Home buying thread

PEX and PVC aren't really rated for the type of pressure AC coolant lines need.

PEX also isn't good outdoors.

Sanrith Descartes said:

Can you stipulate in the lease agreement that the tenant may not block access to water heater/ac/air handler etc? And they sign acknowledgement that they will not do so?

Figure that would kill the insurance claim.

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Pretty sure every lease I've ever signed has had something about permitting property access for repairs. Maybe there's something odd with Texas/Austin law that prevents that from having teeth? Also, I would think that piling so much stuff in the way that parts of the property are impossible to access would be a safety issue that you could evict someone for.

Of course, what's legal and what someone can get away with aren't always the same. It's almost like someone wants to make the prospect of small-time landlording even more scary/risky that it already was.

It sure seems like this is the kind of thing an insurance company should litigate once to get precedent on the books rather than paying out over and over.

TJT said:

You are legally obligated to provide hot water. If the hot water heater breaks you as landlord must replace it. But if the tenant blocks it with a disabled vehicle you do not have physical access to the water heater to replace it. While simultaneously you have no legal authority to move their property. This allows them to file an insurance claim for unreasonable living conditions or something. Even though they are preventing you from upholding your obligations.

For the insurance company its cheaper to just pay this out 9 times out of 10 so they do. I never heard about it until I encountered it but certain people see this as an easy $5k-$10k

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Sanrith Descartes said:

Can you stipulate in the lease agreement that the tenant may not block access to water heater/ac/air handler etc? And they sign acknowledgement that they will not do so?

Figure that would kill the insurance claim.

Click to expand...

Control said:

Pretty sure every lease I've ever signed has had something about permitting property access for repairs. Maybe there's something odd with Texas/Austin law that prevents that from having teeth? Also, I would think that piling so much stuff in the way that parts of the property are impossible to access would be a safety issue that you could evict someone for.

Of course, what's legal and what someone can get away with aren't always the same. It's almost like someone wants to make the prospect of small-time landlording even more scary/risky that it already was.

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Control pointed it out. Im not sure what state you're in, or if it matters, but being able to maintain habitability within the house is required like you stated, and access to fix these problems must be permitted by the tenant. You actually have to take them to court if they do not allow you access to fix the repair, as that is then causing damage to your property. As it "should" be one of the things listed on your lease that it is an offense that would warrant an eviction.

Also, within the lease - stop covering stupid shit like Dishwashers, washer and dryer, stove, refrigerator, etc. Make that the tenants responsibility to replace. You have the tenants inspect and use each appliance when they move in to show that they are in working condition and give them a predetermined amount of time to bring any issues with the appliances up to you if they are broken after the fact. I typically give a week on mine. When they move out, you inspect the appliances and if they are not in working condition - you can bill them, or take them to court for the damages. If you're footing the bill for the appliances, whats to keep them from doing stupid shit like washing their boots covered in mud in the dishwasher? Or holding the door to the refrigerator open to cool the house? Or the opposite for the stove? etc. etc.

Daidraco
As someone who’s lived in half a dozen countries or more over the last 20 years, I’ve never in my life heard of any landlord making tenants responsible for replacing big ticket appliances. That would be an absolute deal breaker for me. Why the fuck am I paying for someone else’s goods? You and / or future tenants are going to reap the result of my bad roulette spin? These things should last 5-10 years (or better). If I’m buying it, I’m certainly taking it with me when I leave.

Jysin said:

Daidraco
As someone who’s lived in half a dozen countries or more over the last 20 years, I’ve never in my life heard of any landlord making tenants responsible for replacing big ticket appliances.

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Yeah. I recently rented 2 single family homes over 10 years. I had to provide my own washer/dryer in the first place, which was fine, and I took them with me. Maaaaybe I'd do the same with a refrigerator, but that gets tricky fast because they're less standardized and not every home has the same space availability. Fridges are so commonly provided that the tenant might not have anywhere to put it on exit. The idea of providing my landlord with a stove is laughable.

I don't see why you'd want tenants doing this maintenance, either. It sounds like a fast track to having incompetent people DIY'ing installation of the cheapest, minimally functional bullshit they can put in to devalue your property.

If you have problem with your tenants fucking you over maintance items, do a better job vetting tenants.

I rented in Austin for years and never paid for any major repair. I usually had to bring in my own washer and dryer. But things like ac, I just called the land lord. One guy said I was responsible for anything under $50. He charged me for an AC vent cover that fell out of the ceiling in one of the bedrooms. I had no idea what made it fall out, but he charged me after I moved out.

I'm also pretty sure I had to give access to the landlord when given notice. I can't imagine saying the water heater is broken, but keeping a car in the way to service it. Maybe that's why the new tenants next door moved in and brought a non working pos car they keep in the driveway.

Jysin said:

Daidraco
As someone who’s lived in half a dozen countries or more over the last 20 years, I’ve never in my life heard of any landlord making tenants responsible for replacing big ticket appliances. That would be an absolute deal breaker for me. Why the fuck am I paying for someone else’s goods? You and / or future tenants are going to reap the result of my bad roulette spin? These things should last 5-10 years (or better). If I’m buying it, I’m certainly taking it with me when I leave.

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Captain Suave said:

Yeah. I recently rented 2 single family homes over 10 years. I had to provide my own washer/dryer in the first place, which was fine, and I took them with me. Maaaaybe I'd do the same with a refrigerator, but that gets tricky fast because they're less standardized and not every home has the same space availability. Fridges are so commonly provided that the tenant might not have anywhere to put it on exit. The idea of providing my landlord with a stove is laughable.

I don't see why you'd want tenants doing this maintenance, either. It sounds like a fast track to having incompetent people DIY'ing installation of the cheapest, minimally functional bullshit they can put in to devalue your property.

If you have problem with your tenants fucking you over maintance items, do a better job vetting tenants.

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I have no idea what kind of old shit ass appliances you two are thinking about - but most everything a rental house has is new enough to have the standard 10 year warranty on major parts and for anything else, like a coil on a dryer, you're talking 150-200 from a repairman max. The clause is in there purely as a deterrent so you, the tenants, arent being a piece of shit because you have nothing to lose. I'm trying to tell TJT how to make money, not accommodate people still mentally living in the 1990's.

Daidraco said:

you're talking 150-200 from a repairman max.

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I don't know where you live but I can't get a repairman to come to my house for that much, never mind actually do anything like procure or install parts. At my last rental the dishwasher pump failed (3 years old) and it was $250 just for the part and more than an entire replacement unit to have it fixed. Appliances these days are borderline disposable, even at the mid/high end.

Edit: Nothing has a 10 year warranty. One year is standard.

Lanx said:

yea i was gonna layout 100ft of pexb i had in storage for a minor sprinkler run, then i might disintegrate even if it's just buried in the ground from the uv's

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Yeah, use PVC or poly tube.

I went with PVC here in Florida, but apparently in more northern climates poly is the better choice. Side note, it wasn't fun, even with our soil basically being beach sand.