So day one tenant moves in, tenant calls property manager, she has no hot water. Property manager calls me and says that the unit will need to be purged by a plumber, that I can’t do it, a plumber needs to. I call plumber, plumber gets there and it’s just the pilot light. $100 later I’m thinking it really should be a cost shared with the tenant. Am I being unreasonable? You would think she would call a family member or something for advice but I guess It’s much easier to spend someone else’s money…it’s like calling an electrician because the oven isn’t working and not checking the rcd in the electrical box?
Hi Hot Stuff,
As a landlord who was (once) quite unfamiliar with gas hot water, I wasn’t aware of a Pilot light, and would have been the same if I was renting a place for myself. So, I think don’t blame the tenant right off – here’s who I would be asking some hard questions of right now :-Property manager calls me and says that the unit will need to be purged by a plumber, that I can’t do it, a plumber needs to.
Now THERE is one who you would think would be savvy enough about the different ways water can be heated.
It strikes me he didn’t even ask the tenant the right questions e.g. Mr. Tenant, is any water actually coming out of the Hot tap when you turn it on? If water is flowing, what the hell needs “purging”?
If the water flowing is not HOT, then it is not being heated – SIMPLE. If electric, check the circuit breaker first, if gas, check the Pilot light !!!! Do you have other Property Management options in your area? I hope so…..
Benny
Hi Hot Stuff,
I can only agree with Benny. Some (many) Property Managers find it all too easy to ‘phone a friend’ at your cost, rather than working through the obvious first. At the end of the day it’s their job to manage your property properly, it’s your job to manage your property manager.
If it makes you feel better we once replaced a hot water cylinder because of an incompetent property manager, checking the meter board for a new tenant (which was proactive) but they didn’t flick both switches for that unit. Their diagnosis was that the HWC must be buggered. The plumber just took their word for it and pulled it out. Ugh, go figure!!
Good luck sorting them out!
Tracey
You might need to cop this one on the chin – the property manager however should have been smart enough to verify the basics before suggesting sending in professional. Keep note for the future to check for basic fixes before sending in the tradies next time, can’t trust the property managers judgement unfortunately!
Corey Batt | Precision Funding
http://www.precisionfunding.com.au
Email Me | Phone MeInvestment Focused Finance Strategist - servicing Australia-wide
After all these posts, I clarified exactly how the call went with the tenant. The property manager went through all the basics (pilot light etc apparently) and then came to the conclusion the plumber was required. Oh well it’s paid for now, I just thought a pilot light wouldn’t warrant a visit from the plumber. 2 minutes (literally) & $100 later I wish I had known, I would have got him to change a few washers whilst he was there :)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. If you don't have an account, you can register here.
