It is late at night and you get the call…something has gone wrong in your tenant’s apartment, the lights are not coming on or the air conditioner isn’t kicking it. In other words, the electricity is not doing what it should be doing and you can either try and come up with a solution yourself or try and get an on-call electrician, which probably means paying way more than you want to.
In fact, for higher cost repairs, you could be running into fees of anywhere from $70 to $125 an hour depending on what area you live in and when you are calling. For many landlords, this is not a price they are expecting to pay, and emergency electrical repairs can really hurt their pocketbooks. To help avoid at least some of those high costs, here is a quick guide on your responsibilities as a landlord and just a few of the benefits of having a go-to electrician.
What Is My Responsibility As A Landlord?
Electric problems are common to homes and rental properties no matter their age, location, and price range. If you are a landlord, expect to have need of an electrician at some point in time regardless of how long you’ve owned the property or how much money you have poured into it.
You, as the landlord, are responsible for the electrical system of any property you rent out. This includes outlets, light fixtures, heating appliances, etc. If there is no working electrical system, or an issue causing it to not work for any reason, the landlord can even face various fines or refusal of payment from the tenant as a working electrical system is often required as a condition of habitability. This means that the longer you go without fixing the problem, the more likely the tenant can either sue for the cost of repairs or withhold part or all of their rent until you do.
What Are Some Benefits of Having a Go-To Electrician?
One of the top benefits of having a go-to electrician on board is really being proactive. If you have someone come out on a regular schedule to check wiring and outlets they can usually spot problems before they actually happen. This in turn will save you quite a bit of money when it comes to emergency repairs.
Reliability is a huge key to having and knowing your electrician. You will know that when they show up they are there to do their job and that they will get to it right away. Also, you should not have to worry as much if they are doing it correctly, because through time and work together you will know more about their work ethic and just overall how they conduct business.
Having someone who knows your property instead of just coming out on the off chance you have an extreme emergency also means your electrician will understand the property itself. They may be able to recommend updates to heating or cooling systems, instruct you on wiring behind walls if you are wanting to make renovations, or alert you to code violations. If you have someone coming by just to fix one exact problem they will likely not make additional comments since they are there for one job and one job only.
Forming a relationship with your go-to electrician also means they are more likely to make it out to those last-minute calls, sometimes without those obscene emergency call costs. Knowing their availability means you will spend less time trying to hunt down some emergency electrician’s hours and number when you should be focusing on the problem at hand.
As a landlord, do you have rules in your agreements about maintenance work and electrical systems? And do you already have a plan and go-to electrician on standby? For more on this and other topics please visit our blog at Lakeview Electric LLC today!