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My tenant in Corktown is making me rethink how I write leases
He’s been in the building 4 years and yesterday he handed me a 3 page list of stuff he fixed himself because he said calling me was too slow. Now I’m wondering if I should offer a rent credit to tenants who handle minor repairs, anyone else doing that in their buildings?
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susanm5617d ago
Our handyman in the apartment actually started doing the same thing a couple years back. He just got tired of waiting for us to schedule someone for little stuff like a drippy faucet or a stuck window. We ended up just giving him a flat discount on his rent each month to cover the basics. Bargain for both of us really, he saves us the headache of finding someone for small repairs and I don't have to field ten texts a week. Your mileage may vary of course but I'd say it's worth trying with a tenant you trust.
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finley_price2417d ago
What if he messes up something major and you're still on the hook?
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laura_allen2d ago
Oh man, I actually read an article about this exact thing a few months back! It talked about how some landlords are starting to offer rent discounts to tenants who have handyman skills, and it seems to work well when both parties are clear about what's covered. The article mentioned that you really need to write everything down like what counts as "small stuff" and what they should call you for instead. I bet it saves a ton of back and forth, especially if the tenant is already handy and you trust them not to make things worse. Finley brings up a good point though, you'd want to make sure they know their limits and don't mess with anything like electrical or plumbing that could really go sideways. Have you guys set any boundaries on what they won't touch?
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