I need an unbiased opinion.

[d.k]

* Well, here's what I paid for plywood and tree work. One 15' x 1-1/2' diameter ficus limb by a pro svc., $3OO. One 4 ft' diameter ficus tree stump, shredded to the ground by guys from Louisiana after Wilma hit, also $3OO plus tip. 3/4" plywood for 12 windows plus hardware, $365.

 

[BettyR]

Quote:
I had 5 trees fall on the 3/4 acre fence around my chicken run...the insurance paid me $4,000.00 for clean up of the trees and to replace the fence. He told me the clean up of the two trees and replacing the fence would have been around $1,500.00 after deductible if I could prove the trees fell on the fence.

 

[d.k]

* I also think that if your conscience is bothering you about it, peace of mind and heart is better than a bit of cash. I might go half, $ 25O spread over 2 mths rent, or just split the costs with him. Or, deduct from a new lease if that's coming up.

 

[Dar]

I am a renter and it is written in my lease that any work done by me the tennant is at my own expense unless WRITTEN permission is given by the owner of the house.

so what I do is e-mail him on everything and then get his written response, killing 2 birds with one stone. this had also worked in my favor because I had a lot of trees that needed trimming and he never replied to my message (he was on vacation) well we had a wind storm and I was able to prove that i had noted the over growth and dead limbs 2 weeks before the wind storm..

I would pay the 250 for the wood, he may have saved you an insurance claim. but I would not pay him for his labour.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

Meh, in my opinion, the fact they never returned your calls is an insult (cell phones be darn, there are still landlines in existance) and it seems to me they are looking to get a free month (or however long) of rent and some cash for nothing. Can you confirm there were actually trees down, do any pictures exist of the damage, and like the insurance company said - receipts for the materials and the work for the clean-up?

With the renter wanting payment and a rent reduction for work they didn't not have to do to begin with, it seems a little suspect.

 

[debilorrah]

Our current landlord wants to know about any needed repairs simply because she may have someone that can do the work for less than we could! Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[skeeter]

If it were me,It would depend on how long the tennant had lived there,if he paid on time and took care of the place ,However I would not feel obligated to pay him one red cent,I think it might boil down to what kind of a realationship you want to have from now on or not even caring if he moves out

 

[cluckychick]

He should have gotten ahold of you prior to anything being done. You owe him nothing and he should expect nothing. I have a rental house and if they do anything then it's at their expense. As far as insurance goes....We had a tree limb fall through the roof of the rental house and insurance would not pay for it. I had to raise our insurance to another level for trees to be covered and now they are. It all depends on the type of structural insurance you have.

 

[12 Acres]

I think that if you wanted the house to be boarded up before the storm, you would have done it yourself. As the owner of the house, and the landlord, it is your responsibility to handle such things. He took it upon himself to go ahead and board up the house without first contacting you to make sure it was OK. I think he should foot the bill. I would, however, consider reimbursing him for cleaning up the downed trees. He saved you the time and expense of that task, a job that is the responsibility of the land owner.

 

[seedcorn]

What is right? What is legal?

Ask yourself

Is this a good tenant that I want to keep good relations with? Do you want them to call you every time something is wrong, whereas they might fix little things now and not even bring it to your attention.

Would I have had to pay for boarding up windows/cleaning up the trees? What would it have cost me? If you hadn't boarded up, would your insurance be off the hook as you would have made no effort to safe guard the property.

If it is close to the $500, get it resolved, move on. If they pay their rent on time and don't hastle you, GET IT DONE.

FYI, in Indiana it costs $200/tree to trim them and that is NO CLEAN UP.