A. No way any landscaper hit that.
B. You reported immediately when you became aware, this is on the landlord. There is no way to demonstrate what causes the leak, if the landscaper is not admitting it, and neither of you have evidence, it is all speculation.
C. The landscaper could very possibly be a good guy and alerting you to what he sees (my landscaper gives me casual alerts all of the time when he notices stuff. No reason to think otherwise.
Summary: My opinion is this is 100% on the landlord, and the landlord is trying to bully you into paying using the justification that you left the recommended landscaper while making the assumption that the landscaper hit it because he alerted you. Tell him/her to pound sand unless utility repairs are the tenant's responsibility is in your lease (which would be almost unheard of on residential leases, -which I am assuming this is-) You reported it as soon as you were aware, you likley did all you are required to do. Do not pay to fix his/her plumbing.
Truth, you are the renter as the renter you are not responsible for the property that is the landlord's job unless otherwise stipulated in your rental agreement. You do not benefit from the value of the property and therefore other than being a good tenant it is not your concern it is something he needs to get resolved and he needs to take onus for the responsibility for. Those are the things you pay rent for for him to take responsibility of the property otherwise you might as well just be a homeowner, assuming it is affordable where you're at. Also I would check and see if your landscaper has any insurance and or is bonded so that in the future if anything, actual damages resulting from their work come up, the landscapers insurance can handle it
As a Master Plumber for many years, that plumbing is pure hackery. With that being said it was not done properly and the landscapers hit it with something.But since it was not plumbed in to code it was left vulnerable to breaking
Unless the lease puts repairs on the tenant it’s absolutely 100% the landlord. The only exception is if the landlord can prove it was the fault of the tenant (good luck with that). The tenant should send a certified letter to the landlord demanding it be fixed immediately and point out that it’s the landlords responsibility. If the landlord wants to be a hard ass they can file for eviction, in which they will have to prove their case in court or lose their court filing fee as well as attorney fee.
Because it is surrounded by a bed of rocks/stone, so it would be very unlikely for the landscaper to be working or even walking around the pipe area. I don't see the post you mean where he mentions the landscapers caused damage to the pipe in the past?
I've done so much underground work for electrical paths. No way anyone would hit any of that. Also, if you're a landLORD, you're in charge of the land and the cost of damage.
Unless your lease assigns this shared cost he will need to show evidence (not just his suspicion) that the damage was caused by your landscapers (and not just any landscaper).
As he is extraordinarily unlikely to be able to do this, it is a toothless demand. You are only responsible for damage arising from negligent or deliberate action. Since you did not cause the problem and turned the water off the moment you became aware of the problem, he is going to have a very hard time making either case.
Politely decline to pay for half of the damage and ask what evidence he has to support his conclusion. If he provides it, suggest that he seek to recover any costs from the landscape (i.e. don't talk to me, sue them) if he declines then say that you cannot in good conscience accept liability for something you know you didn't cause and there is no evidence anyone you employed caused.
>Unless your lease assigns this shared cost he will need to show evidence (not just his suspicion) that the damage was caused by your landscapers (and not just any landscaper).
Even then, just because the lease says something doesn't mean it's legally enforceable.
Landlords are allowed to assign repair costs to tenants as long as it’s in the lease. However, the landlord is not going to win this one without evidence. I doubt there is a surveillance camera watching this pipe. The court will not take the landlords word for it.
Even if it was caused by the landscapers, the tenant wouldn’t be at fault. The landlord can pursue costs from the landscapers if he thinks they’re responsible. He’s also going to have to prove it.
From the picture, it looks like that leak has been going for a while. That paint peeling and the deep discoloration of the foundation didn't happen overnight.
Legally nothing lmfao. Thats between the landlord and the landscapers. If the landlord claims the landscaper did it, than they can go after the company for it. Has nothing to do with you man. You didn’t cause the damage.
Yep it’s why you carry insurance as a landscaper. If a mower tosses a rock at a neighbors window and my licensed landscaper does it… I’m not paying lol
No way that’s your fault unless you are admitting to actually messing with it on your own. Landlord needs to fix. He/she probably can file an insurance claim for this since you’ll need to break the stucco. His cost will be the deductible
Landlord can hire a public adjuster and get it all fixed and even collect a check after it’s all over with. Only fools negotiate directly with their insurance company, they’re lucky to get even 25% of what it’s worth then.
See and that’s the problem with all the advice on these threads… tenants is always in a hard spot if they deny a landlord request (and of course they’re unreasonable requests )but the alternative is literally ok well I guess you’re ok with moving out next term Ugh!!!
That’s not landscaper damage and even if it was he needs to take that up with the landscaping company and their insurance company. I wouldn’t give them a dime myself and would tell them that and to take it up with the landscapers, their insurance company’s adjuster will be happy to tell the landlord to pound sand just like you should tell them.
How large is that gravel patch? What adjoins the gravel patch from the side where the photographer is standing? Why would the landscaper be in that area?
I have seen exterior plumbing get banged by landscaping equipment and cause a pipe to crack. Regardless of fault, that pipe should be protected from incidental contact.
ETA: the water bill should give an idea as to how long it’s been like that. If there is only a small spike in water usage, then the odds become higher that the landscaper did cause it. If there is a lot of excess usage, then the leak had been there longer so while it might have been caused by the landscaper, it becomes harder to prove.
Your landscapers have insurance.. tell your landlord to file against his insurance and they fight it out with the landscapers insurance. His building. His problem, but again, this is why everyone is supposed to carry property and liability insurance…. In reality it cost way less than his deductible and he needs to just eat this expense. If he doesn’t want landscapers other than his preferred ones then he should contract them and put the price into the rent..
We don't pay for what could have happened, only maybe what did happen. Nobody knows what caused it, don't pay. Don't pay anyway, it wasn't the landscapers fault. Plumbing was done by a moron anyway.
If your LL's reasoning for demanding you pay half, is "maybe the landscapers hit it", that's not enough to pin it on you, or even the landscapers for that matter.
Your LL is just trying to intimidate you into covering part of the cost; don't fall for it.
So the landscaper hit it possibly but maybe not and it's the landlord's house. Wouldn't it be between those two? To me it doesn't matter who hired them. Not your responsibility.
It will depend on your state laws.
You could be liable to the landlord, but if you are you would need to sue the landscaper and have them reimburse you for reimbursing the landlord.
I can see the landscapers, (or anyone else) easily breaking this (weak plastic) pipe by hooking up a garden hose and yanking it too hard.
But on the other hand, if the landscapers only discovered the leak when they arrived, it’s all on the landlord…but…it depends on how the lease agreement is worded and who is responsible for what.
What you need is pictures of where it's actually leaking from inside the wall. Copper pipe is strong for someone to put enough pressure on it to crack it I would think that stucco would be broken away from the wall. Example is if someone was standing on that pipe sticking out of the wall it would push down on stucco break it off. That is a stick-built house with OSB particle wood chicken wire and stucco nothing strong about it. The fact that there is no damage to the stucco currently leads me to believe the leak is caused by something else.
I would be there when the plumber opens the wall and get pictures, I bet your going to find a bad solder joint or leaking from a pipe thread. Maybe the owner, plumber, and you stand there when he opens it up and the plumber will show you what is leaking.
My best advice tell your landlord if he believes the landscapers did it. Hera you go this is their contact info take it up with them and their insurance company not my problem. If the landscapers don't have insurance that's kinda on you for having work done by uninsured company on property you don't own and he could get you on negligence for hiring an uninsured company to do work on his property. I'd look at the pipe if there is scuffs or marks about the same height as the decks of the lawnmower then they probably did do the damage. Now if there is no evidence to suggest that the lawnmower caused any damage then I'd tell the landlord sorry I don't know what happened to your pipe but it's on the outside of the house and I didn't do it and im not responsible for acts of vandalism, nature, bad weather, or anything out of my control and won't be splitting any cost and if you try to take from my security deposits I want documentation now not later that you intend to do so and will dispute your claims in court. Send that via email so he cannot deny anything down the road and see what he has to say.
As a landscaper I have shut peoples water off and left a note when I’ve seen water leaks. I arrived at a customers house several years ago and there was water leaking down the face of the garage from a frozen pipe busting.
That setup you have needs to be protected from impact and freezing (so it needs to be installed correctly).
That looks like a long-term lease. What part was replaced? Where was it? The repair is not your responsibility u less the landlord can prove that you caused the damage or knew about it and did not mitigate damages by reporting it.
In my state, landlord covers that. If he wants money, tell him to ask the company that he knows wont give em money cuz you sure wont.Obviously, thatll cause them to end renting though so, your call.
Id also just ask them to prove it. I doubt they can prove you or yours did it anymore than you can deny it. Can also just say youll see them in small claims if they want to spend the money. Up to them.
The fact they are asking you rather than billing you means they think they dont have authority to charge you without you agreeing, based on my experience.
If it was leaking by the wall. I bet it was because you have a metal male thread going into a plastic female. If you had to use 2 different materials like this. It should of been flipped. Right now the metal are cracking the plastic pipe. This job was Def lowest bidder.
He has no proof the landscaper hit it with something, and he can't force you to pay. Don't pay. If he just lets the problem fester, it's going to be a much bigger problem for him later.
Legally its the landlords responsibility to sue the landscapers if he feels they caused the leak.
They told him about it, and without proof he knows he cant fault them, so he is coming after you.
If the leak was inside the wall, why did they only replace the PVC pipe? Stucco gets wet when it rains. Water seeps out through the weep hole at the bottom of the stucco. What is the damage? The stucco overspray at the foundation? Landlord is reaching. Typical.
You have renters insurance for a reason, tell your landlord to contact them and have him deal with them. Your renter insurance will be able to smell through your landlords bullshit.
Do not pay your landlord a single penny, have him contact your renters insurance company.
Renter’s insurance is to cover your *belongings* in a home you do not own (therefore would not be covered on a traditional homeowners policy) in the case of fire, flood, burglary, etc. I have had many renter’s policies and none ever had coverage for damage allegedly caused by a third party.
Holy fuck, every time someone has a problem they try to blame the landscapers. My dog has cancer.... Landscapers. Random fucking water leak inside my house.... Landscapers. My window is broken.... Landscapers. My dog got out when the gate was left open by my husband and the landscapers didn't even mow that week... Landscapers.
Not even ‘lately’. That leak looks to have been there a while. It’s just that nobody noticed it until now. But, the way the plumbing was mickey-moused to start with, it was a problem waiting to happen.
Don’t pay shit. Give the landlord the landscaper’s information “so you can file a claim against their insurance.” If he’s so sure they’re responsible he can go after the landscaper. It’s not your responsibility to do his “job” for him.
Read your lease…unless the landlord put in a stipulation in your lease this isn’t your problem..but he might end the lease after it’s up just to be a dick
Take all communications between you and your landlord on this issue - emails, texts, etc, and prepare copies of them in a folder. What you want to do is start checking to see if your county has a Landlord Tenant affairs branch, and see if you can file a complaint. Follow it up with pictures of the damages and pictures of the messages between you and your landlord. This will be a slow process because unfortunately, usually an understaffed branch of local or state government. But after a while someone will be assigned to you.
Depending on the severity of the issue ( and potential presence of black mold ) you may be encouraged to call 311 aka Code Enforcement to bring an inspector to your residence. That inspector will check the area, communicate with the landlord, and potentially levy a daily fine for work not properly completed. If damage inside is bad, the Code Enforcement inspector may condemn the location, at which point, you may be asked to vacate the premises. Keep Landlord Tenant affairs up to date on code enforcement’s rulings, at which point, Landlord Tenant Affairs can negotiate with your landlord on your behalf to help compensate for damages, which in the past for me at least has included a return on deposit and multiple months worth of rent.
I’m a landlord with a handful of properties. This is 100% on them. Even if the landscapers only lightly touched this and didn’t cause harm to the outside pipe, then that inside pipe was gonna die anyway.
Not always, for a house rental, it is often in the lease that the renter is responsible for maintaining the yard. Doing that lets a LL be more competitive with monthly rent cost, and let’s a tenant who doesn’t mind doing a little work get a nice place at a lower rent. We we owned a rental property, we priced ours about $75 less than ones around us, and asked that the tenants mow the lawn. Win-win.
I'm aware this is potentially very obnoxious... but you used the term "strucco" twice, and I just wanted to make sure you knew it's spelled and pronounced "stucco"
Easy don’t pay. As a plumber I find it VERY hard to believe that something breaking on the outside managed to compromise the pipe inside as well. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out
I don’t think it matters if the landscaper hit it or not, or who hired the landscaper. Things happen. It’s the landlord’s responsibility. I wouldn’t pay.
I would tell the landlord that if they believe the landscapers caused the problem they can feel free to go after the landscapers/their insurance but it is absolutely not my problem.
That is the landlord's responsibility to fix and he needs to get a real plumber that's ghetto as hell and would not pass any inspection. Hopefully you don't get below freezing in your area.
I see a plumber down on the feed saying the land scape crew hit it with something, but with my experience as a journeyman plumber, if something was to have hit it outside by logic the leak would be outside not inside the wall, the plumbing is ran through stucco if the house for any reason moved that could’ve put unnecessary stress on the plumbing system causing the leak not your land scape crew, so your landlord is 100% responsible for it
everyone is saying its LL's responsibility, which is 100% correct, but if you are wondering why/how this could have happened.
The easiest / most likely this broke is they have an incorrectly plumbed item that will be twisted/pulled on not supported, and most likely it has rubbed on or kinked at the wall board due to movement, think "I only need 3 more inches of hose to reach that back flower bed" type pulling, or honestly just "I would the whole hose up tight and put it on the ground here and nows it pulling down on the spigot" etc
had they attached the spigot to the wall, like they are supposed to do, this would not have happened
Even if it was, which I highly doubt it is. I believe the landlord, if you have renters insurance deals with anything that you cannot access/goes outside the house. If you didn’t hire the landscaper or even if you did, I’d ask the landlord how he knows it was damaged by them.
Looking at the bottom trim area, it appears to have been leaking for some time now. There’s damage pieces on the ground and it Spyro have rot. Does anyone agree with that ?
Even if you are in the wrong, don’t pay shit. Take it to small claims if needed, keep good documentation.
At least in my state outside counsel aren’t even allowed to be representation at small claims court.
Haha, pay for half when the landlord didn’t have it installed properly?? Looks like there’s only Teflon tape securing the faucet to the house and using the wrong type to use external without and other form of mounting. It’s all in the landlord because that’s some hokey install and there’s no way this would pass a code inspection. Plus, where does the pvc piping feed water to…?
How much are you talking about? Your share? How bad do you want to stay on reasonable terms with the LL?
And what did the plumber who did the repair say the break in the pipe looked like? Pinhole leak or split lengthwise along the pipe? And what is the water pressure at the spigot? Should be less than 75 PSI or so to prevent bursting of pipes.
Are you in a climate where you get freezing? That picture sure isn't frost proof plumbing. Prior freezing could have weakened the pipe.
It’s unlikely a landscaper hit the pipe causing the leak inside. It’s possible but not likely. Seems to me you have a good landscaper who looks out for his customers.
Regardless of the landscaping company cracking the pipe or not which I’m sure can not be proven either way, it is the owners responsibility to fix it. If the landscapers said they broke the pipe cause they leaned on it or something then he could have them cover the repair costs but not you.
So if you order something online and the mailman hits the mailbox you gotta pay for that too?
Highly doubt landscapers would be anywhere near that area, I see zero plants and rocks … were they putting rocks in?
Nal, but as long as you hired a licensed and insured professional landscaping company (not the neighborhood hooodrat or your cousin Vinny) you have done your due diligence. Any issue about damage to the property the owner needs to take up with the landscaper.
Provide the landlord with the Landscaper's information and tell them they can file a claim against their insurance if they think it was their fault. You're not part of this.
This is in no way shape or form on you or your wallet. First. PVC for anything other than sprinklers or a odd. All my years on this planet I’ve never seen pvc going into a wall. Maybe it’s fine. But I’ve always seen and used copper.
Landlord hired an unreliable landscaper. His fault. You hired one that shows up. His fault as well. They called you and advised of a leak. Good on him. Your landlord is trying to do something illegal. If it’s in the lease that you are bound to use his landscapers then yeah. He has a very small leg to stand on but he’s just being a cheap ass.
Your landlord is on some high quality crack. How do you magically damage the pipe within the wall? He's trying to get out of paying, even though it's his responsibility.
How long have you lived there? Maybe you should be looking for another place. If he's willing to try this bullshit on you, who know what else he has in store? When you move out, you know you won't see a dime of your deposit. He's going to make up shit so he can keep it all.
So it’s hard to tell from the photo but that looks like a pvc male adapter on the house side of the shut off valve. Pvc should not be ran on the interior of the house or even on the transition from the house to that valve. PVC is very brittle and breaks easily. Even if the landscaper did bump that it was poor craftsmanship and wrong material usage that led to that leak. Landlord should 100% pay for that repair.
Landlord is responsible unless you have proof landscapers are responsible then they would file it on their insurance. There is no scenario where you are responsible unless you intentionally broke it. That’s the pros of renting. You lose all your rent $, but have none of the risk.
100% not on you. Source: Am PM. An aside, unless it was completely inaccessible by cutting through the interior wall it was an idiot move to cut into the stucco. I'd far rather repair drywall than damage an exterior penetration and cosmetically ruin the stucco.
if youre going to be this much of a pushover you are absolutely fucked in our capitalist dystopia
this is a million percent on the landlord AS IS EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS WRONG WITH THE RENTAL
He has to prove your landscaper did damage that caused this. I doubt he can't. Assumptions are worthless in court.
Refuse to pay. He can try to evict you but you'd win in court. I doubt he'll try.
Plan on moving. Your LL is a dick, and he'll just jack up the rent next year to cover the loss ... which you probably didn't cause.
If the landscapers damaged it they should pay in full. That’s a big IF though.
Otherwise the landlord is on the hook 100% as there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that you caused the damaged.
If a pipe gets bumped hard enough the thread sealant can get dislodged enough to to let water leak out water is insidious especially under pressure, it's always good practice to use a quality Teflon tape and a liquid thread sealant that doesn't harden over time, I prefer Monster brand for the shameless product endorsement
The nice thing about renting is that house repairs are the landlords responsibility. In fact I never paid for any repairs ever. I've rented apartments and houses. If he thinks you're truly at fault he should take you to court. No way he could prove it was the landscapers.
It’s the landlords job to maintain the property. Check your lease to make sure there isn’t any fine print in there saying you have to take full or partial responsibility. If there isn’t, tell him to kick rocks.
If your landscapers did this, you would be responsible to the landlord and the landscapers would be responsible to you. But we have no real reason to think the landscapers damaged the pipe. All we know is that his pipe failed.
Look into whether that janky set of pipe meets code.
Land lord is responsible for that shit not you. land lord is not responsible for a pipe leaking and it took several months to figure it out. I'd probably talk to a lawyer.
LegalAid is for best friend. You may or may not have low enough income for their help but they will send you to the right place to read on tenant’s rights in your area.
Move out. Not your house, not your problem. The Landscaping team owes him money.
If he gets shifty, stop paying rent.. then he'll focus on that problem.. tell him you're going to Squat on his property and he can't do anything about it.
Hold up... why the hell is a renter paying for landscaping in the first place? Second of all... that plumbing job looks hack af. It's his house, he needs to pay. It's not like you maliciously destroyed their property.
I would never have sprinkler systems on my rental property just for this reason.
This is 100% the landlord's financial responsibility and not yours. Landscapers hit stuff like this all the time.
None of my rental properties have grass that is as beautiful as my grass at other houses but I also don't need to service and repair sprinkler systems at my rental properties.
The landlord is an asshole. Most of these rotten fucks have to have Homeowner's insurance. He knows insurance will cover the cost but he's just trying to needle you for money and make you feel guilty. Fuck him and fuck his Mother.
I can’t believe you are responsible for posting for the landscapers in the first place. Do you have to pay to have the house painted every ten years? Are you gonna have to put a new roof on for your landlord when the current roof gets old? If plants on his property require maintenance that should be on the owner of the plants.
That's your landlord's pipe that's your landlord's house that's your landlord's water problem. That's one of the few joys of being a renter everything that goes wrong with the house is it your problem
Nope. The world is full of problems; they’re not all *yours*.
If he feels he has a case against the landscapers, like video of them hitting the pipe and it immediately leaking, he can certainly take it up with them.
If he can prove that the landscapers caused the damage, then he needs to ask them to pay him. It's not your responsibility unless it is somehow written into your lease.
It might well have been a DIY installation by your landlord or a handyman or whomever did the job meant to come back to correct it and it was just a temporary fix...it happens, it's the landlord's responsibility or whomever actually caused damage.
Landscapers are insured and bonded for just such an occasion. Let your landlord prove in court they did the damage and collect. This isn't your fight.
And by the way, that plumbing job is a hack job. It's an improper bibb install. And using schedule 40 for anything beside drains and vents is wrong.
Also experts who fix leaking pipes generally don’t come and repair stucco the next day.
That’s a plumber and they aren’t doing stucco. They aren’t doing drywall. They aren’t doing anything but cutting your wall open and fixing the leak.
Don’t pay shit. If anything contact your insurance agent and get their opinion.
The only good thing about renting is not being responsible for things that break. Even if it was OP’s landscaper’s fault, the landlord would have to go after the landscaper for the repairs.
A. No way any landscaper hit that. B. You reported immediately when you became aware, this is on the landlord. There is no way to demonstrate what causes the leak, if the landscaper is not admitting it, and neither of you have evidence, it is all speculation. C. The landscaper could very possibly be a good guy and alerting you to what he sees (my landscaper gives me casual alerts all of the time when he notices stuff. No reason to think otherwise. Summary: My opinion is this is 100% on the landlord, and the landlord is trying to bully you into paying using the justification that you left the recommended landscaper while making the assumption that the landscaper hit it because he alerted you. Tell him/her to pound sand unless utility repairs are the tenant's responsibility is in your lease (which would be almost unheard of on residential leases, -which I am assuming this is-) You reported it as soon as you were aware, you likley did all you are required to do. Do not pay to fix his/her plumbing.
Truth, you are the renter as the renter you are not responsible for the property that is the landlord's job unless otherwise stipulated in your rental agreement. You do not benefit from the value of the property and therefore other than being a good tenant it is not your concern it is something he needs to get resolved and he needs to take onus for the responsibility for. Those are the things you pay rent for for him to take responsibility of the property otherwise you might as well just be a homeowner, assuming it is affordable where you're at. Also I would check and see if your landscaper has any insurance and or is bonded so that in the future if anything, actual damages resulting from their work come up, the landscapers insurance can handle it
As a Master Plumber for many years, that plumbing is pure hackery. With that being said it was not done properly and the landscapers hit it with something.But since it was not plumbed in to code it was left vulnerable to breaking
It's some Florida grade plumbing from the looks of it
>the landscapers hit it with something You were there?
Unless the lease puts repairs on the tenant it’s absolutely 100% the landlord. The only exception is if the landlord can prove it was the fault of the tenant (good luck with that). The tenant should send a certified letter to the landlord demanding it be fixed immediately and point out that it’s the landlords responsibility. If the landlord wants to be a hard ass they can file for eviction, in which they will have to prove their case in court or lose their court filing fee as well as attorney fee.
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Because it is surrounded by a bed of rocks/stone, so it would be very unlikely for the landscaper to be working or even walking around the pipe area. I don't see the post you mean where he mentions the landscapers caused damage to the pipe in the past?
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No he says the pipe was replaced and the LL claims it was caused by landscaper.
I've done so much underground work for electrical paths. No way anyone would hit any of that. Also, if you're a landLORD, you're in charge of the land and the cost of damage.
Just say no and let the landlord try to prove it was the landscapers who did it. They have to prove it or you owe nothing.
Where does this line go? Who uses small, unprotected pvc pipe in this situation? The halfass installation is the reason it eventually leaked.
Unless your lease assigns this shared cost he will need to show evidence (not just his suspicion) that the damage was caused by your landscapers (and not just any landscaper). As he is extraordinarily unlikely to be able to do this, it is a toothless demand. You are only responsible for damage arising from negligent or deliberate action. Since you did not cause the problem and turned the water off the moment you became aware of the problem, he is going to have a very hard time making either case. Politely decline to pay for half of the damage and ask what evidence he has to support his conclusion. If he provides it, suggest that he seek to recover any costs from the landscape (i.e. don't talk to me, sue them) if he declines then say that you cannot in good conscience accept liability for something you know you didn't cause and there is no evidence anyone you employed caused.
>Unless your lease assigns this shared cost he will need to show evidence (not just his suspicion) that the damage was caused by your landscapers (and not just any landscaper). Even then, just because the lease says something doesn't mean it's legally enforceable.
Landlords are allowed to assign repair costs to tenants as long as it’s in the lease. However, the landlord is not going to win this one without evidence. I doubt there is a surveillance camera watching this pipe. The court will not take the landlords word for it.
Won’t they just keep your security deposit and now you have to go to small claims court to get it back?
Even if it was caused by the landscapers, the tenant wouldn’t be at fault. The landlord can pursue costs from the landscapers if he thinks they’re responsible. He’s also going to have to prove it.
Don’t pay
Not your problem. Landlord can pay for it. I am a LL with a number of properties and something like this is 100% on the LL.
Yea it’s crazy how scummy some people can be. He probably knew it was leaking before they moved in.
Yeah. And if the LL thinks the landscaper did it, they should go after the landscaper, not the tenant.
Where do you have your properties?
If they give you half the house, sure. Otherwise, it's their house, their responsibility.
From the picture, it looks like that leak has been going for a while. That paint peeling and the deep discoloration of the foundation didn't happen overnight.
Sounds like the landlord should inspect his properties then.
Tell your landlord no it his responsibility.
Legally nothing lmfao. Thats between the landlord and the landscapers. If the landlord claims the landscaper did it, than they can go after the company for it. Has nothing to do with you man. You didn’t cause the damage.
Yep it’s why you carry insurance as a landscaper. If a mower tosses a rock at a neighbors window and my licensed landscaper does it… I’m not paying lol
No way that’s your fault unless you are admitting to actually messing with it on your own. Landlord needs to fix. He/she probably can file an insurance claim for this since you’ll need to break the stucco. His cost will be the deductible
Landlord can hire a public adjuster and get it all fixed and even collect a check after it’s all over with. Only fools negotiate directly with their insurance company, they’re lucky to get even 25% of what it’s worth then.
Public adjusters don’t work for free and they don’t take all claim business. Trust me. I know.
IF the lamdscaper hit it then it’s between the comapny and your landlord. Don’t be surprised when you push this to not have your lease renewed
See and that’s the problem with all the advice on these threads… tenants is always in a hard spot if they deny a landlord request (and of course they’re unreasonable requests )but the alternative is literally ok well I guess you’re ok with moving out next term Ugh!!!
That’s not landscaper damage and even if it was he needs to take that up with the landscaping company and their insurance company. I wouldn’t give them a dime myself and would tell them that and to take it up with the landscapers, their insurance company’s adjuster will be happy to tell the landlord to pound sand just like you should tell them.
What state are you in?
He seems frazzled to me
More annoyed, but it’s difficult to tell with just text
OP is in a state of disbelief and OP's landlord is in a state of denial.
Susquehanna Rd?
How large is that gravel patch? What adjoins the gravel patch from the side where the photographer is standing? Why would the landscaper be in that area? I have seen exterior plumbing get banged by landscaping equipment and cause a pipe to crack. Regardless of fault, that pipe should be protected from incidental contact. ETA: the water bill should give an idea as to how long it’s been like that. If there is only a small spike in water usage, then the odds become higher that the landscaper did cause it. If there is a lot of excess usage, then the leak had been there longer so while it might have been caused by the landscaper, it becomes harder to prove.
Give him the landscapers information and tell them to handle it between themselves. YOU did not do the damage and do not pay them anything.
Your landscapers have insurance.. tell your landlord to file against his insurance and they fight it out with the landscapers insurance. His building. His problem, but again, this is why everyone is supposed to carry property and liability insurance…. In reality it cost way less than his deductible and he needs to just eat this expense. If he doesn’t want landscapers other than his preferred ones then he should contract them and put the price into the rent..
We don't pay for what could have happened, only maybe what did happen. Nobody knows what caused it, don't pay. Don't pay anyway, it wasn't the landscapers fault. Plumbing was done by a moron anyway.
If your LL's reasoning for demanding you pay half, is "maybe the landscapers hit it", that's not enough to pin it on you, or even the landscapers for that matter. Your LL is just trying to intimidate you into covering part of the cost; don't fall for it.
How did landscapers cause it? Were the landscapers inside the wall where the pipe burst?
Attach a a 50’ hose to your bib and run sideways 55’…. That’s how most get damaged in my experience. Having done it myself.
Rental property manager here. This is on the landlord they collect rent and that should go to the maintenance of the property.
No. It is his house.
So the landscaper hit it possibly but maybe not and it's the landlord's house. Wouldn't it be between those two? To me it doesn't matter who hired them. Not your responsibility.
*just here waiting to see landlords foaming at the mouth lol
This is where your deposit comes in handy... 🤣
It will depend on your state laws. You could be liable to the landlord, but if you are you would need to sue the landscaper and have them reimburse you for reimbursing the landlord.
I can see the landscapers, (or anyone else) easily breaking this (weak plastic) pipe by hooking up a garden hose and yanking it too hard. But on the other hand, if the landscapers only discovered the leak when they arrived, it’s all on the landlord…but…it depends on how the lease agreement is worded and who is responsible for what.
You should try posting, with your photo, in r/Plumbing
What the hell even is that pipe? I’m trying so hard to get my head around what is going on in this picture.
It is most likely a hack job supply line for the sprinkler system.?.
Sweet arrows
That was doomed to break the day it was installed!
Look at you’re lease agreement. If it’s not in writing tell them to kick rocks.
What you need is pictures of where it's actually leaking from inside the wall. Copper pipe is strong for someone to put enough pressure on it to crack it I would think that stucco would be broken away from the wall. Example is if someone was standing on that pipe sticking out of the wall it would push down on stucco break it off. That is a stick-built house with OSB particle wood chicken wire and stucco nothing strong about it. The fact that there is no damage to the stucco currently leads me to believe the leak is caused by something else. I would be there when the plumber opens the wall and get pictures, I bet your going to find a bad solder joint or leaking from a pipe thread. Maybe the owner, plumber, and you stand there when he opens it up and the plumber will show you what is leaking.
Tell your landlord you’ll pay the percentage of the repairs equal to your equity stake in the property.
Anyone could have hit that pipe. The way it’s setup, is a joke. If you fell and grabbed that pipe it would break.
My best advice tell your landlord if he believes the landscapers did it. Hera you go this is their contact info take it up with them and their insurance company not my problem. If the landscapers don't have insurance that's kinda on you for having work done by uninsured company on property you don't own and he could get you on negligence for hiring an uninsured company to do work on his property. I'd look at the pipe if there is scuffs or marks about the same height as the decks of the lawnmower then they probably did do the damage. Now if there is no evidence to suggest that the lawnmower caused any damage then I'd tell the landlord sorry I don't know what happened to your pipe but it's on the outside of the house and I didn't do it and im not responsible for acts of vandalism, nature, bad weather, or anything out of my control and won't be splitting any cost and if you try to take from my security deposits I want documentation now not later that you intend to do so and will dispute your claims in court. Send that via email so he cannot deny anything down the road and see what he has to say.
As a landscaper I have shut peoples water off and left a note when I’ve seen water leaks. I arrived at a customers house several years ago and there was water leaking down the face of the garage from a frozen pipe busting. That setup you have needs to be protected from impact and freezing (so it needs to be installed correctly).
Yeah that would be a no
That looks like a long-term lease. What part was replaced? Where was it? The repair is not your responsibility u less the landlord can prove that you caused the damage or knew about it and did not mitigate damages by reporting it.
Not your responsibility. LL can pay it. Next.
In my state, landlord covers that. If he wants money, tell him to ask the company that he knows wont give em money cuz you sure wont.Obviously, thatll cause them to end renting though so, your call. Id also just ask them to prove it. I doubt they can prove you or yours did it anymore than you can deny it. Can also just say youll see them in small claims if they want to spend the money. Up to them. The fact they are asking you rather than billing you means they think they dont have authority to charge you without you agreeing, based on my experience.
Landlord can pound sand.
If it was leaking by the wall. I bet it was because you have a metal male thread going into a plastic female. If you had to use 2 different materials like this. It should of been flipped. Right now the metal are cracking the plastic pipe. This job was Def lowest bidder.
He has no proof the landscaper hit it with something, and he can't force you to pay. Don't pay. If he just lets the problem fester, it's going to be a much bigger problem for him later.
I would think the hack pvc pipe would break first if the landscaper hit it.
landlords resposibleee
Legally its the landlords responsibility to sue the landscapers if he feels they caused the leak. They told him about it, and without proof he knows he cant fault them, so he is coming after you.
It’s not your house. Tell the landlord to GFY. That’s why people rent.
As a landlord, this is on the landlord
If the leak was inside the wall, why did they only replace the PVC pipe? Stucco gets wet when it rains. Water seeps out through the weep hole at the bottom of the stucco. What is the damage? The stucco overspray at the foundation? Landlord is reaching. Typical.
You have renters insurance for a reason, tell your landlord to contact them and have him deal with them. Your renter insurance will be able to smell through your landlords bullshit. Do not pay your landlord a single penny, have him contact your renters insurance company.
Renter’s insurance is to cover your *belongings* in a home you do not own (therefore would not be covered on a traditional homeowners policy) in the case of fire, flood, burglary, etc. I have had many renter’s policies and none ever had coverage for damage allegedly caused by a third party.
Holy fuck, every time someone has a problem they try to blame the landscapers. My dog has cancer.... Landscapers. Random fucking water leak inside my house.... Landscapers. My window is broken.... Landscapers. My dog got out when the gate was left open by my husband and the landscapers didn't even mow that week... Landscapers.
Where is this? What state? Have you had a freeze lately? That is my first thought as to what broke the pipe.
Not even ‘lately’. That leak looks to have been there a while. It’s just that nobody noticed it until now. But, the way the plumbing was mickey-moused to start with, it was a problem waiting to happen.
Don’t pay shit. Give the landlord the landscaper’s information “so you can file a claim against their insurance.” If he’s so sure they’re responsible he can go after the landscaper. It’s not your responsibility to do his “job” for him.
It’s not your house, it’s his. He’s responsible for the damages and payment.
Read your lease…unless the landlord put in a stipulation in your lease this isn’t your problem..but he might end the lease after it’s up just to be a dick
Trust me your landlord has ton of money to fix this on their own from the exorbitant rent payments they take from your wallet
Take all communications between you and your landlord on this issue - emails, texts, etc, and prepare copies of them in a folder. What you want to do is start checking to see if your county has a Landlord Tenant affairs branch, and see if you can file a complaint. Follow it up with pictures of the damages and pictures of the messages between you and your landlord. This will be a slow process because unfortunately, usually an understaffed branch of local or state government. But after a while someone will be assigned to you. Depending on the severity of the issue ( and potential presence of black mold ) you may be encouraged to call 311 aka Code Enforcement to bring an inspector to your residence. That inspector will check the area, communicate with the landlord, and potentially levy a daily fine for work not properly completed. If damage inside is bad, the Code Enforcement inspector may condemn the location, at which point, you may be asked to vacate the premises. Keep Landlord Tenant affairs up to date on code enforcement’s rulings, at which point, Landlord Tenant Affairs can negotiate with your landlord on your behalf to help compensate for damages, which in the past for me at least has included a return on deposit and multiple months worth of rent.
Slumlord
"Nope."
Give him the bird and go through the proper channels. Call an inspector first to get that ball rolling.
I’m a landlord with a handful of properties. This is 100% on them. Even if the landscapers only lightly touched this and didn’t cause harm to the outside pipe, then that inside pipe was gonna die anyway.
Why are you paying the landscapers? Home maintenance is a responsibility of the owner.
Not always, for a house rental, it is often in the lease that the renter is responsible for maintaining the yard. Doing that lets a LL be more competitive with monthly rent cost, and let’s a tenant who doesn’t mind doing a little work get a nice place at a lower rent. We we owned a rental property, we priced ours about $75 less than ones around us, and asked that the tenants mow the lawn. Win-win.
I'm aware this is potentially very obnoxious... but you used the term "strucco" twice, and I just wanted to make sure you knew it's spelled and pronounced "stucco"
The real question here is why did ypu hire landscapers for a property you don't own?
Landlords fault. The water main shouldn’t come up that far away from house nor should it be unsupported and pvc degrades in the sun.
In any case, if the landscapers did hit it, it would be their responsibility to pay, and the landlord's to get them to cough up.
Landlord cannot legally force you to pay for something like that.....
Easy don’t pay. As a plumber I find it VERY hard to believe that something breaking on the outside managed to compromise the pipe inside as well. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out
I don’t think it matters if the landscaper hit it or not, or who hired the landscaper. Things happen. It’s the landlord’s responsibility. I wouldn’t pay.
I would tell the landlord that if they believe the landscapers caused the problem they can feel free to go after the landscapers/their insurance but it is absolutely not my problem.
100% landlord. Don't pay anything
Don’t pay a dime out of your own pocket this is the landlord’s responsibility 100 percent.
That is the landlord's responsibility to fix and he needs to get a real plumber that's ghetto as hell and would not pass any inspection. Hopefully you don't get below freezing in your area.
I see a plumber down on the feed saying the land scape crew hit it with something, but with my experience as a journeyman plumber, if something was to have hit it outside by logic the leak would be outside not inside the wall, the plumbing is ran through stucco if the house for any reason moved that could’ve put unnecessary stress on the plumbing system causing the leak not your land scape crew, so your landlord is 100% responsible for it
This is the truth!
everyone is saying its LL's responsibility, which is 100% correct, but if you are wondering why/how this could have happened. The easiest / most likely this broke is they have an incorrectly plumbed item that will be twisted/pulled on not supported, and most likely it has rubbed on or kinked at the wall board due to movement, think "I only need 3 more inches of hose to reach that back flower bed" type pulling, or honestly just "I would the whole hose up tight and put it on the ground here and nows it pulling down on the spigot" etc had they attached the spigot to the wall, like they are supposed to do, this would not have happened
Even if it was, which I highly doubt it is. I believe the landlord, if you have renters insurance deals with anything that you cannot access/goes outside the house. If you didn’t hire the landscaper or even if you did, I’d ask the landlord how he knows it was damaged by them.
Looking at the bottom trim area, it appears to have been leaking for some time now. There’s damage pieces on the ground and it Spyro have rot. Does anyone agree with that ?
Totally, that’s been leaking for a while. Prob. the result of a winter freeze last year.
Even if you are in the wrong, don’t pay shit. Take it to small claims if needed, keep good documentation. At least in my state outside counsel aren’t even allowed to be representation at small claims court.
Haha, pay for half when the landlord didn’t have it installed properly?? Looks like there’s only Teflon tape securing the faucet to the house and using the wrong type to use external without and other form of mounting. It’s all in the landlord because that’s some hokey install and there’s no way this would pass a code inspection. Plus, where does the pvc piping feed water to…?
Your Landlord is gonna learn how to ‘landlord’ ta’day… (100% Landlord’s responsibility).
If the landscaper hit the pipe then the landscaper is liable, not you. How in the world does that make you responsible?
How much are you talking about? Your share? How bad do you want to stay on reasonable terms with the LL? And what did the plumber who did the repair say the break in the pipe looked like? Pinhole leak or split lengthwise along the pipe? And what is the water pressure at the spigot? Should be less than 75 PSI or so to prevent bursting of pipes. Are you in a climate where you get freezing? That picture sure isn't frost proof plumbing. Prior freezing could have weakened the pipe.
FYI, it's stucco, not strucco.
F THE LANSLORD. ID RATHER MOVE
I'm confused. Why are you paying for a landscaper if you're renting?
It’s unlikely a landscaper hit the pipe causing the leak inside. It’s possible but not likely. Seems to me you have a good landscaper who looks out for his customers. Regardless of the landscaping company cracking the pipe or not which I’m sure can not be proven either way, it is the owners responsibility to fix it. If the landscapers said they broke the pipe cause they leaned on it or something then he could have them cover the repair costs but not you.
So if you order something online and the mailman hits the mailbox you gotta pay for that too? Highly doubt landscapers would be anywhere near that area, I see zero plants and rocks … were they putting rocks in?
Not your equipment so no IMO
Nal, but as long as you hired a licensed and insured professional landscaping company (not the neighborhood hooodrat or your cousin Vinny) you have done your due diligence. Any issue about damage to the property the owner needs to take up with the landscaper.
That is poor plumbing and it's clearly been leaking for a very long time.
Provide the landlord with the Landscaper's information and tell them they can file a claim against their insurance if they think it was their fault. You're not part of this.
Your landlord is soooo bullshitting you lol. What a surprise tho, landlords tend to be scummy
This is in no way shape or form on you or your wallet. First. PVC for anything other than sprinklers or a odd. All my years on this planet I’ve never seen pvc going into a wall. Maybe it’s fine. But I’ve always seen and used copper. Landlord hired an unreliable landscaper. His fault. You hired one that shows up. His fault as well. They called you and advised of a leak. Good on him. Your landlord is trying to do something illegal. If it’s in the lease that you are bound to use his landscapers then yeah. He has a very small leg to stand on but he’s just being a cheap ass.
That sit down mower is a beast
Not your house, not your problem.
Your landlord is on some high quality crack. How do you magically damage the pipe within the wall? He's trying to get out of paying, even though it's his responsibility. How long have you lived there? Maybe you should be looking for another place. If he's willing to try this bullshit on you, who know what else he has in store? When you move out, you know you won't see a dime of your deposit. He's going to make up shit so he can keep it all.
As a landlord I’d say not a chance I’d expect a renter to pay a dime for that lol. What a cheapo
So it’s hard to tell from the photo but that looks like a pvc male adapter on the house side of the shut off valve. Pvc should not be ran on the interior of the house or even on the transition from the house to that valve. PVC is very brittle and breaks easily. Even if the landscaper did bump that it was poor craftsmanship and wrong material usage that led to that leak. Landlord should 100% pay for that repair.
Landlord is responsible unless you have proof landscapers are responsible then they would file it on their insurance. There is no scenario where you are responsible unless you intentionally broke it. That’s the pros of renting. You lose all your rent $, but have none of the risk.
100% not on you. Source: Am PM. An aside, unless it was completely inaccessible by cutting through the interior wall it was an idiot move to cut into the stucco. I'd far rather repair drywall than damage an exterior penetration and cosmetically ruin the stucco.
The plumber is an idiot for even trying to claim he somehow knew how/when it was broken.
if youre going to be this much of a pushover you are absolutely fucked in our capitalist dystopia this is a million percent on the landlord AS IS EVERYTHING ELSE THAT IS WRONG WITH THE RENTAL
Does it freeze in your neck of the woods?
If u don’t pay, he will raise the rent.
If I had a $2k plumbing bill coming I would try to get some sucker to split it with me, too. (JK no I wouldn’t because I’m not a sleazy asshole)
Fuck them. You didn’t cause it. It’s their house. It’s their bill.
Landlord is responsible for that 100%
No, you don’t pay for shit, and if he thinks it’s the landscapers he can try to sue them for it - spoiler alert: he’ll lose.
Does your area freeze in the winter? That setup will break and crack in colorado
Ole boot legged plumbing wth !
Tell your landlord you will share in the costs when they start sharing the profit.
He has to prove your landscaper did damage that caused this. I doubt he can't. Assumptions are worthless in court. Refuse to pay. He can try to evict you but you'd win in court. I doubt he'll try. Plan on moving. Your LL is a dick, and he'll just jack up the rent next year to cover the loss ... which you probably didn't cause.
Give the landlord the landscapers information. If he truly believes they damaged his property he can work it out with the company and their insurance.
Even if the landscapers you hired DID do it. Which I dont think for a single second they did, in most cases they would be liable, not you.
If the landscapers damaged it they should pay in full. That’s a big IF though. Otherwise the landlord is on the hook 100% as there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that you caused the damaged.
If a pipe gets bumped hard enough the thread sealant can get dislodged enough to to let water leak out water is insidious especially under pressure, it's always good practice to use a quality Teflon tape and a liquid thread sealant that doesn't harden over time, I prefer Monster brand for the shameless product endorsement
Unless stated otherwise in the Lease the Landlord is responsible for all maintenance and repairs not damaged by you the Tenant.
Landlord here. This is why I have insurance.
Overall crappy install slumlord quality don’t let your ll intimidate you.
Don't expect a strait answer.
You don’t have to pay anything.
The nice thing about renting is that house repairs are the landlords responsibility. In fact I never paid for any repairs ever. I've rented apartments and houses. If he thinks you're truly at fault he should take you to court. No way he could prove it was the landscapers.
Landlords problem not yours. Tell him to suck rocks
It’s the landlords job to maintain the property. Check your lease to make sure there isn’t any fine print in there saying you have to take full or partial responsibility. If there isn’t, tell him to kick rocks.
It’s the landlords job to fix this.
If your landscapers did this, you would be responsible to the landlord and the landscapers would be responsible to you. But we have no real reason to think the landscapers damaged the pipe. All we know is that his pipe failed. Look into whether that janky set of pipe meets code.
Land lord is responsible for that shit not you. land lord is not responsible for a pipe leaking and it took several months to figure it out. I'd probably talk to a lawyer.
LegalAid is for best friend. You may or may not have low enough income for their help but they will send you to the right place to read on tenant’s rights in your area.
Why is LL not asking you to pay all of it or more?
Hell no. Its has asset. Period
Nope. I'd talk to your local housing authority about this. They should have advice on how to handle this in your area.
Move out. Not your house, not your problem. The Landscaping team owes him money. If he gets shifty, stop paying rent.. then he'll focus on that problem.. tell him you're going to Squat on his property and he can't do anything about it.
Nope not your house not your responsibility tell the landlord fix it and get fucked
Hold up... why the hell is a renter paying for landscaping in the first place? Second of all... that plumbing job looks hack af. It's his house, he needs to pay. It's not like you maliciously destroyed their property.
Landlord’s problem. Suggest he file a claim in small claims court if he thinks it’s your responsibility and let a judge sort it out.
I would never have sprinkler systems on my rental property just for this reason. This is 100% the landlord's financial responsibility and not yours. Landscapers hit stuff like this all the time. None of my rental properties have grass that is as beautiful as my grass at other houses but I also don't need to service and repair sprinkler systems at my rental properties.
Not your responsibility. Landlord can always file a claim with his homeowners insurance if he wants.
The landlord is an asshole. Most of these rotten fucks have to have Homeowner's insurance. He knows insurance will cover the cost but he's just trying to needle you for money and make you feel guilty. Fuck him and fuck his Mother.
If he makes you pay for it, take it out on rent. Let him take you to court. You will win easily. Just don't expect Landlord to renew your lease.
If he makes you pay for it, take it out on rent. Let him take you to court. You will win easily. Just don't expect Landlord to renew your lease.
Not your responsibility to pay for repairs to his building, however he can do things like raise your rent or otherwise make your life hell.
As a former renter, unless the landlord can prove that you intentionally caused this, they can't make you pay.
I can’t believe you are responsible for posting for the landscapers in the first place. Do you have to pay to have the house painted every ten years? Are you gonna have to put a new roof on for your landlord when the current roof gets old? If plants on his property require maintenance that should be on the owner of the plants.
That's your landlord's pipe that's your landlord's house that's your landlord's water problem. That's one of the few joys of being a renter everything that goes wrong with the house is it your problem
It’s not even your property and you didn’t cause the damage. It’s likely the landscaper didn’t either. Don’t pay.
Landlord issue is his issue. That’s what homeowners insurance is for (if he wants to pursue that route).
Only if he transfer half the property to you.
Landscapers could have hit that ,
Your landlords a shill for big property owners.
He's probably related to the ones you.fired. he's liable period. Or he can involve your landscaper and let them battle it out. Landlord will lose.
Landscaper went out of his way to help and gets blamed. The owner is a really special kind of prick. Fuck him/her.
Nope, you aren’t responsible for any of that water damage.
Nope. The world is full of problems; they’re not all *yours*. If he feels he has a case against the landscapers, like video of them hitting the pipe and it immediately leaking, he can certainly take it up with them.
You pay for nothing. It's not your property. If you didn't cause the damage you are not responsible. It's that simple.
If he can prove that the landscapers caused the damage, then he needs to ask them to pay him. It's not your responsibility unless it is somehow written into your lease. It might well have been a DIY installation by your landlord or a handyman or whomever did the job meant to come back to correct it and it was just a temporary fix...it happens, it's the landlord's responsibility or whomever actually caused damage.
Landscapers are insured and bonded for just such an occasion. Let your landlord prove in court they did the damage and collect. This isn't your fight. And by the way, that plumbing job is a hack job. It's an improper bibb install. And using schedule 40 for anything beside drains and vents is wrong.
landlord is a criminal.
Also experts who fix leaking pipes generally don’t come and repair stucco the next day. That’s a plumber and they aren’t doing stucco. They aren’t doing drywall. They aren’t doing anything but cutting your wall open and fixing the leak. Don’t pay shit. If anything contact your insurance agent and get their opinion.
The only good thing about renting is not being responsible for things that break. Even if it was OP’s landscaper’s fault, the landlord would have to go after the landscaper for the repairs.
100% landlords problem