Day-to-Day Management All things relating to the day-to-day management of self-storage facilities: customer service, sales, taking payments, policies and procedures, site maintenance and more.

Reply
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 2nd February 2010, 05:55 PM
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 75
Default Tenant claims water damage (likely his fault!)

Hello again. Been a while since I've been on (long story - lost my full time job)...

Situation: Relatively new tenant from a far away location originally is storing washing machine, dryer and other stuff. They found water and are now blaming my facility. My clerk investigated and she swears it must be their washer. The tenant gets real defensive when we say the washer is the problem.

I'm heading there tomorrow and the tenant agreed to let me in to investigate. The problem happened over the weekend, and even if I had a super leaky roof (which I don't) the temperatures were way below freezing. I plan on taking pictures, possibly even video taping the unit and taking samples of the "water" - my clerk said there was a residue - looked like the detergent.

How else should I handle this situation. How do I handle a tenant who is hell bent on blaming everyone but himself??

THANKS!
Reply With Quote

  #2 (permalink)  
Old 4th February 2010, 04:39 PM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Richmond Va.
Posts: 138
Default

Listen, empathize and point out the obvious source of the damage if it the washing machine. Otherwise, listen, empathize and take corrective action. Most leases point out that the tenant assumes all responsibility for their own property but if it is your facilities fault a monetary gesture of good faith goes a long way. Don't forget to get a signed release though.
__________________
The mountains are calling, so I must go.
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 4th February 2010, 05:08 PM
Gina6k's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Morgan Hill, California
Posts: 2,105
Default

More than likely there was residual water in the hose and when they moved it, no one thought about that. As Ralph stated, if it's their fault point to your lease and that you are not responsible (hopefully) or if it is negligence on your part, a check for a couple hundred or so depending BUT with a release of liability signed by them before you hand over any funds. Yes, take copious amounts of photos and video is great too.
__________________
Gina 6k
CochraneStorage dot com
Morgan Hill, California

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 6th February 2010, 04:22 PM
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Southwest Missouri
Posts: 22
Default

I have had a few say they had water damage. Not only did I look at their unit but I contacted the customers who have adjoining units and asked to inspect their units, just to make sure there was not a problem with the other units. After inspecting and finding no one else had any problems they dropped their complaint.
Reply With Quote


Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Self-Storage Training

Get industry education and certification through the Self-Storage Training Institute (SSTI), offered by Inside Self-Storage and Self-Storage Talk.
  • Available 24/7 online
  • Immediate results
  • Certification program
  • Single classes
  • Top-notch education
Click here now!

Featured Sponsors

Trachte StorageStructures Sentinel Rabco On The Move Trucks Storage Property Protection Word Lock Steel and Metal Systems Smoothmove MakoSteel SiteLink Chateau Sparefoot

Forum Statistics

  • Forum Members: 3,407
  • Total Threads: 3,241
  • Total Posts: 26,758
There are 175 users currently browsing forums.