easy on my LL by being there when it was delivered so they didnt have to be.
I dont' think it is unreasonable to assume the fridge is working. If it was warm when they put food in, but they knew the power had been out for a month, they probably assumed it was just starting back up and would take a few hours to cool down.
Side eye at the suggestion that somehow poorer people have more unrealistic expectations. WTF?
Some mean ass landlords on MM.
After reading all the follow-ups I change my suggestion/advice. I think the OP should own up to her mistake and pay for the groceries. She should have checked to make sure everything was in working order before having the tenant move in. REGARDLESS if the electricity wasn't turned on. If I was that tenant I would be pissed and be calling until the issue was resolved.
After reading the follow up, I change my stance. Get s copy of the receipt and reimburse them. Also credit them a few extra bucks for having a non-working appliance for a few days.
Perhaps you can point people in the direction of this magical appliance store because I have purchased five appliances in the last few months and none of them turned up immediately.
As for your sarcastic comment. It isn't the need for a refrig I question. It is 39 phone calls and demanding $200 for food when you didn't even notice that the refrigerator wasn't working.
As for all the people who said she should have had the electric on, even if she had, it should have been switched to the tenant the day that she moved in. It isn't uncommon for things to break and go unnoticed when no one is living in a place.
There are entire lists of these magical appliance stores in phone books and on several online yellowpage type websites. Unless you rent homes that are located hours from civilization there is no excuse to make a tenant wait several days for a basic appliance. A lot of people have medications that have to be kept cold. I'll be damned if I tote a cooler around for "several days" so I can ice down my husband's $750 medication because my landlord is too damn lazy to call around and find a fridge and have it delivered in a timely manner. I've purchased several appliances when I owned my own home and also had appliances replaced as a tenant- never have I waited several days. Basic appliances are always sitting on the floor, and if you have to shell out extra to get it delivered in a timely manner, that's what you do as a responsible landlord.
I could drive to Menards or Lowes or Home Depot or right now and buy a refrigerator. I could also rent a truck from Menards (or U-Haul) and take the damn thing home. All in the same day.
OP wants to know where this magical place is that sells refrigerators? I want to know where this magical place is that doesn't have a U-Haul rental dealer.
I could drive to Menards or Lowes or Home Depot or right now and buy a refrigerator. I could also rent a truck from Menards (or U-Haul) and take the damn thing home. All in the same day.
OP wants to know where this magical place is that sells refrigerators? I want to know where this magical place is that doesn't have a U-Haul rental dealer.
This is where it is clear to me that you don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about. Are you really saying that it makes sense for a person to rent a $150 truck to deliver a crap refrig that cost $400, which is all thay usually have on the floor, if they even have that, and our stores do not, not Lowes, not Home Depot. Yes, she might be able to get the frige delivered today, but on monday, she had the tech out to inspect it, on Tuesday, if she bought the fridge, which requires approval from the owner, it would still be delivered today at the earliest.
For the poster who said that it is poor people, it is not poor people, it is people who are jerks and don't understand that repairs take time, that houses have many parts to break and the $6,000 in rent you pay each year does not entitle you to be an asshole. I don't rent to people like you and I never will. Dealing with self entitled people who cannot seem to wrap their arms around people trying to do the best they can do, when they created the problem, at least in part, in the first place, does not interest me.
Well U-Hauls around here cost as cheap as $19.99 and those are big enough for a fridge. I've been in other cities too with U-Haul--same price for the smallest truck rental (not the trailer, but an actual truck).
I've been a tenant for many years (just bought our own house this summer and lived in apartments before that) and I don't think it's entitled to expect working appliances, especially ones that are not "luxury" ones (for instance, I think going a few days without a washer is completely different than going a few days without a fridge. Having said that, if the unit came with a W/D, the washer should be replaced ASAP too and in working order). My rent doesn't entitle me to be an asshole but it does entitle me to working appliances, and if the LL isn't responding to my questions or taking care of it, it sure as heck entitles me to as many phone calls as necessary to get the problem fixed.
I'm also unsure how you said that you weren't claiming it was poor people who act this way. In your earlier post you said "This is why I don't own properties in crappy parts of town." What else could you possibly have been implying? The people who have to live in the crappier parts of town probably don't have much money or they would choose to live elsewhere. Likewise, rich people are probably not going to choose to live in the crappy part of town. Now you're just backtracking.
I could drive to Menards or Lowes or Home Depot or right now and buy a refrigerator. I could also rent a truck from Menards (or U-Haul) and take the damn thing home. All in the same day.
OP wants to know where this magical place is that sells refrigerators? I want to know where this magical place is that doesn't have a U-Haul rental dealer.
This is where it is clear to me that you don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about. Are you really saying that it makes sense for a person to rent a $150 truck to deliver a crap refrig that cost $400, which is all thay usually have on the floor, if they even have that, and our stores do not, not Lowes, not Home Depot. Yes, she might be able to get the frige delivered today, but on monday, she had the tech out to inspect it, on Tuesday, if she bought the fridge, which requires approval from the owner, it would still be delivered today at the earliest.
For the poster who said that it is poor people, it is not poor people, it is people who are jerks and don't understand that repairs take time, that houses have many parts to break and the $6,000 in rent you pay each year does not entitle you to be an asshole. I don't rent to people like you and I never will. Dealing with self entitled people who cannot seem to wrap their arms around people trying to do the best they can do, when they created the problem, at least in part, in the first place, does not interest me.
What would have made sense would have been to make sure the stupid refrigerator that was in the property she willingly chose to take over was in proper working condition before anybody signed the lease. Then she wouldn't be in this mess that she created.
I could drive to Menards or Lowes or Home Depot or right now and buy a refrigerator. I could also rent a truck from Menards (or U-Haul) and take the damn thing home. All in the same day.
OP wants to know where this magical place is that sells refrigerators? I want to know where this magical place is that doesn't have a U-Haul rental dealer.
This is where it is clear to me that you don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about. Are you really saying that it makes sense for a person to rent a $150 truck to deliver a crap refrig that cost $400, which is all thay usually have on the floor, if they even have that, and our stores do not, not Lowes, not Home Depot. Yes, she might be able to get the frige delivered today, but on monday, she had the tech out to inspect it, on Tuesday, if she bought the fridge, which requires approval from the owner, it would still be delivered today at the earliest.
For the poster who said that it is poor people, it is not poor people, it is people who are jerks and don't understand that repairs take time, that houses have many parts to break and the $6,000 in rent you pay each year does not entitle you to be an asshole. I don't rent to people like you and I never will. Dealing with self entitled people who cannot seem to wrap their arms around people trying to do the best they can do, when they created the problem, at least in part, in the first place, does not interest me.
Not having a working refrigerator when the lease states you should entitles someone to be an asshole. Sure they should have checked, so maybe they are stupid assholes. Either way they are justified.
Ah... There are days I am glad that part of looking for a rental apartment is also basically interviewing landlords.
I've rented in a wide variety of places - both coasts, the south, central US, other countries. I have to use two hands to list all the different homes we have lived in just the past 7 years.
And I'd still say the $200 on groceries is on you. Sure, I'd be happy to provide a receipt, but it is reasonable to expect appliances listed in the rental agreement to be in working order when I move in. And, if I am moving in to a new place, it's also very normal for me to go and do a _big_ grocery shop to stock the new place.
We are good tenants, for the most part. We don't damage the places we rent, we pay rent and deposits on time, we don't generate complaints from neighbours, we follow the HOA rules of whereever we are renting, we keep the place reasonably clean, and keep up the yardwork, etc. I also don't bug the landlord unless there is something that needs attention. I'm a prior homeowner, so I have a decent idea of what is critical and what isn't, and my interactions with the landlord will relate to that.
Toilet in the spare bathroom not working right? Meh, if it takes a week to fix, it's not that big a deal. Water heater not working? That is relatively important - you can bet I let the landlord know the moment I realized it wasn't working. That landlord had a plumber on retainer, and the plumber was out in less than two hours from my call. Loved that landlord, and have recommended him to various friends relocating to that area since. Leaking plumbing? You can bet I called the landlord every few hours until I heard back from them - it was damaging the house, and there was only so much I could do to mitigate the damage. That property management company _really_ sucked at follow-up, and you can bet I am actively telling people I know in that area to avoid them like the plague. Ah, the joy of FB and staying in contact with friends met over the years of moving...
For the poster who said that it is poor people, it is not poor people, it is people who are jerks and don't understand that repairs take time, that houses have many parts to break and the $6,000 in rent you pay each year does not entitle you to be an asshole. I don't rent to people like you and I never will. Dealing with self entitled people who cannot seem to wrap their arms around people trying to do the best they can do, when they created the problem, at least in part, in the first place, does not interest me.
LOL. Except your direct words were: "Personally, this is why I don't own properties in crappy parts of town. I don't want to deal with tenants who have irrational expectations. We provide a nice place to live and try to keep them up nicely, but we are not miricle workers. Tenants who expect us to be are not worth the hassles they create and expect you to swoop in and fix in ten minutes for their meager rents."
Guess what? The "crappy parts of town" where people pay "meager rents" are not typically flooded with rich people.
What is apparent from this post is that some people have unrealistic expectations. Things break, even on the first day of a lease. It just happens.
Personally, this is why I don't own properties in crappy parts of town. I don't want to deal with tenants who have irrational expectations. We provide a nice place to live and try to keep them up nicely, but we are not miricle workers. Tenants who expect us to be are not worth the hassles they create and expect you to swoop in and fix in ten minutes for their meager rents. The few times we have had people like that, we raise the rent a lot, and hope they move. For those that do enjoy this though, I have a friend who is fed up with hers and has a bundle of 10 of them with decent cash flows that are for sale.
I don't think anyone said that things don't break. However, by going to the apartment and checking the appliances prior to a new tenant moving in, this could have been avoided.
There are people w/ irrational expectations in everywhere, in nice parts of town and crappy. If you don't want to deal w/ irrational expectations, don't work w/ people.
For the poster who said that it is poor people, it is not poor people, it is people who are jerks and don't understand that repairs take time, that houses have many parts to break and the $6,000 in rent you pay each year does not entitle you to be an asshole. I don't rent to people like you and I never will. Dealing with self entitled people who cannot seem to wrap their arms around people trying to do the best they can do, when they created the problem, at least in part, in the first place, does not interest me.
LOL. Except your direct words were: "Personally, this is why I don't own properties in crappy parts of town. I don't want to deal with tenants who have irrational expectations. We provide a nice place to live and try to keep them up nicely, but we are not miricle workers. Tenants who expect us to be are not worth the hassles they create and expect you to swoop in and fix in ten minutes for their meager rents."
Guess what? The "crappy parts of town" where people pay "meager rents" are not typically flooded with rich people.
Backtrack fail.
Whatever. There are plenty of cheap rentals in good parts of town, but demand is much higher, allowing you to skip the people who have crappy credit. Is that what you wanted me to say? There is a high correlation between calling your landlord 39 times in an hour and a half and crappy credit. There is a high correlation between making stupid mistakes, like putting $200 worth of food into your fridge without noticing it isn't working, and asking your landlord to fixi them and crappy credit. Flame away, but why do you think so many people put such stock in those numbers on MM?
LOL. Except your direct words were: "Personally, this is why I don't own properties in crappy parts of town. I don't want to deal with tenants who have irrational expectations. We provide a nice place to live and try to keep them up nicely, but we are not miricle workers. Tenants who expect us to be are not worth the hassles they create and expect you to swoop in and fix in ten minutes for their meager rents."
Guess what? The "crappy parts of town" where people pay "meager rents" are not typically flooded with rich people.
Backtrack fail.
Whatever. There are plenty of cheap rentals in good parts of town, but demand is much higher, allowing you to skip the people who have crappy credit. Is that what you wanted me to say? There is a high correlation between calling your landlord 39 times in an hour and a half and crappy credit. There is a high correlation between making stupid mistakes, like putting $200 worth of food into your fridge without noticing it isn't working, and asking your landlord to fixi them and crappy credit. Flame away, but why do you think so many people put such stock in those numbers on MM?
I'm curious if you would refund the $200 if the fridge quit working one week into their lease and it was working when they filled it up with groceries?
I worked in property management at two different companies. Both good companies with nice complexes.
I am also a landlord.
What is apparent from this post is that some people have unrealistic expectations. Things break, even on the first day of a lease. It just happens.
As a property manager, you have to rely on the property owner to decide what they want to do beyond standard repairs. It is not up to you, unless it is in the agreement with the property owner or the lease to dole out money to tenants. You can ask the owner if you think a complaint is valid, but you would need the receipt for the purchases of food, but unless it is in the lease, owner agreement or state law, he can tell you tough luck. It's a business, not your mom.
As for the refrigerator being replaced, there is not an easy way to do that in less than several days. Lowes and the like do not have heards of refrigerators sitting around for delivery or pickup. These deliveries are made by third parties, like GE and Wirlpool. It can take several days to get one. The last one I bought, had a first available delivery of a week out. That's just life.
Personally, this is why I don't own properties in crappy parts of town. I don't want to deal with tenants who have irrational expectations. We provide a nice place to live and try to keep them up nicely, but we are not miricle workers. Tenants who expect us to be are not worth the hassles they create and expect you to swoop in and fix in ten minutes for their meager rents. The few times we have had people like that, we raise the rent a lot, and hope they move. For those that do enjoy this though, I have a friend who is fed up with hers and has a bundle of 10 of them with decent cash flows that are for sale.
Yes, it is truly miraculous for a landlord or property manager to make sure the appliances work before a tenant moves in.
I hope that I'm not assuming the wrong thing, but please, please tell me that the last time you ordered a fridge and it took a week you somehow compensated the tenants (money for groceries lost, money of rent, or something). It may not be your responsibility from a business standpoint, but from a human standpoint, I would hope you tried to compensate the tenants in some way.
When a fridge broke in our rental we offered them to replace the food, money of rent, or really anything that they wanted. It's an inconvenience to them and not their fault. To me that is what you do. Now maybe I'm a pushover landlord, but we've had the same tenants going on four years, if me being nice to them or going out of my way to solve a problem keeps them satisfied and happy then that's what I'll do. In kind my place is treated like their own and looks great, and I know when they leave they can say we've been good landlords and that goes a long way for securing future tenants.
I get that often times Lowes says same day but either doesn't have it in stock, or doesn't have enough drivers to get out there that same day and people may opt to wait for a delivery slot, so the old fridge can be taken away. This happened to us and we checked with the tenants to make sure they were okay with the later delivery. We bought them gift cards to restaurants in the meantime.
As to your other statement about not renting in crappy parts of town, to me you are implying poor people and by mentioning the fact that their rent is $6000 year ($500/month). Unless you're in a LCOL area and $500 is average or on the high end I'm going to assume you're making a dig at people who are poor, who generally do not have extra money to replace $200 in groceries.
We can blame the tenants all day long about how they should have checked that the fridge was working before stocking it with groceries, but it will never take away from the fact that the onus is on the property manager/landlord to make sure all of the appliances are working prior to move-in.
I could drive to Menards or Lowes or Home Depot or right now and buy a refrigerator. I could also rent a truck from Menards (or U-Haul) and take the damn thing home. All in the same day.
OP wants to know where this magical place is that sells refrigerators? I want to know where this magical place is that doesn't have a U-Haul rental dealer.
Dealing with self entitled people who cannot seem to wrap their arms around people trying to do the best they can do, when they created the problem, at least in part, in the first place, does not interest me.
You're right, I wouldn't wrap my arms around a landlord who takes several days to get me an appliance because it's the "best he can do." That line is a piss poor excuse for being a slacker. Being a landlord and maintaining working appliances is part of your job. If you can't get it done, find someone who can. I can't tell my employees I'll pay them on Monday because you know "it's the best I can do."
I'm seriously baffled by your remarks. Paying $6k a year doesn't give someone permission to be an asshole when their landlord takes several days to get them a working appliance? You don't like renting to people in the crappy part of town because they want you to make urgent repairs? The desire to have working appliances means they have entitlement issues? If anyone has entitlement issues it's you and your attitude that your tenants should just hang out for days waiting on you to fix shit because it's the "best you can do".
Our fridge broke on a Saturday. I didnt even realize it until hours later. The light worked and it was cool in there. Luckily, once I realized, I put all my food outside in the snow. My landlord was super nice and apologetic about the whole thing. It was a holiday weekend and they needed a part. I didnt ask for reimbursement because all my food was fine, but at first I was tempted. I didnt because my landlord was nice about it. Then our building was sold. Our heat failed. I called 2-3 times a day and had to threaten to call a lawyer for them to hire someone to check on our heat. I will do no favours for this company.
LOL. Except your direct words were: "Personally, this is why I don't own properties in crappy parts of town. I don't want to deal with tenants who have irrational expectations. We provide a nice place to live and try to keep them up nicely, but we are not miricle workers. Tenants who expect us to be are not worth the hassles they create and expect you to swoop in and fix in ten minutes for their meager rents."
Guess what? The "crappy parts of town" where people pay "meager rents" are not typically flooded with rich people.
Backtrack fail.
Whatever. There are plenty of cheap rentals in good parts of town, but demand is much higher, allowing you to skip the people who have crappy credit. Is that what you wanted me to say? There is a high correlation between calling your landlord 39 times in an hour and a half and crappy credit. There is a high correlation between making stupid mistakes, like putting $200 worth of food into your fridge without noticing it isn't working, and asking your landlord to fixi them and crappy credit. Flame away, but why do you think so many people put such stock in those numbers on MM?
I'm on board with being wary of renting to people with low credit scores, but that's not how you have been putting it. And I don't think having a low credit score makes you automatically a crazy and difficult person, nor do I necessarily think OP's tenant is crazy. OP said she called 39 times over nearly 13 hours, not an hour and a half, and honestly I might too if I felt I had a legitimate problem that was being ignored or not handled properly. If someone was not going to get me a working fridge pronto in an apartment where I am paying full rent and my lease agreement includes working appliances, you're damn right I am going to be the squeaky wheel until it gets fixed and I am compensated appropriately.
It doesn't matter if they are paying $6,000 a year or $60,000 a year. The landlord's job is to uphold his or her end of the lease. Making a tenant live with a broken fridge for a week is not appropriate.
Maybe you are not expressing yourself well here but you are just not making a lick of sense to me. Yes, people with bad credit make stupid mistakes. I have nearly perfect credit and I make stupid mistakes, too--plenty of them, actually, especially if I am in a high stress situation like a move. And in no case do I think the tenant is in the wrong for expecting one of her primary appliances to work in the home she is renting, or if it does break, for expecting the property owner and/or management company to take steps to make it right as appropriate. That is both good business and basic human decency.
You really come across like you expect your tenants to be perfect and like they owe you something for doing your job. It's really unfair and is casting you in a poor light.
I worked in property management at two different companies. Both good companies with nice complexes.
I am also a landlord.
What is apparent from this post is that some people have unrealistic expectations. Things break, even on the first day of a lease. It just happens.
As a property manager, you have to rely on the property owner to decide what they want to do beyond standard repairs. It is not up to you, unless it is in the agreement with the property owner or the lease to dole out money to tenants. You can ask the owner if you think a complaint is valid, but you would need the receipt for the purchases of food, but unless it is in the lease, owner agreement or state law, he can tell you tough luck. It's a business, not your mom.
As for the refrigerator being replaced, there is not an easy way to do that in less than several days. Lowes and the like do not have heards of refrigerators sitting around for delivery or pickup. These deliveries are made by third parties, like GE and Wirlpool. It can take several days to get one. The last one I bought, had a first available delivery of a week out. That's just life.
Personally, this is why I don't own properties in crappy parts of town. I don't want to deal with tenants who have irrational expectations. We provide a nice place to live and try to keep them up nicely, but we are not miricle workers. Tenants who expect us to be are not worth the hassles they create and expect you to swoop in and fix in ten minutes for their meager rents. The few times we have had people like that, we raise the rent a lot, and hope they move. For those that do enjoy this though, I have a friend who is fed up with hers and has a bundle of 10 of them with decent cash flows that are for sale.
This is nonsense. You can walk into HD/Lowes/Sears and probably a dozen other stores and leave within an hour with a basic fridge. I had to wait a week to get mine, but I doubt landlords are ordering fancy schmancy counter depth fridges in a specific color that need to be special ordered. My local Home Depot also rents trucks by the hour, so you don't even have to waste time making a separate trip to U Haul.
The OP mentioned replacing the broken fridge with a 6 month old one, so the delay might possibly have to do with looking for the best deal rather than trying to do right by the tenants.
Post by littlemisssunshine on Feb 6, 2013 22:33:41 GMT -5
If any one is interested in the final resolution, I had a used fridge delivered today at 2pm, 31 hours after the tenant called me to say her current fridge wasn't working. Tenant called me Tues at 8am saying her fridge wouldn't cool. I asked her to go to the dollar store right down the road to buy a cooler and ice which I said I would reimburse her for. She refused saying she didn't have a car(you could walk to the store in 10 mins) and that she didn't have any money to buy ice. I live forty five mins from her so picking up her groceries to store in my fridge wasn't feasible.
I called several repair places and got the first available appointment...later that day at 2pm. Repair guy shows up at 5pm and calls to tell me the fridge is toast. I call the owner to see what he wants to do and he requests that I find a used fridge for under $300. I spend my Tuesday evening calling Sears, Lowes, Home Depot and Famous Tates for scratch and dent specials and how soon I can get a fridge delivered. Every single place said they were had a full schedule for deliveries and that the soonest would be Thurs. Sure I could buy a fridge and deliver it myself. Suddenly what a store charges $40 for becomes a $125 ordeal for me by the time I've rented a truck, hired someone to help me load/unload the fridge and then pay to get rid of the old one. No way would the owner authorize that kind of expense. So this morning I got up, drove forty five mins to where this rental is located and visited several used appliance stores where I begged and pleaded for one to deliver it same day.
My preference is always to know for sure that everything is in working order before I rent a place. If an owner refuses to cooperate with that, then its out of my hands. I warned the tenants that some things may not be in working order when the power got turned out but I would take care of it immediately. And I believe that getting a fridge to them with in 31 hours is as immediately as I could in the situation. Not once in her 39 phone calls did I get impatient or angry with her, but instead explained everything I was doing to get her a working fridge and kept her up to date on my progress. I fail to see how this makes me a slumlord.
Back to my original question of reimbursing her for the groceries....I have asked to see a receipt and will reimburse her for groceries that spoiled. But I find it hard to believe that her entire $200 worth of groceries need to be refrigerated and or spoiled.
My preference is always to know for sure that everything is in working order before I rent a place. If an owner refuses to cooperate with that, then its out of my hands. I warned the tenants that some things may not be in working order when the power got turned out but I would take care of it immediately. And I believe that getting a fridge to them with in 31 hours is as immediately as I could in the situation. Not once in her 39 phone calls did I get impatient or angry with her, but instead explained everything I was doing to get her a working fridge and kept her up to date on my progress. I fail to see how this makes me a slumlord.
Just curious- how do you set up your property management agreement? Maybe it is time to reevaluate it. It is not acceptable for an owner to refuse to make sure everything is in working order before a tenant moves in.
We have a very lengthy contract with our property management company. In between tenants, we have to keep the electricity and water on in our name. We set a threshold amount (we chose $200) where we allow them to repair something without our permission. If there is an emergency, like a problem with the heat or AC, and they cannot reach us within a certain amount of time then by default they have permission to do whatever they need to do to get it working again. We get charged fees for everything they do. They just sent our tenants a certified letter and the amount for that postage was deducted out of our rent check.
I think it is your responsibility as a property manager to ensure everything is working properly before allowing a tenant to move in.
I agree with this. I think you should just suck it up - although the entire $200 wouldn't have been perishable I imagine. Maybe offer to pay $100-150 or ask to see the receipt to determine what would have gone bad.
My preference is always to know for sure that everything is in working order before I rent a place. If an owner refuses to cooperate with that, then its out of my hands. I warned the tenants that some things may not be in working order when the power got turned out but I would take care of it immediately. And I believe that getting a fridge to them with in 31 hours is as immediately as I could in the situation. Not once in her 39 phone calls did I get impatient or angry with her, but instead explained everything I was doing to get her a working fridge and kept her up to date on my progress. I fail to see how this makes me a slumlord.
Just curious- how do you set up your property management agreement? Maybe it is time to reevaluate it. It is not acceptable for an owner to refuse to make sure everything is in working order before a tenant moves in.
We have a very lengthy contract with our property management company. In between tenants, we have to keep the electricity and water on in our name. We set a threshold amount (we chose $200) where we allow them to repair something without our permission. If there is an emergency, like a problem with the heat or AC, and they cannot reach us within a certain amount of time then by default they have permission to do whatever they need to do to get it working again. We get charged fees for everything they do. They just sent our tenants a certified letter and the amount for that postage was deducted out of our rent check.
I can do any repair up to three hundred dollars without an owner's permission. In case of emergency I can go over that limit if I can't reach the owner with in 6 hours. Usually I have a property long term so I know all appliances were working when the old tenants left, therefore I know they'll be working when new ones move in. This property I started managing after it had been vacant for a while, and then sat for an additional two months while I rented it out. The owner believed everything was in working order because the previous tenants did not report any issues which was the only info I had to go on. I'm in Florida so most houses don't have gas, and it's perfectly acceptable to have homes without power for longer periods of time.