Tenant Wants Rent Reduction b/c of Leak
With this winter’s crazy weather, just last month, a leak appeared from our patio (which is also the roof of an extension) into our tenant’s apartment. I have been on the scene each time it has leaked (on two separate occasions over the last month), and I have been trying different things to repair, or…
With this winter’s crazy weather, just last month, a leak appeared from our patio (which is also the roof of an extension) into our tenant’s apartment. I have been on the scene each time it has leaked (on two separate occasions over the last month), and I have been trying different things to repair, or at least fix the leak until the weather gets warmer. My tenant keeps mentioning a rent reduction or credit for the rooms that have the leak. What should I do?
They are good tenants, always pay on time, and have been pretty cool so far, but I think the leak freaks them out, they think the ceiling is going to cave in on them—
I don’t think they are asking for a credit this month, but have mentioned it twice already that if the leak doesn’t get fixed, they will ‘need to be compensated’ because according to them the ‘room is unusable’.
As a general rule, are they out of their mind or just cheap? On the other hand, I paid twice – once for a ceramic teapot knocked off a shelf by a workman and once because I personally overwatered a plant and it leaked on their modem. I replaced the teapot in kind and gave a credit on the modem.
I looked over lease, there is no language re. repairs being made in timely fashion. There is language pertaining to fire,defects,damage which states that if sections of dwelling is unusable, tenant must pay for usable part., but landlord has the rights to decide which part is unusable. The leak needs to be fixed , but is not that bad- it leaked , dripping one saturday- filling a bucket a few times, during the initial thaw of the blizzard from Dec., then over the month it did not leak more until this week, for an hour or so on Tues, and Wed. morning, leaking more heavily, filling a bucket a few times, and also the leak spread into the next room, but just a few drips. The tenant is claiming that the leak damaged his sofa, but from what I can see, the sofa dried, and I see no water marks. The tenant uses one room as an office, and is claiming that he doesn’t want to keep his computer in the room at all, in fear that the ceiling will leak on his computer— even though, he can place his computer some place other than the leaking area.
Is the tenant asking for a one time reduction/credit? Have they suffered any damage? Like Dave asks, how bad is the damage? Also, are they good tenants? Pay on time?
I would suspect that there’s language in the lease that pertains to repairs and that they will be made in a timely fashion. Maybe not. As far as roof repairs go, timely will be when the snow is gone.
How extensive is the problem?? Have their possessions been damaged?