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Whose Fault Is It?

One of the greatest fears of any rental property owner is having bad tenants; tenants so bad that they cause significant damage to the property. We can understand this fear, especially when there is a struggle to figure out who is financially responsible for the repairs. Essentially, whose fault is it?

This question comes up more often than not during the time a lessee occupies a property, and sometimes in surprising ways. There are situations that are pretty straightforward, but others, not so much. Consider the following:

It’s a holiday weekend and you’re off enjoying your time on the boat, perhaps even fishing. You aren’t thinking about your rental property in Little Rock. Well you weren’t thinking about it until the phone rings. It’s your property managers calling to inform you that the tenants at your property called about sewage backing up through the pipes into the home for rent. They’re letting you know that they’ll be calling a plumber out to see what needs to be done.

On first thought, you probably think that it’s a busted pipe or that there is something wrong that falls into the realm where you, as the owner, have to pay for the repair. More often than not, this is probably the case. However, there are situations where you have to ask, whose fault is it?

The property manager calls you back after having the drain scoped and cleared. During the the process the plumber found the cause of the backup, and it wasn’t a pipe break. In fact, it was a collection of feminine products, plastics, and other items, that you never want to find down a drainpipe, let alone should be flushing down the toilet. So the question has to be ask, whose fault is it?

In this case, the fault could fall back on the tenant and they would have to pay for the plumbing bill to fix the clog. If there had been anything wrong with the house simply due to wear and tear, then that would have been the responsibility of the owner. So, as you can see, not every case is straightforward.

This is why Real Property Management Central Arkansas does detailed inspections prior to a tenant taking occupancy, as well as several times during the tenant’s time in the property in order to make sure that they are properly caring for the rental. These inspections are critical in order to establish what is damaged by the tenant and what is simply wear and tear that an owner is responsible for.

Your home for rent is your investment and should be treated well by every tenant. That’s why we make sure to carefully screen each tenant and to do regular inspections. In addition, we also make sure that the proper individual pays for any necessary repairs based on the situation each and every time. Here at Real Property Management Central Arkansas, we focus on protecting your investment so you don’t have to worry. Find out more by calling us today.

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