Are we obligated to change light bulbs?

I would guess not but how about more fancy ones like special florescent ones in a kitchen light.

The point here is I don't like this tenant, she is a miserable curmudgeon and demands a lot. The place is way out in the country and sending a handyman just to go out there is a 100.00 or so,..if he has to go buy the light and install it that's all extra.There are two florescent bulbs,..one is not working,

I would like to say "we don't replace burned out bulbs,,,,here is a couple of handymen you can call at your own expense..."

We write it into the lease: "All fixtures have working light bulbs at start of lease. Tenant is responsible for changing light bulbs throughout their tenancy." AND "Tenant is responsible for leaving working light bulbs of same or high quality in each fixture or will be charged $10 per missing or non-working bulb."

Let them know that you have a call into the bank. If the bank approves them doing a routine task like that then you should do it....but I expect them to answer "Say What"

I started off buying whatever light fixture looked good.

Now, I mostly do exposed-bulb lights whenever I can, and permanent-LED-bulb-built-in light fixtures whenever I can't.

It makes changing the light bulbs as easy as possible. Now, I don't have to worry about people losing or breaking the diffuser shades or finials. (Or moving when they run out of light, because they're helpless like that.)

I also don't have any houses in a location that I can't actively manage or keep my eyes on.

I don't make it a point to change bulbs for them, but if they ask, I do.

OK,...again am I obligated to replace a fancy bulb,..I do not expect this miserable demanding hateful person to get on a ladder to go out and buy and install a new bu;b (she wouldn't) I am asking if you could expect her to hire someone to do it on her own dime,

Yes I have done it in the past for other GOOD tenants,in other properties, but I'm not happy o do it for her if I don't have to.

I understand how you feel - really.

I just want to remind you to treat everyone equally to avoid being accused of discriminating against a protected class.

This is a bit counter-intuitive, but my understanding is that, unless specifically addressed in the lease, then YES, it actually IS the landlord's responsibility to replace bulbs.

We've discussed it here before. Again, most would say and do otherwise -- but if it went to a court situation, it appears that the law is on the side of the tenant. It is considered something that was included in the rental and it is therefore up to the LL to maintain when it fails.

- John...

If the tenant is weird or the fixture is, I change the bulbs. I got rid of every unusual fixture in all the units and replaced them with fixtures that use regular bulbs that screw right in without removing a globe or shade. Any that are strange, like round ones in a bathroom mirror, I supply. I am glad the curly fluorescent ones are gone. Imagine a whole factory was shut down and people fired and consumers ordered to use a fluorescen bulb made in China. I was so mad that I am still mad and fighting like hell to make sure I don' have to live under something like that again.

I got involved with an apartment complex run by an 86 year old manager. She was a pistol!! Sharp, thin and capable. Since the 1970's she was the resident manager and as such, she changed the exterior light bulbs using her ancient step ladder. She was only 5'2" and had to stand on the top run of the latter to reach the bulbs. There were many dozens of bulbs. She once told me she changed around two bulbs per week.

In those days the longest lasting bulbs were compact fluorescent. They used less power and lasted over 10 times that of the older type incandescent bulbs. I wanted to replace all of the exterior bulbs from incandescent to fluorescent -- knowing in time the bulbs would pay for themselves. I also wanted to give the manager a light weight taller aluminum ladder with a top safety bar/handle. Something to hang on to.

The partners refused to budge. Spending hundreds of dollars on longer lasting bulbs and providing a ladder -- I'm a crazy partner/contractor.

Needless to say while the manager was changing a bulb on a second story landing, a tenant quickly opened their screen door, knocking the manager off her old stepstool, causing injury.

Since the manager could no longer replace the burned out bulbs because she was now to unstable to go on a ladder, then the partners agreed to replace the bulbs, otherwise the get a handyman to replace bulbs every week was going to cost too much.

So my story is sometimes people are penny pinchers that ending up costing a boat load of money. The 86 year old manager didn't want to sue, but a tenant in the building was a lawyer who took on the case and got a million dollar verdict against the partners and insurance carrier.

Since I go to my buildings all of the time, I give free bulb service replacements. I also offer 5000K true white LED bulbs that use 8 to 18 watts that give off between 60W and 150 Watt of light.

I feel you are obligated to change or have it changed; don't think she should need to pay for it, especially if she would need a ladder to do it, I can't imagine what this hateful tenant might do if she fell and this was not addressed in a lease. I always keep potential lawsuits in mind.

To add to Allym's reply...after you get the fixture changed to one she can replace the bulb in, perhaps you might add an addendum or somewhere in the lease that tenants are expected to replace their own lightbulbs, batteries (if they have anything run with batteries, light garage door keypads.)

If I haven't interfaced with a tenant in quite awhile (whether I like them or not, I welcome doing some of the small things to let them know I have their back. If I think it is something they're not sure how to do (like flip a breaker) I take the time to show them how to do it, prefacing my lesson with "someday you may have a home of your own and it will be handy to know how to do this..."

Just had another thought. Don't know how much they cost, but there are tools that allow you to change lightbulbs in hard to reach/high areas, without a ladder.

I switch out any and all fixtures that uses any bulb other than the standard. No florecent, candelabra, halogyn, bayonet etc.

Makes it easy for the tenant to replace the bulb, so they do it. We put in LEDs, so there's not much changing to begin with.

It's worth the one-time pain to change the fixture.

Many posters report a lease clause where the landlord initially supplies a complete set of bulbs and the tenant is obligated to return the property with a complete set of working bulbs. Such a policy makes eminently good sense of course, that is, from a relationship point of view. It is a trivia exercise to point out that light bulbs are consumables and are technically subject to the general rule that wear & tear is landlord's responsibility.

What is the point here is that drafting such a lease clause should be done carefully in compliance with local state law. The lease clauses given in this thread will not work in CA, for example, but can be made to be workable by careful drafting according to CA law.

So couldn't he send her a letter saying that "we don't change or replace light bulbs." Then say "do NOT attempt to change an overhead light yourself ".

Changing light bulbs is a tenant responsibility. Your state law will tell you items the landlord must provide and I have never seen one which states a landlord is responsible for replacing/maintaining light bulbs.

You would be responsible unless otherwise stated in your lease for maintaining the light fixtures and the tenant can choose to use them, or not.

Your lease likely has a maintenance clause and if light bulbs aren’t specifically addressed they are still considered a maintenance item. So if your tenant wants to use the light fixture they need to put working lightbulbs in it. I rental house is not a hotel room (a way to look at it).

I know of an apartment complex that provides no light fixtures at all. All ceilings are wired for them but the tenant must hire a licensed electrician to install and then remove any lights/fans they may wish to use.

At dollar stores LED light bulbs are inexpensive where can buy 5 to 10 bulbs then provide them. There are LED bulbs that fit a standard florescent fixture if the fixture has newer electronic ballast. With LED bulbs there is lower power consumption along with longer life. Incandescent light bulbs are soon going to phased out where part of the reduction in green house gas as some power is generated by coal fired generation stations. Before a tenant moves in it is lot easier to change out to LED bulbs then the light bulbs will last five years or more. The cost of LED bulbs spread out over five years is small compared to the rent received over a period of five years. In the house all the light bulbs are LED where it is very rare for LED light bulbs to fail.

Mark, don't change it. When the other half burns out and she can't see any more, maybe she will move out.

We used to joke that a tenant would only stay until all the light bulbs burned out and then they would move to a new place that had working light bulbs. Tenants found that easier than actually replacing a burned out bulb.

So my son went around his vacant rental and replace all of the bulbs with expensive LED's. When that tenant moved out, all the bulbs were burned out, but they were all burned out incandescents. The tenant had stolen all the LED's and replaced them with burned out bulbs.

I don't change light bulbs unless there is something weird or expensive about the fixture. I used to have one where the light bulb cost $30; I wouldn't expect a tenant to change that one. But normally it is the tenant's responsibility

My lease specifies tenant is responsible for bulbs. That said there are a couple of fixtures w glass shade that screws in place that are a nightmare to get off. I will oblige a tenant when they say they are afraid of breaking the glass. They supply the bulb. I now have mostly led fixtures w/out bulb.

Just like I don't let my tenants paint, they don't change light bulbs. Incorrect color temps and lumens can make good looking spaces look junky.