i bought a duplex (!)

Whose job is it anyway?

I’ve always vacuumed the stairs going up to my rental unit. The tenants are the only ones who use them, but I figure its part of my common area responsibilities.

Until the new people moved in, and asked if there was an outlet in the hall, so they could vacuum the stairs.

Bonus! Self-cleaning tenants!

However, there is not an outlet in the hall. They didn’t think their vacuum cleaner cord could reach to the bottom of the stairs.

I have a 150 foot extension cord, so I offered that I could do it. The guilt hit me every time I walked out the front door, but apparently wasn’t strong enough to put me into cleaning mode… They’ve just moved in, and I hate for them to think that this is how I’m going to be about maintenance… But if it’s bothering them that much, surely they have an extension cord, too? Right?

I’m making a note to revise my next lease to state whether the stairway is a common area, and who should be responsible for its cleanliness. And I think I’ll make it the tenants — one less thing for me to worry about.

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