In general, the responsibility for paying for repairs on a rental property is the landlord's. However, there are some exceptions to this:
- Clogged pipes
- Broken windows
- Pest control (with the exception of rodents and termites)
- Things the tenant broke
- Cosmetic issues that aren't required by law to be fixed
- Bills for repair appointments that a tenant no-showed
- Bills for an inspection appointment that a tenant no-showed
- HVAC filters
- Smoke detector batteries
- Doorstops
- Repairs that are only necessary due to tenant negligence (for example, failure to timely report)
If a vendor goes out to a property for these issues and finds that the tenant is responsible, you will receive a bill on your tenant ledger and notice from us by mail, email, or text message. You will generally be given thirty (30) days to pay the bill after you've been notified. If you don't pay the bill by then, you will then receive a late fee, and late fees will continue to accrue monthly until the balance is paid in full, so it's important to pay on time. Please note that in addition to the repair bill, you will also be charged a $25 Repair Bill Admin Fee, so you will need to pay this also at the time the repair bill is paid.
Our inspection vendors are instructed to replace any HVAC filters that are dirty, any smoke detector batteries that are low, and any door stops that have been knocked off. These are items that are tenant responsibilities, so if the inspector has to perform these items, you will be charged for both the materials and the labor. There are no exceptions to this. The way to avoid these charges is to follow your lease agreement and take care of these items prior to the inspection.
If you believe you've been billed for something incorrectly, then you can fill out the Repair/Inspection Charges Dispute Form, and someone from our office will investigate and get back to you. Please note that filling out the form does not extend the 30-day deadline to pay, so if you want to dispute a charge, it's important to do so immediately after notification of the charge, or go ahead and pay the bill while waiting for the dispute to be resolved.
