My tenants want me to replace the floors

[wannabe-stache]

We moved into a new home in April 2020.  We marketed but were unable to sell our old townhome last year and as of Nov 2020 started renting it to a family.

This weekend, they texted me a picture of our upstairs bamboo floors.  They claim that the humidity from recent rains (we are in South FL) caused the floors to swell and buckle up.  They even removed several of the boards from the floor.

The bamboo floors in question were installed in 2013 when we moved in and never had this problem.  Further, the home was unoccupied ALL LAST SUMMER and the A/C was set to 80 degrees and there were no issues.

The tenant claims they did NOT spill any water or leave the windows/doors open during the rainstorms.

I am having a professional go in to inspect the floor.

It could cost $5000 to replace all the floors (there is no wood to match the 2013 wood).  SHould I, could I, make the tenant pay half the cost?  Should i report to insurance?

I am new to landlording so appreciate any thoughts or comments!

[SunnyDays]

Have you seen the floors yourself?  If not, go along with whoever you hire.  You want to know everything about this issue.  Maybe they are not using the AC due to cost and humidity is indeed the culprit.  In any event, there's no way I would replace an entire floor unless absolutely necessary.  Can it not be patched with same width boards of another kind, like hardwood?  If not, then tell them you will be installing cheap vinyl and see if their tune changes.

[GuitarStv]

Once hardwood absorbs water it will warp and buckle.  It's entirely possible that not using the A/C in high humidity weather could cause this to occur, but it's also possible that it will happen from spills.

Does your rental agreement spell out any requirement that the A/C is used, or include A/C as part of the price?

[PMJL34]

Edit: Misread you post and assumed it was rented to a relative.

Just replace flooring with LVP as everyone said and hope no more issues arise. Don't over think it.

Best of luck!

 

[nereo]

This is one of several reasons why I don't put hardwood (or bamboo) floors in rental properties, or in kitchens, bathrooms, or entryways of my own home.

"It's never happened before" isn't a particularly good defense here, as it sets up a you-said/they-said dynamic that is ultimately unprovable on either side.

How large of an area are we talking about? 
Do you plan on keeping this property as a rental going forward?
How does it compare to similar units in your immediate area?

Personally I wouldn't report a $5k expense to insurance, but I keep a $2k deductible and wouldn't want to increase my premiums for what is (in the grand scheme of things) a rather small expense for a landlord. 

If it were me I'd remove the damaged flooring and replace it with QUALITY (not cheap) LVP myself.  I would also review my rental agreement and ensure that there's language about keeping a dehumidifier running at a certain humidity level (I'd do 55%) continuously. If there isn't one already, I'd buy one and install it with a drain hose (no reservoir to continuously empty). 

[draco44]

OP,

These are not your tenants. They are your family. I believe you are held to a much higher standard of care of else family issues could arise.

Therefore, I would fix the damaged spots with comparable material, not the entire floor. If it's going to be the entire floor, it will be cheap laminate or carpet.

First off I wouldn't rent to family unless you didn't need the rental income. Hopefully this will be the only issue going forward. If not, don't renew the lease and find non-relative tenants.

Best of luck!

I interpreted the OP's post differently. It says they rented to "a family" but not that it was THEIR family specifically.

Either way, I'd want to see the floors myself in person before making a decision on this.

[bacchi]

Therefore, I would fix the damaged spots with comparable material, not the entire floor. If it's going to be the entire floor, it will be cheap laminate or carpet.

If you have to pull out the floor from one wall, if it's tongue and groove, match the connection style and then match the color as best as you can. Put the new pieces near the wall.

Or change only 1 room.

[Jon Bon]

Therefore, I would fix the damaged spots with comparable material, not the entire floor. If it's going to be the entire floor, it will be cheap laminate or carpet.

If you have to pull out the floor from one wall, if it's tongue and groove, match the connection style and then match the color as best as you can. Put the new pieces near the wall.

Or change only 1 room.

This is the correct move, it's a rental not a show house.

Also LVP for the win on this one. Its laughs in the face of humidity!

[YttriumNitrate]

Also LVP for the win on this one. Its laughs in the face of humidity!

Indeed, materials used in a rental should look nice, but be bomb-proof. As soon as it's time to replace the carpet in my one rental, high end vinyl plank is going in.

[FINate]

Agree with others, only replace the affected area/room.

If large areas are damaged, replace entire rooms with vinyl plank flooring. It's cheap, durable, and unaffected by water/humidity.

[clarkfan1979]

Like the last 4 people said, replace a small number of boards of bamboo, the best you can. If you want to replace the entire floor, do Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP). I like to idiot proof my rentals before renting them out.

[Dicey]

Another vote for LVP.  The good stuff.

[nereo]

Another vote for LVP.  The good stuff.

Cheap vinyl plank makes no economical sense to me. The difference between cheap and quality is about $1/foot. Maybe $1.50. The better stuff is easier (read: faster) to install, lasts 3x as long, carries lifetime warranties. Unless you are trying to do a quick flip where you don’t care how it lasts and I’d in an area with lower quality interior finishes the budget stuff just isn’t worth it.

[Dancin'Dog]

It seems "unreasonable" for a tenant to remove sections of your flooring before contacting you about the issue. 


I'm not a landlord, but I would get rid of them as soon as legally possible.  Eating the cost of a floor is a bummer.  What if the dishwasher acts up?  Will they remove it themselves & demand a new one?


I have a hard time believing that a bamboo floor would buckle up without getting saturated by water. 

[sonofsven]

It seems "unreasonable" for a tenant to remove sections of your flooring before contacting you about the issue. 


I'm not a landlord, but I would get rid of them as soon as legally possible.  Eating the cost of a floor is a bummer.  What if the dishwasher acts up?  Will they remove it themselves & demand a new one?


I have a hard time believing that a bamboo floor would buckle up without getting saturated by water.

It's possible the boards in question were buckled to the point of being a tripping hazard, if so removing a few is the right move.
Floors can buckle and move for a variety of reasons.

OP: Are these floating or nailed down?

[Papa bear]

Did they leave the AC running with the fan set to “on”? That will not remove enough humidity and will cause flooding issues.   I’ve seen it happen a few times at rentals, specifically with bamboo floating floors (in Ohio even, not swampy florida).  If you run AC, leave the fan to Auto!!!!  I bet your tenants don’t use the AC correctly. 

Otherwise, bamboo should dry out ok, remove a couple boards and replace.  And keep the place dry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wannabe-stache]

Thanks all!  Appreciate the responses - i will think about the vinyl planks.

We might consider pulling "good" boards out of a closet to replace in the bedroom and then put the vinyl planks in the closet.

I don't think we have a clause that requires that they keep the AC on.  I can't imagine not running the AC, it's already hitting 90 degrees here!

[waltworks]

Make sure you consider your endgame here. Do you want these tenants to stay? If not, do you want to sell or rent the house to someone else going forward? Cheaping out on a repair might not be the best option for any of those possibilities.

-W

[i_have_so_much_to_learn]

It seems "unreasonable" for a tenant to remove sections of your flooring before contacting you about the issue. 


I'm not a landlord, but I would get rid of them as soon as legally possible.  Eating the cost of a floor is a bummer.  What if the dishwasher acts up?  Will they remove it themselves & demand a new one?


I have a hard time believing that a bamboo floor would buckle up without getting saturated by water.

I don't think we have enough information to determine the urgency of removing the floor boards. As a parent, if there is a risk to my family in my home - I will address it, and only then (or perhaps simultaneously) contact the owner. Floorboards aren't just tripping hazards, but they are also painful for splinters and more.

[i_have_so_much_to_learn]

Thanks all!  Appreciate the responses - i will think about the vinyl planks.

We might consider pulling "good" boards out of a closet to replace in the bedroom and then put the vinyl planks in the closet.

I don't think we have a clause that requires that they keep the AC on.  I can't imagine not running the AC, it's already hitting 90 degrees here!

one more question - just because the tenant thinks it's because of humidity, doesn't mean that's the right cause. Do you have any leaks in the ceilings, walls, or could there be pooling of water underneath the floor? If so, this will happen again.

[bbqbonelesswing]

Thanks all!  Appreciate the responses - i will think about the vinyl planks.

We might consider pulling "good" boards out of a closet to replace in the bedroom and then put the vinyl planks in the closet.

I don't think we have a clause that requires that they keep the AC on.  I can't imagine not running the AC, it's already hitting 90 degrees here!

This sounds like a good move. I'd also tell them not to just go ahead and remove any more flooring without contacting you first.

[windytrail]

You didn't happen to purchase the brand Morning Star Strand bamboo from Lumber Liquidators, did you? There is class action litigation about defective bamboo flooring (https://www.bamboosettlement.com/).

Plaintiffs contend that Defendant knowingly failed to disclose that its Morning Star Strand Bamboo flooring was defective in that it was unable to withstand typical ambient moisture variations causing the product to cup, shrink, delaminate, buckle, splinter, scratch, crack, warp, swell, gap and ultimately fail prematurely in advance of its 30-year warranty.

Wouldn't be surprised if other companies have also sold defective bamboo flooring that does not hold up to moisture.

[Dicey]

Thanks all!  Appreciate the responses - i will think about the vinyl planks.

We might consider pulling "good" boards out of a closet to replace in the bedroom and then put the vinyl planks in the closet.

I don't think we have a clause that requires that they keep the AC on.  I can't imagine not running the AC, it's already hitting 90 degrees here!

You could also line the closet floors with cedar. Possibly cheaper, easy to install and might be considered an upgrade.