So here’s the property management drama for the day — and honestly, I’m not sure if there’s a lesson here or just a cautionary tale. Probably both. We recently inherited a 5-unit building, and the whole thing has been a mess from day one. Two tenants need to be evicted, the owners came to us in distress, and one tenant in particular hasn’t been paying his rent in over a year.
But once we started digging in, the story got a lot more interesting.
The Promise That Never Got Kept
Come to find out, before we took over management, the owners had promised this tenant a washer and dryer when he moved in. They never installed it. That’s the real reason he stopped paying rent.
Now, the tenant never reached out to us. We had no idea any of this was going on. From our side, we just saw a non-paying tenant and started mechanically beginning the eviction process — because that’s what we’re forced to do when rent isn’t coming in. Then the owners called and said, “Hey, no need to evict. We promised him a washer and dryer. Can you please install one?”
Sure. Except now it’s our problem to untangle.
Why You Should Let Your Property Manager Actually Manage
The first thing I did was get on the phone with the owners and ask the obvious questions:
- What kind of hookups are in the unit?
- Is there a gas line for a gas dryer, or is it electric?
- What size unit will fit in the space?
- Is there a drain? Hot and cold water lines? An exhaust vent?
I needed this information so I could send the right contractor. Every time I send the wrong contractor, it costs money. An appliance tech can’t run electrical or install water lines. I have other contractors who can do all of the above — but I need to know what I’m walking into.
The owners never responded. Instead, they went and ordered a washer and dryer themselves from some box store with a third-party delivery company.
Here in Philadelphia, those third-party delivery companies are a nightmare. They lie. They’ll claim they showed up and nobody was there — I’ve literally been at properties waiting for them and watched them not show. One time they refused to install a refrigerator because it “didn’t have a water line,” even though it was a base-model fridge with no ice maker that didn’t need one.
So the owners’ washer and dryer? Not installed. Still sitting there. And now it’s on my plate.
The Buying Power Owners Don’t Have
This is the part that frustrates me. If the owners had brought us in from the start, this would already be done. My property management company has buying power that an individual owner just doesn’t have. We get appliances near wholesale because we move volume. Our contractors install for free in a lot of cases because we’re giving them six figures a year in referrals.
That volume also means accountability. Our contractors are vetted to an extreme. We have hundreds of properties’ worth of data on whether a contractor is honest, competent, and fairly priced. If an appliance company keeps claiming they “can’t fix” things, we see the pattern across our whole portfolio and we cut them loose.
An individual owner trying to coordinate this from a distance? They’re getting taken advantage of every step of the way.
The Tenant Actually Has a Case
Here’s where I had to give the owners some hard advice. This tenant has been there over a year. He lives on the 3rd floor. He’s been lugging dirty laundry down three flights, hauling it to a laundromat, and paying out of pocket — all while being told a washer and dryer were coming.
He’s beyond reasonable on the phone. He’s willing to pay his past-due rent. He’s willing to pay rent going forward. He just wants what was promised to him.
If we took this to landlord-tenant court here in Philadelphia, the owners would have a serious problem. The tenant would almost certainly get a free attorney. All he’d have to do is show up and explain the situation. We’d be standing there trying to argue, “Yeah, we promised him a washer and dryer and never delivered, but he still owes us rent.” That’s ridiculous. It’s not going to win.
My Recommendation: Give the Rent Concession
I’m telling the owners to give this guy a $750 rent concession and get the washer and dryer working immediately. I’m rushing a tech out to assess the hookups today. If that tech can’t install it, I have someone who handles both electric and plumbing so we’re not sending multiple contractors. I can have a working unit in there within five days.
Why $750? Because the math is brutal if we don’t settle this:
- An eviction in Philadelphia takes 3 to 4 months
- That’s over $78 a day in lost rent on this unit alone
- The tenant would likely win in court anyway
- Legal fees, court costs, turnover costs — it all adds up fast
$750 is a bargain compared to that. And frankly, it’s the right thing to do. The guy was promised something. He didn’t get it. Make him whole, get the rent flowing again, and move on.
If you want to dig deeper into related issues, I’ve written before about how long it takes to evict a non-paying tenant in Philadelphia and using cash-for-keys as an alternative to eviction — both worth reading if you’re staring down a similar situation.
The Real Lesson Here
There are actually a few lessons:
1. If you promise a tenant something, deliver on it. Don’t ignore them for a year and then act surprised when they stop paying rent.
2. Let your property manager manage. Don’t go around them ordering appliances from box stores with terrible delivery companies. We can do it faster, cheaper, and better.
3. Be strategic, not emotional. Sometimes the cheapest path forward isn’t eviction. Sometimes it’s writing a $750 check, fixing what you should have fixed a year ago, and getting back to collecting rent.
I’m not an attorney and this isn’t legal advice — but I am a humble Philadelphia property management company owner doing my best to advise you on your rental property investing journey.
As always, happy rental property investing.
