Lease clause:
“Properly Use Fixtures and
Building Components”
Yes, tenants do have responsibilities. If they do any of the following no-nos, they have to pay to fix them. Here, in no particular order, are ten things that tenants need to do to properly use their homes.
1. Don’t overload outlets. How many times have you walked into a unit and seen an octopus crawling out of the wall. Well, that’s what it looked like. Really it was 17 cords coming off two outlets to power various pieces of electrical equipment. Fire hazard!
2. Don’t plug up the toilet. Putting large objects down the toilet does exactly that. That means that either you or Roto-Rooter will have to come over and unplug it. It is of no consequence who did it, kids, guests or tenants, it’s still the tenants’ responsibility.
3. Don’t break windows. I don’t care if it was the wedge from a Ouija Board that the spirits sent flying and it broke a window. The tenant still has responsibility for the window. Let her bill the ghost.
4. Use doors so they continue to open and close properly. Sticking broom handles in the hinge side of a door can and will spring hinges or pull out the screws that hold the hinges in place. Tenant’s fault. Slamming doors will also damage the wood around the doors and even break the glass in windows in or around the door. Leaving storm doors open so the wind catches them and springs the hinges is also improper use.
5. Don’t use the range for or oven for heating the house. Just because they didn’t pay the gas bill and it gets shut off, or ran out of oil, doesn’t mean they have the right to misuse another appliance to try to get some heat. If it breaks because of this misuse, they pay.
6. Don’t allow the freezer to ice up. That overloads the motor in the refrigerator. It doesn’t matter why it happened, the tenants just need to keep it ice free.
7. Don’t poke holes in the wall. Yes, children do get rowdy, and so, sometimes, do drunken guests. The tenant is still responsible.
8. Report damage and breakage promptly. Broken appliances and electrical stuff will break more if not repaired, and can result in other problems. Broken plumbing will cause floods. It is important that you know about breakage promptly so it gets repaired. You can worry about who pays later, just mitigate the damage.
9. Change the filters. This part usually applies in single-family houses and small plexes. Furnace and air conditioning filters need to be changed or cleaned once every month or two. Failure to do so means the furnace or air conditioner will break or work less efficiently. That can be really expensive for the tenant.
10. Same thing applies to common areas. Just because it isn’t in their unit, doesn’t mean they can willy-nilly let their children run rampant and break things. They still have to take responsibility for the damages.
Here’s one suggestion that might be helpful. Every appliance comes with instructions. If you have the books, make copies and leave the copies in the unit. That way they can’t whine, “But I didn’t know. . . .” Also, at move-in, go over what those tenant responsibilities are.