Landlord vs. Tenant Responsibilities in Vancouver, Washington

Who pays for what in your Vancouver rental property? Today, we’re talking about what the landlords are responsible for and what the tenants must take care of. We’re professional Vancouver property managers who have a lot of experiencing maintaining and protecting rental properties.

After the tenant has moved in, the lease has been signed, and things are rolling along, you may one day get a call from the tenant who reports a plumbing issue or a problem with the electrical system.

These are some of the biggest things a landlord will have to maintain. If there’s a clogged toilet, a landlord isn’t going to be thrilled because getting it fixed will be an expense. If the repair is as simple as a plunge or a snake, you can probably ask the tenant to take care of it. However, if the problem is 20 feet (6.1 m) into the sewer line and it’s hard to determine what is causing the clog, the landlord is going to have to pay for the plumbing.

There is an exception to that. If the plumber finds toys, baby wipes, and other things that should never be flushed, the repair will be the tenant’s responsibility. If the tenant has just moved in and these things are discovered, it will be hard to blame that resident. But, if 30 days or more have passed or if you have galvanized plumbing which is not compatible with baby wipes, you’ll know the tenant has caused the problem. We recommend that your lease agreement prohibits baby wipes in toilets.

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Electrical issues are very common, especially in the winter time with older construction when tenants will plug in a space heater to save money because they do not want to use the wall heaters. Usually, part of the electricity will go out in the room where the space heater was plugged in. That’s due to an overload in the circuit which stops the flow of electricity.

You’ll have to send an electrician to fix the problem, and the first question to ask the tenant when they call is whether they’ve plugged in a high load item such as a heater. Maybe they have a stereo and computer on that same circuit, which could cause an overload.

If your home is newer construction and maybe built in the 1980s, ask the tenant to look for a GFI, which is a plug in the wall that looks like a circuit breaker. There’s often a red and black button on it and sometimes simply resetting it will take care of the problem. This will save you the expense of an electrician.

Your big problems are most always going to be plumbing and electrical, and this will give you some idea of who pays for what.

Appliances, when they fail, usually break down because they are old. In this case, you should replace them. If they’re newer, you can have them repaired and most appliances have a decent warranty that will protect you. As long as the appliance has not been misused by a tenant, the landlord would be responsible for the appliance repair or replacement.
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For any questions on this topic or anything pertaining to Vancouver property management, please contact us at SunWorld Group.

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