I think that there are a lot of different ways to invest. What one persons says to do another will say that the exact opposite is the way to go.
I am a cheapskate and do what I can myself. I have been hiring more work done, trying to shift to the other approach. However, I’d probably replace an electrical receptacle myself and check the phone jack, which is a simple thing, probably.
You might ask the electrictian as long as s/he is there, to see if there is an obvious problem with the phone jack and fix it if possible.
Usually electricians charge a one hour minimum fee. Usually working on one receptacle is less than a half hour. Checking the phone jack should not take long and probably therefore will cost you nothing more, if the electrician is charging for an hour.
Telephone Jack in rental unit - Posted by Stonelove
Posted by Stonelove on September 23, 2003 at 08:25:37:
Hello all, I have a basement apartment in a townhouse that I am renting out to some tenants. Recently I received a call from them that the phone jack in the living room is not working, however the one in the bedroom is. They also mentioned that one of the electrical outlets in the bathroom is not working either. I offered to take care of the outlet in the bathroom, but should I be responsbile for covering the expenses of having the dead jack in the living room working? I would think I should only be liable for providing the presence of one, with the wiring in place. Activation and all work needed to get the jack working should be covered by the tenant? These tenants have been good so far and I would like to treat them fairly. Please advise!
If you are going over to repair the electrical receptacle, at least take a look at the phone jack.
It is likely that there is a loose wire or perhaps a wire broken off at the jack or the origination spot. If you can’t fix it easily, then you can do the “To Fix, or Not to Fix, That is the Question” speech.
How hard is it to get good renters where you are? If you have a good renter, it is important to keep them happy. Anybody can deliver four walls, a floor, and a roof. It is the property owners who deliver superior service that have better results, in my view.
Re: Telephone Jack in rental unit - Posted by Ray_CO
Posted by Ray_CO on September 23, 2003 at 09:04:30:
Have them check the phone bill to see if they are paying for something like Inside wire repair plan. If they are then have the phone company fix it for free.
Re: Telephone Jack in rental unit - Posted by Frank Chin
Posted by Frank Chin on September 23, 2003 at 09:03:44:
Stonelove:
If you have a good tenant, make a decsion to go fix it yourself, or have someone fix it. Explain that you’re doing him a favor this time around.
What you want is good will. Often, bad attitudes can arise when you pick fights over little things. But the fine line is you don’t want the tenant to call about every little thing.
I have an older property where prior tenants install phone jacks themselves, it then goes dead when the next tenant tries to use it. The reason I find is the intallation is not exactly professional in quality.
I diagree with Jack somewhat. Some landlords I know in my area insist on doing every little repair themselves. Those are the ones that give up after a few years saying “its too much work”.
While I’m handy, I leave plumbing to the plumber, even for washers and leaks sometmes. He charges around $120.00 per visit for small items. I let a few small items collect for a visit. So instead of netting $1,200/month for the rental, I only net $1,080.00
Compare this to the frustration of running down there for every little leak, and then say “I’m selling the place - this is too much work”.
Spending $120 to make the other $1,080, keeping my hands clean, is not a bad tradeoff.
Since I resemble that question, I will tell you that you are wrong. When the tennant says that the ‘jack is not working’ they mean that the jack is not working. Either the wires to the jack have lossened, or the contacts on the jack have become corroded. If you have to hire someone to fix a phone jack, you should not buy anymore renatl properties. IMHO
Re: Telephone Jack in rental unit - Posted by Stonelove
Posted by Stonelove on September 23, 2003 at 13:05:37:
I think there’s a misunderstanding here, i’m not trying to be mean to them at all, i’m trying to be fair. I’m just wary of being nickel & dimed to death here that’s all. I’m not fixing the electrical outlet myself, I’m going to have my electrician do it instead. And I think someone else said if I can’t fix a telephone jack myself I shouldn’t be renting - well i disagree with that opinion and think that people should do what they do best, even if it means spending a little more money. Besides I think i remember reading somewhere that it’s generally not a good idea for landlords to do work on their properties by themselves.