We recently had the occasion of having to serve a tenant on more than one occasion to allow a Plumbing company entry into his unit to make a repair on a water leak that the tenant originally called in.
The plumbing company made more than a few attempts to get into the unit, but the tenant was never fully cooperative. Plumbing companies and other vendors we use can not always make an “on time” appointment. They will do their best but a lot of times they will have a “window” of time. For example, “well be there between 9-11”.
Personally I agree with the tenant that if they use a window, it means they have to be there a 9 but the vendor may not show up until 10:30. However, that is the environment we live in and while it’s sometimes inconvenient we have to get the repair completed.
When the tenant stood us up again, we gave him a 48 hour notice to enter.
On the day we were supposed to enter, we get there with a copy of the keys just in case the tenant wasn’t home which, in this case he wasn’t, although he said he would be.
Here’s a list of the violations of his lease.
- The Keys We Had Don’t Work – Tenant Changed the Locks
If you didn’t know, as a Tenant you are allowed to change the locks on your door, BUT, you have to give a copy of those new keys to the Property Manager/Landlord in case they need access, as was this case. Since the tenant wasn’t there and would not be available, we had to drill out the key and replace the lock.
- The Tenant had “unauthorized” pets in his unit !
After we get into the unit we find the tenant has dogs that he never told us about and was not authorized to have.
So What Can Happen To a Tenant in a Case Like This..?
The Tenant is going to be given a bill for the replacement of the lock since he didn’t give us a copy. He also had dogs and never told us or got authorization so he getting a Termination Notice.
The new Statewide Rent Control Law does not come into effect until January 1, 2020, so his “termination of tenancy” doesn’t require any reason for the termination. This was a tool that made it easier for Landlords to get rid of Tenants who don’t follow the rules.
So the advice I’d give you if you going to be a renter is, please follow the rules. Most property managers don’t like kicking people out of their homes, but if you don’t follow the rules that is what could happen to you.
If you are an Owner/Investor looking for Property Management Services, please check us out at Haven Properties, Property Management Services 2nd to None.
In the Mean Time…?
Make it a Great Day…!
Ed Favinger, Broker, CRS, GRI, SFR
