Tenant Repairs Responsibilities: Landlord or Renter?

Tenant Repairs Responsibilities

One of the questions asked often when renting the property is: who is at fault for repairs? One of the questions asked often when renting the property is: who is at fault repairs? Is it the landlord or is the tenant? The responsibilities of tenant repairs: renter or landlord is very important in order to prevent conflict, maintain proper condition of the property and awareness of the legal requirement of both parties.

General Rule of Repairs

Under regular rental leases, the landlord is to maintain the property in a quality of habitation, safe and in compliance with the safe and lawful requirements. Instead, the property has to be cleaned by the tenants and minor maintenance taken care of. However, the responsibilities are usually divided based on lease terms and the area’s renting laws..

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Landlord Repair Responsibilities

Normal Landlord duties are: 

Structural Repairs: These involve repairing the foundation, wall, roof, and the outside structure of the building.

Plumbing and Electrical: Making sure that water, heating and electricity is working.

Appliances Provided with Property: In case the landlord provides refrigerator, a stove or a washing machine he/she is obligated to fix and retain them when they are damaged unless they are damaged due to abuse by the tenant.

Health and Safety Issues: Issues like mold and infestation of vermin or faulty locks which may put the safety of the tenant at stake, are problems that landlords need to take care of.

Such repairs come under the legal responsibility of the landlord to provide what was termed as being habitable, or in other words, safe and habitable to live in.

Tenant Repair Responsibilities

Landlords are in charge of the larger repair needs, but tenants are not without responsibility as well. Typical duties of the tenant are:

Day-to-day Maintenance: Replacing bulbs, cleaning minor drains, cleaning the property.

Avoiding Damage: Using appliances, plumbing and heating systems right to prevent unwarranted wear and tear.

Timely Reporting of Problems: Helping the landlord discover the existing issues in order to prevent them before they can escalate and cost more repairing.

Negligence Damage: In case a tenant damages a window, flooring, or misuses an appliance as a result of his negligence, he, in most cases, will ensure that repair or replacement is made.

Gray Areas in Repair Responsibilities

There are cases when conflicts emerge because of who is to be held responsible. An example will be a clogged drain. Does this issue arise from tenant misuse or a plumbing problem that falls under the landlord’s responsibility? The decision, in such cases, is typically informed by the lease and researching related laws of a location. A properly prepared lease ought to specify the type of repair.

Top Practices to Prevent Conflicts

Read the Lease Carefully: You have to know what you are getting into.

Document the Property Condition: Photos or videos on move-in may be used later to settle disputes.

Communicate: Report and respond to repair requests immediately -this decreases conflicts.

Familiarize Yourself With Local Law: Local jurisdictions may have local codes regarding who is obliged to make repairs.

Bottom Line

The knowledge of tenant repairs duties- landlord or renter assists both sides to have a good relationship in the rental area. The landlords need to maintain a safe and inhabitable property whereas it is the responsibility of tenants to keep its daily maintenance and prevent its damage. With education on distribution of duties and transparent communication, conflicts can be reduced and everyone will have a much easier time with the renting process.

Richard Slezak, Las Vegas Realtor®

Real Estate Agents Near Me

Agent License: S.0201790

Call: (702) 688-3508
MAIL: richardslezak@gmail.com
Address: 2298 W Horizon Ridge Pkwy #114, Henderson, NV 89052, USA

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