Hot water system broken in rental property. Will take a week to repair.

[Anonymous]

OP, if you can't get it fixed in 2 days, it might be reasonable to offer to pay for a cheapo hotel for the remaining nights. The tenant is only going to shower there, so don't let them choose an expensive hotel.

Or you can offer to prorate those days and they can shower at the gym or work (this is what I did when I was renting and the water heater broke). But one or the other - not prorate AND a hotel.

It's an inconvenience to not have hot water, but it's not the end of the world...

[Anonymous]

I would get rid of tenant at lease renewal. I recall as a kid, and my my parents had four the hot water went out in our apt. Mom Called Super and took a few days to fix. Mom put a couple of pots of water on stove, filled tub 2/3rds up dumped a few pots of boiling water in and we had baths a few nights.

Big deal.

[Anonymous]

OP back. Gah, it's all gotten so much worse. Apparently the system heats the hot water but also heats the condo. We can get the hot water heater itself replaced quickly but need to also replace the chimney, which won't come in until 11/30. Right now there's no hot water or heat (I didn't realize that before) so of course she needs a hotel. We are offering either a cheap hotel or (less) cash if she wants to stay with friends/relatives - who knows, maybe she was already planning to do that with Thanksgiving. It's all very expensive, but those are the woes of a landlord. We've gotten quotes from 3 plumbers so it seems to be legit.

[Anonymous]

Our hot water heater broke and we got a new system the next day. Not sure where you are located but we used McCarthy Services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP back. Gah, it's all gotten so much worse. Apparently the system heats the hot water but also heats the condo. We can get the hot water heater itself replaced quickly but need to also replace the chimney, which won't come in until 11/30. Right now there's no hot water or heat (I didn't realize that before) so of course she needs a hotel. We are offering either a cheap hotel or (less) cash if she wants to stay with friends/relatives - who knows, maybe she was already planning to do that with Thanksgiving. It's all very expensive, but those are the woes of a landlord. We've gotten quotes from 3 plumbers so it seems to be legit.

Sounds like you have a chimney exhaust problem too. Make sure the installers select the proper size of the pipe leading to the new chimney and have the chimney lined of course. Maybe the installers will hit a weather warmup period on 11/30. Good luck OP, don't envy you or your tenant.

[Anonymous]

Where does a lease say a landlord has to pay for a hotel? And thanksgiving week to boot.

And if you pay for a hotel do they still pay rent on those days?

I don't get it. When did the landlord become the red cross? 100 percent agree no heat and hot water tenant should not pay rent on those days. Maybe I pay for hotel if they pay rent and I eat difference.

But my place is rented out for $75 bucks a night on a year round lease. So if it happened to me I would be out a weeks rent plus several months worth of rent on that repair. A modest hotel is one thing, but putting them up in a $200 a night hotel, losing $75 night a rent and paying for a very expensive repair is a lot in one week. They better be good tenants who are long term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP back. Gah, it's all gotten so much worse. Apparently the system heats the hot water but also heats the condo. We can get the hot water heater itself replaced quickly but need to also replace the chimney, which won't come in until 11/30. Right now there's no hot water or heat (I didn't realize that before) so of course she needs a hotel. We are offering either a cheap hotel or (less) cash if she wants to stay with friends/relatives - who knows, maybe she was already planning to do that with Thanksgiving. It's all very expensive, but those are the woes of a landlord. We've gotten quotes from 3 plumbers so it seems to be legit.

Sounds like you have a chimney exhaust problem too. Make sure the installers select the proper size of the pipe leading to the new chimney and have the chimney lined of course. Maybe the installers will hit a weather warmup period on 11/30. Good luck OP, don't envy you or your tenant.

Sounds like a combi boiler that vents through the chimney. Probably need a new chimney flue. I assume this is a unit in a rowhouse? What's going on in the other units? I would assume that their systems vent out the same chimney....

[Anonymous]

Why do you need a liner? We had to put one in when we orphaned our hot water heater from our furnace as it was too big but that's different.

[Anonymous]

Len the Plumber has same day service

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need a liner? We had to put one in when we orphaned our hot water heater from our furnace as it was too big but that's different.

p.p here. My understanding is that nowadays liners are recommended to act as a conduit up as well as given high efficiency gas furnaces, to hinder effluence deposits on the brick. I don't know of course what furnace type or water heater type op is getting but thought this might help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Len the Plumber has same day service

OP here. LTP told us they could repair, charged over a thousand and it didn’t work. I’m hoping they will credit at least a part of the failed repair to the replacement but now they aren’t calling back. Grrr. They also need a week to get the chimney though.

We will pay for the (cheap) hotel but then she has to give us full rent. Or she can choose to go to family/friend and we will rebate rent for the part of the month the place was uninhabitable. Her choice.

[Anonymous]

Omg some of the PPs must treat your tenants like absolute crap. Staying in a hotel - even a nice one - isn’t a favor or a treat. It’s a major PITA for your tenant, who actually did absolutely nothing wrong. Of course you need to pay for hotel AND compensate her.

And maintain your properties better, you should have seen this on the horizon and had a plan for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Len the Plumber has same day service

OP here. LTP told us they could repair, charged over a thousand and it didn’t work. I’m hoping they will credit at least a part of the failed repair to the replacement but now they aren’t calling back. Grrr. They also need a week to get the chimney though.

We will pay for the (cheap) hotel but then she has to give us full rent. Or she can choose to go to family/friend and we will rebate rent for the part of the month the place was uninhabitable. Her choice.

I really hope you want to lose this tenant as soon as her lease is up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where does a lease say a landlord has to pay for a hotel? And thanksgiving week to boot.

And if you pay for a hotel do they still pay rent on those days?

I don't get it. When did the landlord become the red cross? 100 percent agree no heat and hot water tenant should not pay rent on those days. Maybe I pay for hotel if they pay rent and I eat difference.

But my place is rented out for $75 bucks a night on a year round lease. So if it happened to me I would be out a weeks rent plus several months worth of rent on that repair. A modest hotel is one thing, but putting them up in a $200 a night hotel, losing $75 night a rent and paying for a very expensive repair is a lot in one week. They better be good tenants who are long term.

I don't know about hot water, but the landlord has to provide heat. He can buy a bunch of portable electric heaters if he wants, but he has to provide heat if the temperature goes down to some amount.

As a landlord, you ARE the hotel. Your tenants are paying you by the month for a service. This means they don't have to pay you AND a hotel if you can't provide the legally mandated minimum amount. Your homeowner's insurance will likely cover this, but then your rates will go up.

Yes, this is very expensive. In the end, you will be out the cost of the repair and some additional cost to get the tenant the service they contracted for with you. But, when all is said and done, you still have your investment property, and the tenant just has a place to live. Presumably the reason you are a landlord is because you believe it makes sense to invest in real estate.

It is very, very difficult to make any money, or even break even, with a single rental property unless you can do A LOT of work yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Len the Plumber has same day service

OP here. LTP told us they could repair, charged over a thousand and it didn’t work. I’m hoping they will credit at least a part of the failed repair to the replacement but now they aren’t calling back. Grrr. They also need a week to get the chimney though.

We will pay for the (cheap) hotel but then she has to give us full rent. Or she can choose to go to family/friend and we will rebate rent for the part of the month the place was uninhabitable. Her choice.

I really hope you want to lose this tenant as soon as her lease is up.

As long as the cheap hotel is still a decent hotel, I think this is fine. If you just looked up the cheapest Red Roof Inn you could find in a totally different part of town, didn't include the taxes and fees in your offer, and then called it a day? Not fine.