A renter recently used a faulty appliance and started a fire. The fire allegedly did no damage to the property except for smoke .

They said they called 911 but put the fire out before the fire department arrived . They also said magically this fire did not occur with any appliance plugged in.

Upon sending a contractor by at a scheduled date and time which the resident said they would be home... The other resident at the location said problem solved it was the dryer.

the resident is wanting the manager of the LLC to personally appear at the location because they feel unsafe. The manager of the LLC is not a contractor and communication is in writing with all the residents. renter went on to claim that they are paying way too much and they would rather buy a house.

Company policy is all communication with residence is in writing.

I would continue to follow company policies. I demand you turn all your rents over to me immediately!!! the only thing this tenant has control over is moving WHEN THE LEASE IS UP, that may be a goos thing.

What started the fire - the tenant or the bad appliance? Who owns the appliance?

I am having trouble understanding your post.

I think the property manager should inspect the unit after something like that, but that's about it.

This has nothing to do with the problem. I would ignore it:

they claim the fire started when they hooked up the dryer vent and the hose leading to the outside was filled with debris. They also claim the fire occurred without plugging in the refurbished dryer. Their last claim is at the fire department stated the vent to the outside should have been cleaned.

All properties have a city required code / safety inspection. the person did not allow a contractor inside the house today.

This person wants a face-to-face complaint session with the manager of the management company. Please inform me of the benefit of doing this .

If the dryer hose is installed against an outside wall, I'd say the appliance wasn't installed properly. It's one thing to have a clog in a hose that runs in the walls several feet between the dryer hose and the dryer vent. It's quite another if the dryer hose goes straight to the dryer vent.

Either way, I think if they feel unsafe then just let them leave, run an ozone machine in there to get rid of the smoke, and re-rent.

Wait a minute. I just caught this. The tenant claimed it was the dryer vent hose or the fire dept said it was the dryer vent hose? If they told the fireman it was the hose then of course he would say it needs to be cleaned. Doesn't mean it did or didn't because I doubt the fireman checked the vent for clogs.

Did your contractor find any clogs?

I'm not the type to hide behind the bushes and I can see where a tenant wants to know who their ll is. That said they Should not have rented in the first place. So no need to alter course on your end.

So you are not getting any straight answers from the tenant.

Any fire in your property you should want to know why.

Call the fire dept and see if they could determine the exact cause. The dryer or the hose was not cleaned.

Yes could be your fault if the hose was not cleaned. And your lease does not require the tenant to clean the dryer hose.

I would not worry about it much but you do need to make sure there is now a good hose that is cleaned.

Give her 24 hours notice and send the contractor or whoever in to inspect. Who cares if she will be home in this case.

Next ask why she does not feel safe. If a new hose nothing to worry about. If she thinks rent is to high and would rather buy a house.

Contractor was there today. Was not allowed in by one of the residents. Not the one complaining I suspect. The residents said the fire department claimed the fire was due to debris in the dryer vent. I agree that there is a lot of suspicious comments coming out of a resident. If there was a genuine safety concern, why is the door not being opened for the contractor to go in and inspect further.

The fire was out before the fire department got there.

I think they expect lower rent payments or get out of lease without penalty etc. at this point they are wanting a certified contractor to come in and do a safety inspection.

Renters insurance is required.

renter is demanding two things number one a phone call from quote who is in charge, number to a face-to-face with manager.

Laura MD made a good point, but it might have been too subtle: The tenant has the "right" to demand that the owner show up, but the owner is not obligated to do so -- owner does not have to acknowledge or obey the T's demand!

You do need someone to do an inspection -- is there serious smoke damage? What about fire damage at the vent area?

Lots of photos are needed of the vent and drier (if it is still there), just in case.

I too was amazed that a fire could start with a dryer that was not plugged in. That is exactly what the resident is stating happened.

Hi Jen

Your lease should have a clause that you are allowed entry given 24 hours notice to inspect / repair premises. If I were you, I would execute that clause. Whether they want to allow entry or not, I would be there with keys and or a locksmith along with the police if need be and go in and inspect the property. If you use a property manager, I would force them to conduct the inspection.

If the dryer was not plugged in, I am guessing that a fire was started due to some other tenant activity that they do not want you to know about. Then they put out the fire and got the FD to put something else in their report. If you can get pics of the dryer vent, you should be able to readily tell if a fire was there.

24 hrs notice to enter and inspect/repair. Unless they requested it/ it's an emergency - than can enter sooner.

If a scheduled visit is refused entry, tenant pays $50or the cost of the pro's trip fee - whichever is higher.

No dryer could start a fire if it's not pugged in. You are not getting the truth.

I would go over with a contractor to inspect & see exactly what is up.

If their dryer(or whatever they really did) caused a fire & smoke damage, that damage would get repaired and the tenant billed.

There also may be more damage they are trying to hide/repair themselves. Get in there now, and secure the safety of your property and it's occupants.

As far as them wanting to move, follow the Rental Agreement.

24 hrs notice to enter and inspect/repair. Unless they requested it/ it's an emergency - than can enter sooner.

If a scheduled visit is refused entry, tenant pays $50or the cost of the pro's trip fee - whichever is higher.

No dryer could start a fire if it's not pugged in. You are not getting the truth.

I would go over with a contractor to inspect & see exactly what is up.

If their dryer(or whatever they really did) caused a fire & smoke damage, that damage would get repaired and the tenant billed.

There also may be more damage they are trying to hide/repair themselves. Get in there now, and secure the safety of your property and it's occupants.

As far as them wanting to move, follow the Rental Agreement.

Resident showed up at the address they believe I am residing at. Left a note on the maibox stating they are contacting Better Business Bureau Health Dept Code Enforcement Etc.

They further left information in their note that they do not legally have to continue renting.

At this point it seems like a personal appearance is exactly what they want by the person they’re requesting it’s giving into tenant demands. Contractors are more than capable of assessing the situation.

In their note they also stated they would return the following day

well reading through all these I was stumped thinking it was just me until I got to JohnnyB of MA. If it wasn't plugged in and running, it didn't catch on fire because of the vent.

What did the fire chief tell you? Where I live, if the fire trucks were in route, they'd go inside the house to double check - they wouldn't believe tenants who said "we got it".

If you are sending a contractor to enter a property with hostile tenants and no one representing you, you're wrong. The contractor is paid to do work... not negotiate landlord/tenant relations.

... Company policy is all communication with residence is in writing....

I personally think this is a recipe for the disasterous results you are seeing above. No, you don"T have to go over there and have them rant and rave but a simple phone call of "Hey, Tony Tenant, what happened? We'll be there tomorrow betweem 10 and 2 to look at the area and assess any damages." should take care of it. I am not big on lying to tenants but tell them (and this is bordering on the line) that you need to inform the insurance company right away if you need to make a claim. You can't trust them to tell you if you need smoke remediation.

This sounds like a perfect one for an ELT offer. They pay two mo rent and move and you cancel the remaining lease. Hopefully before their faulty dryer burns the house down next time.

I've been following this since your first post & am still trying to figure out what the real problem is - faulty dryer, faulty outlet, faulty wiring, faulty ductwork, faulty hookup, crazy / unreasonable tenant, inexperienced / unresponsive LL?

As others have suggested something doesn't make sense. Is this your dryer or the tenant's dryer? Is this dryer new at this location? Has this dryer been used here before? Who determined that the appliance / dyer was faulty - the tenant, appliance repair people, you, your representative, the fire department?

If the dryer wasn't even plugged in, how could it cause a fire especially an electrical fire? If there was an actual fire where was it exactly - the dryer tub, the dryer case, the dryer motor, the duct work, the electrical outlet, hidden wiring? What if anything was in the dryer - oily rags, excessive lint buildup ? How long ago was the dryer vent cleaned? Who discovered the fire? Is the dryer located in their unit or in a common area?, Did the SDs & COs go off? What time of day was this? Are there any kids at this property? What does the fire department incident report say?

Is this a SFD or a multi? How long has this tenant lived at the property? How much more time is left on their rental agreement? Have they been looking to buy their own property?

Why are you so reluctant to even call the tenant? Does something about the tenant's past or present behavior make you feel threatened? If you feel threatened either ask for a police escort, hire a constable / security person or an off duty cop to go with you.

With the info we have it's hard for any of us to determine what is really going on. I suspect that the tenant wants to move & is tying to use this incident to get you to release them from their contractual responsibilities.

Best of luck as you try to resolve this situation.

As you continue to deal with this please try to remember Aldo's 2 rules of LLing.

Tenant said the dryer was never plugged in. Tenant information cannot be believed my opinion and others. Tenants information is that there was too much build-up in the dryer duct work and the house. nothing said about what was in the dryer because according to the resident it was never turned on.

Resident claims the second they hooked up the ductwork not plugged it in the fire started and they put it out before the fire department arrived. They said smoke made the kids cough.

It's a single family house but they've been out for about 5 months. Tenant is in the process of moving. 24-hour notice put up.

Close friend informed me I need to go there to deal with them face-to-face. Also they should be let out of the lease before they burn the house down.

Most recent update is after 24-hour notice posted it would be after 7 p.m. of arrival due to 24-Hour notice being put on the door.

Tenant said the dryer was never plugged in. Tenant information cannot be believed my opinion and others. Tenants information is that there was too much build-up in the dryer duct work and the house. nothing said about what was in the dryer because according to the resident it was never turned on.

Resident claims the second they hooked up the ductwork not plugged it in the fire started and they put it out before the fire department arrived. They said smoke made the kids cough.

It's a single family house but they've been out for about 5 months. Tenant is in the process of moving. 24-hour notice put up.

Close friend informed me I need to go there to deal with them face-to-face. Also they should be let out of the lease before they burn the house down.

Most recent update is after 24-hour notice posted it would be after 7 p.m. of arrival due to 24-Hour notice being put on the door.

I assume your lease has verbiage about how you are allowed to enter after X notification.

The lease does have that verbiage. A close friend had reminded me it’s better than seeing the house burnt down due to whatever faulty appliance they put in there next. There will not be any early lease termination fee and just get them out is what was advised to me.

Spoke with resident. They are now insisting upon being home when contractors are there. Unfortunately they are not home every day. They are giving Windows of times that they are home and we are stating we are concerned of safety.

Despite that information, they're stating that the evening it's not normal business hours. I have asked for cooperation for access and they are stating they will be there another five weeks.

I have tried to evict before in the same town with multiple 24-hour notice violations and vicious dogs in the home. This was the one and only time the court did not Grant an eviction

With this added info it appears to me as though your tenant is dealing with some mental health issues.

Are you sure that the fire department actually was called? If so go get an incident report from them for your records.

Are they current on their rent? Do they have renter's insurance?

Have you considered having your lawyer send them a letter stating that they will be held legally & financially responsible if any harms comes to your property as a result of their lack of cooperation.

If you are truly concerned that they might damage your property why not go to court & get an emergency order to allow entry?

I am completely baffled by a clear breakdown or total lack of communication here ... I have no idea how this seems to happen so often in posts on this site.

Pieces are starting to come together. It appears this person can probably purchase.

Was told we can pick up the incident report. Had a contractor scheduled and he will be in there in the morning.

We've been told when we can enter based on their schedule now. Not the 24-hour notice

A contractor did show up to assess the situation only to be told there was no need to enter and not invited. The dryers on the porch. I believe this happened four days ago. It's been 2 days now since the contractor has shown.

We saw email that it happened one day after it occurred.

One time and day was given for access

Was told I needed to be there and name of contractor because they didn't want strangers in their home.

I only imagine how I could function if every location demanded I be there.

The renter said if I'm not there it's like inviteng a stranger in their house without a name.

The report stated there was debris in the duct / vent and the duct was removed

Wow. What a battle.