Chicago Landlord

If you are a landlord you have probably already had this experience. Your tenants call to complain about a small repair job or upgrade they want, and once you get started it turns into a brand new kitchen. Sometimes things that seem like no big deal have a way of blossoming in to a huge ordeal. One of my tenants was complaining about a clogged drain in the tub. No big deal. I sent over the handyman with the router to clear the drain. Well, three weeks later we have cut two pipes in the basement and now it looks like we are going to have to remove a small part of the wall and replace some of the pipe. Who knows what is in there. I had a tenant years ago that kept complaining about a clogged toilet. Eventually it turned out that someone, no one knows who, dropped a cell phone down the toilet where it got stuck. We had to take up the toilet just to find it. Though I have heard of new toilets being necessary if you can't break free whatever is stuck in there.
Unfortunately it is best that you are just prepared for some unexpected complications. The only advice I can give is to be careful when you start a remodeling project. If a tenant wants a new sink or countertop make sure they have renewed their lease preferably with an increase before you get started. That way you won't feel as bad after you have replaced half the kitchen.