Our Top 10 Most Common Rental Unit Repairs

When it comes to home repairs, owning a rental property is not much different than owning your personal residence.  The main difference is that by law you must make the necessary repairs for your tenants “right to peaceful enjoyment” of the unit they are renting from you.   Here are our Top 10 Most Common Rental Unit Repairs, along with how we handle them when they pop up and the best ways to be proactive to minimize them happening in the first place.

1. Garbage Disposal Issues

Either they got something jammed in there or the bottom rusted out and it’s leaking.  We do periodic inspections twice a year.  Each time we go in, we check the bottom of the disposal for rust.  To deter rust from happening in the first place, encourage your tenants to run the disposal each time they rinse dishes.  The smallest of particles don’t go down the drain and that wet muck sits in bottom of the disposal, eventually causing it to rust out.  The life of a disposal can last 3 times longer when tenants do this one task.

We also check to make sure the garbage disposal wrench that came with the disposal is still under the sink.  We tape it to the inside of the cabinet under the sink.  Don’t have one? You can order one here.  Check out our “FIX IT” tip on YouTube on how best to fix a jammed disposal.  Save and send this video to your tenant when they call complaining their disposal won’t turn on or blades are jammed.  We tell them to watch the video and use the tool we left under the sink.  Every. Single. Time. The tenant comes back with “WOW, IT WORKED”!

2. Toilet Repairs

From a running toilet or broken handle to a leaking tank, toilets are definitely a common rental repair.  Here’s the deal, plastic and rubber parts break down and do not last.  As the rubber seals age, they do not close tight and water gets through, usually causing the toilet to run after being flushed.  When we do our periodic inspections, we check how the guts of the toilet are doing.   We also check the underside of the tank to see if the rubber gasket is leaking.  If you are a tracker and want to be proactive, change the innards of the toilet every 5 years.

3. Appliance Malfunction

Burner ignitors and refrigerators are our top appliance calls.  As ranges age, the ignitors will stop working.  With the high cost of an appliance repair person, consider having them replace all the ignitors when they have the unit opened up.  Usually when one goes, the others are not far behind.  For refrigerators, we strongly recommend not buying ones with ice makers.  It’s common for the water line to freeze and the condenser to burn out.   Those were $300 fixes a couple times a year.  Our refrigerator calls dropped to zero when we stopped buying them with the added ice maker feature.

4. Dripping Faucets

Drippy faucets are an easy fix, but most tenants don’t let us know about them. Typically, we discover this issue during an inspection.

In California, we are in a severe drought so drippy sinks and running toilets can really get expensive as most landlords of multi-family units have to pay for water.  As the tenant doesn’t have to foot the bill, they sometimes don’t understand the impact their blasé attitude has on their landlord’s pocketbook.

Again, periodic inspections to check these items is key.  Additionally, when we have our contractor on site (or repairman), we will send out an email to the other tenants asking if they are having any issues that need attention.  More than once we have had responses letting us know of issues that otherwise likely would have waited an inspection of some sort.

5. Smoke Detectors

Rarely do we get call that the battery needs to be replaced.  Most of our calls are because the “10 Year” detectors we bought have failed at 6 years.   We have yet to have a 10-year smoke or carbon detector last more than 7 years.  We have found disabled units in cabinets, on top of the refrigerator, behind the washing machine, under the kitchen sink, etc.  It was very frustrating and we would not have considered this a common rental repair!

For this reason, we replace them all every five years.  The very last thing we need is for a tenant to get frustrated with the beeping unit and remove it completely.  That adds risk to them AND the other tenants in the complex.

Our favorite smoke detectors are the ones that are interconnected.  Meaning, when one goes off, it will trigger adjacent units nearby to sound as well.  Check out the wireless, battery-operated ones (smoke only) we use here.

6. Pests: Bugs and Rodents

This may seem as simple as hiring a pest control service to spray around the home/complex each month, but even that can be a limited solution.  Maybe pests aren’t so much a common rental repair but more something urgent landlords need to respond to.

We have had issues with ants, cockroaches, termites, fruit flies, and mice in our units.  Yes, we have a pest control service contract and that is worth its weight in gold.  However, having them come out and spray the perimeter only goes so far.  It does not tackle issues with termites that fly in from surrounding trees, rodents that find their way in from the underside of the home, or cockroaches that come in via sewer lines (yep, in sinks and bathtubs!).

For the most part, the city has gotten control of the cockroaches in the sewer and our pest control application handles the ants and other creepy crawlers.  There are some pest issues you must work a little harder to get rid of.

Termites

We got notification from a tenant about small holes in the wall with dust below it.   We acted quickly but still had to tent the entire property.  For our story and how we handled termites, read our blog How To Navigate Tenants, Termites, and Tenting In Your Rental Property.

Rodents

When we had a mouse, we discovered we had a unit with a small hole behind the washer/dryer unit where the water lines connected.  That mouse did get under the kitchen sink where the dishwasher water line was and chew on the plastic coating of metal tubing.  Unfortunately, we did not know this had happened until the pressure from the water line broke a couple of years (and tenants) later.  Luckily, the tenant caught it early and, because we had taught them how to turn the water off in an emergency, there was no water damage.  Add looking for small holes to your inspection list.  Mice can crawl through any hole larger than ¼” or the size of a pencil. Stuff holes with steel wool until you can get out to patch it closed.

Fruit Flies

These are nasty little buggers to have an infestation with.  This happens when food is left on the counter to rot.  They seem to multiply by the minute and before you know it, they are everywhere.  We thought the termite issue was our most expensive problem.  Turns out when there is a fruit fly infestation, they leave feces pretty much everywhere causing a need for an entire unit to be primed and painted as well as appliance replacement in some instances.

Our discovery of the infestation was during a routine inspection.  This tenant thought because they had cleaned up the flies from the surfaces, that we would not know.  BUT we inspect windows, blinds, pull out appliances to check water lines behind, etc.  When there are a million yellow dots all over every surface of the entire unit, it makes you wonder what the heck was going on.  Upon further inspection, we found dead flies in the rubber seals and drawer slides of the refrigerator, air filter, dryer filter, in and on all areas of the stovetop and range, etc.  This is a MAJOR lease violation and cause for eviction.

7. Drywall Repairs

Straight up this is excessive holes in the walls when we flip a unit after move-out.   Some tenants like to make the unit their own space, which is fine within reason.   This is such a common rental repair, we had to add and addendum to our lease over it.

Years ago, we knew of a tenant who had a teen that liked to mix music (yep, dating myself here).  That parent complained of the noise, so the teen got 2” foam egg mattress toppers and STAPLED them to all four walls to create a noise barrier.  You cannot make this stuff up.  Then, when the tenant moved out and removed all the foam, she got very angry when she found out she would not receive her deposit back.  Clearly not understanding that this landlord would have to re-texture the walls to cover those holes up.

Other examples we have experienced personally would be large holes for wall TV brackets, bike racks, or multiple holes when tenants create a picture wall.  These are especially hard to cover up when the walls are textured.

How to avoid this issue:  As part of your lease, use a disclosure to state how many holes you consider “wear and tear”.  Include maximum size of the holes you allow and what you will charge to patch should they exceed what is stated on the addendum.   When you do your inspection, notate where you may need to inspect upon move-out.

In our welcome basket we have begun to provide these new picture hanging devices from 3M.  They are a lifesaver when you have to go back into patch!

8. HVAC Issues

Typically, you will not know about these issues until you are knee deep into a heat wave.  Most common are complaints the AC is not blowing cold air or just not working at all.   This can mean the freon needs to be refilled or the compressor or condenser has gone out.  It can also mean the thermostat is not working correctly.

How to avoid this? EVERY spring have your HVAC person out to inspect and service all your AC units.  This will mean they will check the unit to make sure it’s working correctly, refill freon (not often), check ducts to make sure there are no holes (hello rodents), that the air handler is clear, etc.  They will need access to the units so they can test the thermostats and make sure the units are cooling accurately.

Once we discovered we had an issue that went back to installation.  The AC units hooked up were too small for the large apartments they cooled.  The duct work was too narrow and the cold air blowing through basically was not powerful enough to make it to the apartment.  The smaller, 1-bedroom unit was on the first floor, near the units so they never experienced a problem with cool air.  The larger, 2-bedroom unit on the second floor (usually hotter anyway) could not get the unit to cool his unit at all.  We found that the AC units were attached to ducting for the wrong units and we had to have our HVAC person swap machines.

9. Electrical Problems

Where this is rare, it generally comes down to breakers that continually pop and need to be replaced.  We do see GFI plugs in baths and kitchens needing replaced from time to time as well.

Like water lines, both these items can last 5-7 years depending on how much they are used.  Once they go, consider replacing all in the unit to avoid frustration of having to come back again.

Breakers can be expensive so if they continually go out, evaluate the load being pulled.  If they service a bedroom or office, are there a lot of electronics hooked up on plug strips? We check for this when doing inspections as it can be a fire hazard as well.

10. Water Leaks

THE MOST COMMON ISSUE WE ENCOUNTER!

Mostly under sinks because tenants shove too much stuff in the cabinet, and it tends to knock the plumbing loose.  Other than that, old seals, washers, and water supply lines that fail due to age.  Did you know that plastic water lines typically only last for 5 years?  Many plumbers will use them because they are inexpensive, and they are long gone by the time the lines fail.

Proactive maintenance is key with preventing this from happening.  We change our water lines with metal units every 5 years no matter what.  If a water line fails with no one home, it can be a major disaster for your tenant, the tenant below, and the landlord.  Hire a contractor or plumber for the day to go from unit to unit and replace them all.  It may cost you $1,000 but that is nothing compared to the thousands more in damages, housing, mold remediation, and replacement costs.  Yes, this is why you have insurance but after filing a claim, your rates will absolutely be affected, and you will be paying that increase for years.  BE PROACTIVE.

In Closing

This article is not to scare landlords, it is to reinforce the concept of semi-annual inspections and being proactive with your maintenance.  Run your business professionally.  Manage units and tenants with respect but be firm and diligent.  Keep track of your repairs and repair requests.

If you employ a property manager, it is essential you ensure these are tasks and the business mindset they uphold.  Remember, whomever you hire to manage your property is only an employee.  When something goes wrong within the confines of your unit, YOU are ultimately responsible for your tenants well being.

Check out our other blogs to guide you on your self-management journey as a landlord:

5 Spring Maintenance Items to Do For Your Rental Property

How To Improve Tenant Relations

Security Deposits: 5 Tips Landlords Should Know

Meet Stacie & Kevin, Your Landlord Resource

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