OP, keep this in mind when your tenant causes some damage or other issue. There’s give and take.

Anonymous wrote:They came out, tried a repair that didn't work, and said it would take up to a week to get a replacement new system. Have a second opinion scheduled for this morning.

What is this "hot water system" you speak of? It's either an easy repair, or the plumber runs up to the warehouse and gets a new hot water heater to install this afternoon. Multiple service calls?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF, Call Lowes, tell tenant when they are coming and call it a day.

+1

Are you posting outside of the DC area? There are a million plumbing companies around here and none of them can come out today, tomorrow, or Wednesday???

They came out, tried a repair that didn't work, and said it would take up to a week to get a replacement new system. Have a second opinion scheduled for this morning.

You are taking reasonable efforts to resolve the situation in a timely manner. Be sure to document those efforts just to be on the safe side.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WTF, Call Lowes, tell tenant when they are coming and call it a day.

+1

Are you posting outside of the DC area? There are a million plumbing companies around here and none of them can come out today, tomorrow, or Wednesday???

They came out, tried a repair that didn't work, and said it would take up to a week to get a replacement new system. Have a second opinion scheduled for this morning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A week? No way. You can get a water heater installed today. Keep calling.

Exactly! Just because one guy can't do it in a week doesn't mean it can't be done. I would be furious if my landlord told me I couldn't take a hot shower for a whole week.

Yeah, no hot water for a whole week is more than an inconvenience. You are likely obligated by state or local landlord-tenant law to provide hot water. Get on it.

When my furnace went out I put my tenant in a hotel; it was only for two days.

For hot water, I would ask if they'd prefer prorated rent or stays in a hotel.

Anonymous wrote:WTF, Call Lowes, tell tenant when they are coming and call it a day.

+1

Are you posting outside of the DC area? There are a million plumbing companies around here and none of them can come out today, tomorrow, or Wednesday???

OP here. I don't think I will prorate and do a hotel. One or the other. Right? I don't want to be a bad landlord but that seems excessive to me.

WTF, Call Lowes, tell tenant when they are coming and call it a day.

Anonymous wrote:A week? No way. You can get a water heater installed today. Keep calling.

Exactly! Just because one guy can't do it in a week doesn't mean it can't be done. I would be furious if my landlord told me I couldn't take a hot shower for a whole week.

A week? No way. You can get a water heater installed today. Keep calling.

Anonymous wrote:I think that's overgenerous unless you are directly responsible for breaking the hot water system. These things happen whether there is a renter there or the owner. Prorating her rent is just fine.

+1

Plus, you are showing effort. Just prorate her rent and move on. Stuff like this happens. And that is part of the "risk" of being a renter...you are at the mercy of your landlord and any appliances problems that come up.

I think that's overgenerous unless you are directly responsible for breaking the hot water system. These things happen whether there is a renter there or the owner. Prorating her rent is just fine.

Offer them $300 for the inconvenience.

Maybe they were already planning to go out of town for Thanksgiving so it is no big deal for them to not have hot water for a week since they were not going to be there.
Or maybe they have friends or family nearby whom they can stay with, or at least pop over to their home for daily showers.

Find a way to ask them how they plan to cope with the situation without offering right off the bat to pay for a hotel for a week.

Do I need to put tenant in hotel? I would not go to hotel if it were my hot water heater (has happened before, I lived with it, but don’t think it was a week). I’m calling around to see if I can get it less than a week and have already prorated her rent. Do I need to get her a hotel too?