It is not cheap to repair appliances of a property, and if you are a landlord, you can easily find yourself in a dispute with your tenant trying to figure out who is responsible for damages, repairs, and maintenance costs. You are liable for any damages that occur on your own, but rental property works differently.
If the landlord is the one who provides all appliances, then they often want to care for them, protecting the investment. Most of the time the landlord adds the appliance repair clause in the lease/rental agreement that will define the terms and extent of responsibility.
On the other hand, if renters supply the appliances, the renter is the one who will pay for repairs and maintain them. Renters can also take the devices with them when the lease expires.
Most of the time, rental properties do not include these. It’s up to the homeowner for rent what decision they take whether they want to supply the machines and what time of appliances they want to provide.
Read on to keep yourself updated about the occasions when landlords make tenants pay for repairs and some facts about responsibilities for appliances.
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Appliances Break – Landlord’s Responsibility
As a tenant, when you sign the rental agreement, you will know if the appliances are included within the rental fee or not. Things such as washer, dryer, dishwasher, refrigerator, and stove are commonly included. When appliances break, die, or stall, getting things fixed or repair quickly is essential.
Your landlord’s responsibility is to get things fixed as all appliances are included in the rental agreement. In instances where they are not included in the agreement, like microwave and toaster, tenants are responsible for these replacements and fixes.
It is essential to note that if any of the damages are related to your belonging unless you have tenant insurance, you will be personally responsible.
Small Replacements – Tenant’s Responsibility
Most renters think that they have signed the rental agreement, so their landlord is responsible for anything in the rental before your arrival.
Many tenants misunderstood the situation that the landlord also covers the small replacements like lightbulbs. But it is not true because tenants are the ones who are responsible for small reserves unless special terms have been agreed upon.
➡LEARN MORE: How Long Does a Landlord Have to Fix a Leaking Roof?
Can a landlord make the renter pay for repairs?
In most states and cities, landlords are responsible for the repairs and ensuring that rental apartments are in habitable condition. In any case, where damages affect the rental home livability, it will be the landlord’s responsibility to repair and fix those damages.
However, there are some damages that the landlord isn’t always required to fix, such as cosmetic issues that don’t affect rental property safety.
It is not the landlord’s duty to repair small holes in the walls, repairing strained rugs or dripping faucets. If the tenant’s negligence causes the damage, they will likely cover the cost of repairs.
Facts about responsibilities for appliances
- If the landlord doesn’t repair and fix the thing on time, usually 14-days from request, depending on the state, renters may have different options for recourse like withholding rent or terminating the lease.
- According to some state laws, its landlord is responsible for providing kitchen and laundry appliances. While some only offer kitchen appliances.
- When landlords provide the appliances, it’s their responsibility to keep them in working condition. If they are not doing it, tenants can repair them or fix things by themselves and cut the cost from the rental amount.
Writer and content creator interested in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Jobs and landlord issues. I have a bachelor’s degree in Communication from the Andrés Bello Catholic University, VE, and I also studied at Chatham University, USA. In this blog I write and collect information of interest around agreements, property and mortgage.