Here's one area that's murky. By default, I already assume functional literacy of my applicants, that they are capable of filling out an application and reading/accepting terms of the lease...and apparently the law is on my side on this one as well, since "I didn't understand the lease" hasn't saved a couple of my tenants from the eviction judgment being in my favor. Had a gal once who claimed she had "short term memory loss disability" and that's why she forgot to pay her rent...judge said, "not relevant." Just how far out does that "not relevant" extend, I wonder? --173.19.xx.xxx

--207.241.xxx.xxx

In all honesty, I would not want any tenant of mine to open the outside main breaker box or even a sub-panel located inside the house. Too many potential issues here. I wish my tenants had more house sense than they do. If I could just get them to change the A/C filters twice a year that would be a major accomplishment. --68.63.xxx.xxx

The only one of the items on your list i'd care about the tenants being able to do is the water shut off . Not being able to reset a tripped breaker only inconveniences them. LL should be doing smoke alarm check . Gas leak is emergency that can be fixed with call to utility or fire dept . --12.156.xxx.xx

Speaking of gas leak, I guess you'd want to screen for sense of smell to notice rotten eggs... wink wink --12.156.xxx.xx

In most of my 1940's vintage houses, the main water shut-off valve is located in a hole at the street curb and requires a special tool to turn the valve knob off. I have tried teaching this to my new tenants but it always falls on deaf ears. Even the shut-off valves at each inside faucet are a mystery during water emergency. --68.63.xxx.xxx

Also just recently had a tenant say her electric wall heater would not cycle off and the room was getting hot, so she shut it off and turned on a space heater. DH tested the next day and she must have had the temp set so high it could not reach it on such a cold night...so it just ran and ran. It cycled fine when set at a reasonable temp. --173.22.xx.xx

When I was researching property management before buying the apartments, I found a company that had tenants watch maintenance videos. When they watched all the videos they got a certificate for $50 off their rent. --98.146.xxx.xx

We need quick effective techniques to reveal those who are not up to the task. --72.172.xxx.xx

Roy, are saying your houses don't have a knob or ball valve shut off at the water meter inside ? --12.156.xxx.xx

--131.151.xx.xx

Another young tenant recently called me and said the heat was not working. I told her to put her finger on the up arrow of the thermostat and bring the temp up. Guess what...it worked!!! --32.215.xxx.xxx

Not sure how I'd catch this with the in home visit, Sisco. That tells me about their cleanliness habits and pets, but not much else. Is the suggestion I have them show me how to turn off the water in their home? --173.19.xx.xxx

As I say, tenants are tenants for a reason. One being they don't know how a house works. So I go through the house with them at signing to show where the breaker box is, where the shut offs are, etc. I leave a list of the quirky things I have found over the years. Odd switches and what they go to. Other than that, I figure they pay me for the house stuff... If they are really unable to do much, I just raise the rent to a price that makes it worth my while to deal with it. I do like the ones that can at least do some basic trouble shooting over the phone with me. --96.236.xx.xx

BRAD --68.51.xx.xxx

Getting tenants to watch you-tube videos is one thing, actually getting them to turn a valve during a water emergency is another thing. Many are just plain LAZY. Plus, tenants are 'conditioned' to call the LL when a problem arises. I had one tenant (Section 8 of course) call me on Christmas Day to tell me her kitchen sink had backed-up. I don't answer the phone on holidays anymore. --68.63.xxx.xxx

Roy, seems like it would be a good idea to put a shut off valve where the water enters the house? both for convenience and emergency --12.156.xxx.xx

BRAD --68.51.xx.xxx

BRAD --68.51.xx.xxx

Asking them to shut off the water main and electric main would reveal the very capable.....but I think that our goal is to identify the helpless. --72.172.xxx.xx

I just had a tenant not know how to change a furnace filter. And when I went over there, realized they didn’t know how to program their thermostat. Parents should teach their kids the basics before they move out. --173.26.xxx.xx

I have to teach someone every year how a thermostat works and I only use the round Honeywell thermostats --72.231.xxx.xxx

all my buildings are old although most all of the basic mechanicals have been updated. I gravitate towards renting to men or a couple ... because few (stereotype here but it seems to be realistic in my tenant pool) single women can handle the basics. --72.95.xx.xxx

Brad's comment about water meters being buried in snow reminds me of digging around the yard at one of my rentals trying to find the meter pit in the snow after the tenants moved out without telling me and let the pipes freeze inside, including freezing the inside main shut-off so I couldn't turn it off there. --73.102.xxx.xx

All my places are old, bidding on a 1852 house within a softball toss of campus, but anyway all my valves and breakers are labeled, you should add a house cold near the water heater where the others spider out to bath, kitch, laundry - won't take more than 100bux of parts and an afternoon to have water control in order, on my breaker label sheet I always include the phrase -turn fully off then on- to restore power and I have some tenants who have demonstrated reading a 65dollar bill is harder than reading the gizmo labels. Programming t-stat - forget it, a non program model does not have this problem, put the program version in when selling - they are cute but tempermental... --76.188.xxx.xx