Replacing ceramic soap dish
Before showing our apartment to prospective tenants, we visited the apartment and discovered that the current tenants have broken the ceramic soap dish in the bathtub and removed some of the hinges from the bathroom door. They informed us months ago that they won’t be renewing their lease (which expires at the end of November)….
Before showing our apartment to prospective tenants, we visited the apartment and discovered that the current tenants have broken the ceramic soap dish in the bathtub and removed some of the hinges from the bathroom door. They informed us months ago that they won’t be renewing their lease (which expires at the end of November). Aside from the soap dish, adhesive paper and candle wax on the wall and, a very dirty stove and oven, this is all we’ve noticed . . . so far.
They are the first tenants to occupy the apartment since it was COMPLETELY renvoated with new appliances. Obviously the soap dish will have to be replaced but how the heck do you break a ceramic soap dish, in the corner of the dish, that’s attached to a tile wall? What’s the best way to handle this?
Also, any suggestions on how to replace the dish is appreciated as the apartment clearly cannot be rented like this. Many thanks.
Just fill it in with tile.
I’ve been a landlord for many years, and agree that that sort of stuff is common. I’d say fifty percent of tenants leave a filthy oven.
I’ve also had tenants break ceramic soap dishes. If you don’t have the money to hire a repair guy, do it yourself. It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes max.
Break off the old soap dish, scrape out the old dried glue, and re-attach a new soap dish. I usually use Phenoseal (any waterproof silicon will do) as adhesive and tape the soap dish to the wall while it dries. If you’re even a tiny bit handy you can do it.
The issue isn’t so much that the dish is broken but the area in which it’s broken that leads us (and an number of our friends) to think that it was intentional (especially when there’s a pipe wrench under the bathroom sink!!). Yes, it’s minor but it doesn’t make it any less annoying. Besides, we don’t have the deep pockets that some may have and having been renters for a very long time, we expect wear and tear on the apartment. We’re not naive. Thanks everyone!!!! Nuff said.
I think sometimes people who buy buildings and become landlords are a little optimistic about how easy it is. Even good tenants cause wear and tear on an apartment and it is just part of the bargain. I bet things in your part of the house break too and if you made a list over a year or so it might be the same as theirs.
Count yourself lucky. You will encounter worse. Much worse. Fix it, and move on. What’s the big deal.
it you want to the place to look COMPLETELY new in pertituity, don’t rent it out.
Yeah, really. This all sounds pretty minor in the cosmic scope of things. Get a new soap dish and a handyman. The hinge can be fixed too, the wax scraped off the wall and the placed cleaned up. Get an estimate and deduct it from the security and don´t worry about it.
Tenants wreck apartments. They don’t care. That’s the way it is. You can dedcuct the repair cost from the deposit obviously. Just hire a handyman. These are minor repairs. Don’t get so upset. Tenants wreck newly renovated apartments the most.