Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Hello, My husband and I own several rental homes here in Texas. We have one particular long term tenant who has called us to send the plumber out more than once each year. There is always the same problem: grease and snuff blocking the drains. The most recent incident resulted in a $200 plumbing bill. (Yes, snuff. Or, I guess, chaw if you are from Illinois) We keep our homes and good condition and all of our homes are inspected by HVAC and plumber for routine maintenance each year. We are not sure if misuse of plumbing is grounds for eviction here in Texas but are looking for a solution to this issue. We are not opposed to evicting this couple, they are not the best of tenants. But we definitely want to issue a warning letter and want to make sure that the threat of eviction is a viable one here in Texas. Just not sure how to put it all into words. All of our tenant have current signed leases. Does anyone have similar problems? We will definitely be at least issuing a letter, but their lease is not up until Feb 2018. Any suggestions?

Check your lease agreement to see how it addresses tenants repair/maintenance. If the lease is silent, find a new lease or create an addendum to the lease. Personally, I only create 1 year leases and may renew them annually due to situations as you described. In my humble opinion, leases are for tenants (freeze rents) and really don't do much for landlords. This could be another topic if anyone is interested.

Posted by Stan M, CA on Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Thanks for the reply. I am going to have to edit my default lease. I had to previously edit it to include no hooved animals (pigs and miniature horses in the house--really!). You are right, though. The lease states keep the property well maintained, but does not specifically no grease and snuff down the drains. It is so difficult to forestall these sorts of issues. I issued a notification of lease violation letter, but will just probably not re-up their lease when it comes due.

Posted by Terri D, TX on Thursday, June 8, 2017