should landlords provide light bulbs and such

Okay, that's a bit extreme on your tenants' part. I can understand them needing help to fix things and such but they're making you and your husband do things that should be their responsibility. It sounds like they're taking advantage of you. How cheap are these people that they can't afford to buy their own light bulbs and bleach? I feel that they are also asking too much with the carpet cleaning thing. Six months is reasonable but three is pushing it. You should be firm with them and tell them that if they want to clean their carpet that often they could do it themselves. Unless it's stated in the renter's agreement thing you guys should have had then you don't have to do it. I'm really shocked by some of the things that your tenants request from you. It's really absurd. I rent a place myself but I'd never call up my landlord requesting for things like that. The landlord is only responsible for the things in the home before you move one, once you're in it's your responsibility to take care of the place. That's a thing I hate too. There are some people who don't care about what happens to the place they are living in. They figured that since they are only renting the place they shouldn't have to take care of things. The landlord could do it for them. I don't think you or your husband are bad landlords. Sounds like they're just expecting a bit too much from you. You should really set up a meeting with the tenants or something and have a little discussion about things like this.

Absolutely not, as for the clogged drains, if drano doesn't take care of it they should call you. As for bleach and things, I would tell them to go buy it and also clean their own carpets.

As an apartment renter I think most of those requests are ridiculous. I buy my own lightbulbs. And my own bleach. What? Do these people expect you buy their toilet paper as well?? It's an apartment people, not a hotel!!! As for the carpets, every 3 months is pretty over the top! Now my boyfriend's parents lived in an apartment for maybe 5 or 6 years and the apartment never once cleaned their carpets after they moved in! Now that is not good management either. But there is no reason your carpet needs to be cleaned every 3 months! As for the salting, our apartment salts the stairs and walkways in bad weather. It's a safety hazard not to! But I'm not sure if you meant stairs and walkways when you said porches... Our porches don't get salted.

Hi. easymoney75503. I don't think that you should supply standard light bulbs for a tenant's place. They should provide these themselves. I think that you should clean the carpet for them every six months. If the carpet has a stain, they should buy some Resolve or other carpet cleaning solution. They should provide their own bleach. Bleach cost a dollar now! They should sprinkle their own salt on the porches and etc;. You should provide for them, but they need to do other minor things on their own. Or at their own expense. If you can provide for them under the lease agreement and terms then do so.

If the apartments have all the essentials, you are not responsible for any of the bulbs if they had blown, while their are already tenants accupying the flats. It is any landlord,s rsponsibility to get things fixed, that are broken, eccept in cases where some tenants have the tendency to destroy other people,s property. Phone, cable and eclectricity are their responsibility. Painting need to be done at least once a year, depending on how the flats look after that year. Carpets they can wash themselves. But as i see it, you need to have a lawyer look at your renting contracts, or these people are really going to drive you NUTS.

Well, if you are landlord, and they are the tenant, this relationship can be complicated, and some people might have wrong idea about it. So, that is what a contract or lease comes in. You listed your responsibility, what you should or should not do in the lease. Let tenant read them, and make sure they agree it before let them sign it. Then you should be free from all these hassles.

...only if tennants want the rent to go up!!! LOL I pay very basic rent for very basic needs. The stove works, the fridge works, the fixtures work, but when I want a lightbulb, I buy one. I think that these little disposable things can easily be provided by the tennant, and I've been providing them for as long as I've been living here (since 2002, so almost 8 years).

I think there definitely needs to be a limit as far as what the landlord is actually responsible for. A light bulb is going to the extremes though. Light bulbs burn out and we use them ourselves so we should have to replace what we have used up.

Hi easymoney, I have lived in many apartments over the years and the landlords are all different. Some do more than others but it is all very clear when we move in what to expect and what not to expect. Every apartment that I have moved into had lightbulbs in all the fixtures when I moved in. As they went, I replaced them. When I moved out, I left working lightbulbs in all the fixtures for the next tenent. No landlord ever supplied lightbulbs for me. The only bulbs provided by the landlord were sometimes the ones in the hallways and not always that. As for cleaning the carpets....NEVER!! That was always up to me to keep them clean and I would rent a shampooer to do it. Clogged drains? Well, the landlord would come over and unclog them or send a plumber. If the clog was because of something that I did or caused then I had to pay the plumber or if the landlord fixed it....20.00. Taking care of ice and snow varied depending on the landlord. These things were clearly stated upon moving in. Tenents expecting you to call in for their electric and phone, cable is over and beyond what any landlord would do. I think you should make a list of things that you are willing to do as a landlord/manager and things that are the responsibility of the tenent. Make copies and have them sign them. Next they'll be expecting you to clean their oven, do their windows etc.

you should have a contract. let those wanna be tenants to read it and have something agreed upon should they want something else. include in it as well that should they want someone to change their bulb, clean the carpet, salt the porch and everything, you can provide a maid and let them pay the salary. happy mylotting

Whether the landlord should provide light bulbs or not depends on what is written in your lease. As a rule of thumb, they provide it upon you renting the place but you are responsible after that as long as you are in the rental.

I think it depends on your agreement. I can't really say what yo should and shouldn't do because I don't know what your agreement is. There are people who expect too much, so I suggest you explain to them what you will do and what you will not do for them.

Hi easymoney, this aspect depends upon how others do in the area. There may be others who are offering such things. But out here, in India, we provide such facilities at the start of the contract. Thereafter, within the tenancy period, the tenant has to manage everything. At the end of the period, while taking possession of our property, we check whether all lights, etc., are working. If not, we deduct the monies from the deposit the tenant has paid. We take 2 months deposit, and one month rent in advance. Such terms and conditions need to be specified at the outset. If the tenant is asking after entering the premises, then it is not a binding on you. For further details, please consult local advocates.

They are renting an apartment and not just bedspacing so you shouldn't provide them whatever they need because though you own the place and they paid it, you dont have to be oblige in providing there personal needs. They are the one who are using the room so they should be more responsible in the place.

Those people are nuts! I once moved into a place where the people before us took every light bulb out of the place including the one in the refrigerator. I could see you maybe putting in lightbulbs before new people moved in, but once they move in, they should supply their own light bulbs. They also are responsible for their own carpets and salting porches and all that stuff. I can't believe people have the gall to ask you to do all that stuff.

I agree with all of the above comments, especially about having a lawyer look at and rewrite the lease contract. Most of these things I can say flat no you are not responsible for. As for the carpet cleaning I don't know. My son's friend rented an apartment when he was stationed over seas and the land lord specifically told them that they had a carpet cleaner and if there was a spill or something the tenant was to come get the carpet cleaner right away and clean up the mess so it wouldn't set and stain, but as for general carpet cleaning every 3 months that sounds like a bit much to expect.

My current landlord made sure that we had lightbulbs in the house when we first moved in, since then, we replace them whenever necessary. If we have a problem with the furnace or water-heater, he will come over and try to fix it, or I will ask him what I should try myself. If I haven't done it, he will change the furnace filter for us too. Other than that, we maintain the yard, we shovel the snow, we put out rock salt if it is needed, we clean the carpets, and we supply the things that we need. In my opinion, it is the landlord's job to maintain things like the water-heater, furnace, and any appliances that they have supplied. I said maintain, not clean. It is the tenants responsibility to keep things clean and in good order, and repair those things that they may mess up. It is not the landlord's job to continuosly supply lightbulbs, draino, bleach, cleaners, or any other evryday necessity. It is not the landlord's job to mow the lawn, shovel the snow, or salt the walkway...unless it is stated in the lease (generally in senior housing or apartment complexes..not in one-family homes). It is not the landlord's job, in my opinion, to clean the carpeting while the home is being lived in, that it the tenants responsibility. It is also the tenant's responsibility to talk to the phone, cable, utility and trash comapnies on their own, hey, we all have to learn some time. It sounds to me as if these tenants are taking advantage of you. If I were you, I would put what you will and won't take care of, and what they are expected to take care of all in writing so there is no dispute. This way, you are protecting yourself in the long run.

I guess it would depend really...I mean in my opinion all of the things that you listed that these people are asking for are things that they should be doing or providing them themselves but I also know that there are some places that the landlords do provide that sort of stuff. As for me I rent the house I am in and while my landlord provide some certain things we are responsible for our own light bulbs, calling our own utility companies, cleaning our own carpets, cleaning our own clogs and shoveling or mowing our own porches and yards. Now I know in places like where my grandparents lived which was an elderly apartment complex, it was the responsibility of the apartment complex owners to supply all those sort of things but that was stated in the lease that was signed when they first moved in. Is there a lease with any of these tenants? Are any of the extras stated in the lease? I would say that if these certain things the they are asking for are not stated in a lease or some other sort of agreement then I would tell them to do it themselves and relieve yourself of that stress. The only other thing you have to remember is if you are not obligated to do these things then don't but make sure you are not doing it for anybody...because if you do any of these things for one you will be almost obligated(by the tenants) to do for all of them.