How do I tell my tenant I'm taking money from their security deposit?

Hi all! Our tenants here in New York City complained the other day about a water leak in the basement apartment. When the plumber came out and opened up the ceiling, he found no active leaks (even with all the faucets turned on while he was there for at least 30 minutes). The tenant in the basement had described it as a gush of water and then dripping. Right above where the leak was, is the en suite for a lovely, elderly tenant we have who I’ve noted before uses her vanity for washing dishes etc. The plumber’s best guess was that she likely threw a bucket of water on the floor or similar and it leaked through the grout and caused the water damage.

We’ve been monitoring the situation and to no surprise to me there’s been no more ‘leaks’. They denied there was a spilling of a bucket or similar but when the plumber went in that en suite he moved a sodden bath mat, adding to his hypothesis.

So my question is, *do we need to tell our tenants that the cost of the plumber and the dry wall ceiling patch up will be coming out of their security deposit now or just when they mo ve out. Also, how do we prove that it wasn’t a fault of the building?*

Trying to avoid having to avoid paying my insurance premium, too.

Thanks so much!

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

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stevecym | 5 years and 2 months ago

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i read what you wrote: as what the others say, there is inherent risk with any business and as owners we have to assume that risk. but i had to read this twice to try to understand something: who did you wish to ding for the cost of opening the ceiling? the downstairs tenant who reported the situation or the one who caused the damage? my reading makes me think you want to charge the people who reported this and that would be wrong.

yudashasom | 5 years and 2 months ago

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You need a landlord 101 course or something.

You can’t bill them for this. And even if you could, you can’t just deduct in from their security later.

You sound like a horrible person. Even the way you respond to other posters is just nasty.

restorationcontractor | 5 years and 2 months ago

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Here is an instructional video on how to deal with the situation;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9Tpw1ICJEc

IronBalls | 5 years and 2 months ago

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Yeah, I’ve been a landlord for decades. I’ve never tried to charge tenants for leak damage. And with the rental market dead, why piss off anybody?

Putnamdenizen | 5 years and 2 months ago

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“have NOT convinced me.” And replace of fix something (not an expert).

Putnamdenizen | 5 years and 2 months ago

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I guess I start with the idea that being a landlord means I have responsibility for maintaining my house, which means I occasionally need to replace or fix or hire an expert. Those costs need to be baked into my business plan. If you start trying to pass these costs on to tenants you are going to set up a perverse incentive for them not to report problems to you. Which is not a good idea when it comes to issues involving water. It is a bit hard to follow your story here, but you have convinced me that you KNOW that the upstairs tenant did anything intentional that caused the problem. If her bathroom floor isn’t waterproof – from either sink splashing, showering, or “throwing a bucket of water on the floor” (?), maybe you want to address that problem proactively. The security deposit isn’t a slush fund to cover unexpected landlord costs. Or at least that is how I look at it.

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

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> @edblack
> better starting point for a water leak
send a super or handyperson or go yourself to investigate before you call the plumber. the description alone indicates a behavioral problem rather than a plumbing problem to me but running the water in all fixtures in the bathroom above should tell you quickly whether you have an actual leak associated with the plumbing. you might also want to check the floor of the bathroom to make sure the grout is in good condition and there aren’t any easy ways for water to quickly make its way down through the floor.

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

string(1) "3"
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> @edblack
> better starting point for a water leak
send a super or handyperson or go yourself to investigate before you call the plumber. the description alone indicates a behavioral problem rather than a plumbing problem to me but running the water in all fixtures in the bathroom above should tell you quickly whether you have an actual leak associated with the plumbing. you might also want to check the floor of the bathroom to make sure the grout is in good condition and there aren’t any easy ways for water to quickly make its way down through the floor.

restorationcontractor | 5 years and 2 months ago

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The elderly tenant was probably scared to admit it. I would bet they won’t let it happen again. Give them a pass on this one?

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

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You could let it go. And it could happen again. Or you could add some firmness to your generosity to prevent a recurrence. How? Tell the responsible tenant you’re adding a reimbursement charge as additional rent this month per the terms of the lease due to their negligence causing damage resulting from improper use of the bathroom. Then when they complain/deny as will likely happen, you say you’ll waive the charge as a one time courtesy. Generous landlord? Check. Tenant made clear that landlord won’t stand for irresponsible use of apartment? Check

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

string(1) "3"
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You could let it go. And it could happen again. Or you could add some firmness to your generosity to prevent a recurrence. How? Tell the responsible tenant you’re adding a reimbursement charge as additional rent this month per the terms of the lease due to their negligence causing damage resulting from improper use of the bathroom. Then when they complain/deny as will likely happen, you say you’ll waive the charge as a one time courtesy. Generous landlord? Check. Tenant made clear that landlord won’t stand for irresponsible use of apartment? Check

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

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@Putnamdenizen Thank you! Agreed it’s not good to ask her to leave. She’s so lovely too! It will cost about $550 all up between the plumber and having the ceiling fixed. That’s quite a large portion (about a 5th) of the rent they pay each month. What do you consider to be a good ‘cut off point’ where you involve the tenant in the cost of repairs?

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

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@Daveinbedstuy I should have commented that the ensuite above is on the same lease as the basement. Does that change things in your opinion? Should I ask the lady with the en suite to stop washing dishes in the sink and not to throw water on the floor?

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

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@MaggieO Appreciate your comment and am curious as to what you recommend as a better starting point for a water leak?

Putnamdenizen | 5 years and 2 months ago

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If this becomes a chronic issue and the elderly tenant won’t rectify it, I guess you could ask her to leave (not that I would). But I really don’t think this rises to the level of the kind of “damage” you could or should be charging to a specific tenant. Let it go….

daveinbedstuy | 5 years and 2 months ago

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The tenant did the right thing to report a “leak.” Water come through the ceiling. It was your job to figure out that it came from the ensuite above which, apparently, you already knew was using it to wash dishes. This issue is on you.

Arkady | 5 years and 2 months ago

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I’d bring it up now when everyone’s memory of what has happened is fresh. If the tenant argues, you can marshal your evidence more readily than raking it over months from now.

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

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I’m not sure why you started by hiring a plumber. I don’t think you should take this out of their security deposit. I don’t know what insurance has to do with it.

Guest User | 5 years and 2 months ago

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I’m not sure why you started by hiring a plumber. I don’t think you should take this out of their security deposit. I don’t know what insurance has to do with it.