Tenants Responbilities

[Precious Thompson]

I rent a property and wanted to know that if in order for the heater to work it needs oil , is that my responsibility  or the landlord responsibility to pay to get the heat working. Just to clarify I am not talking about the heating bill , just the oil for the heater?

[Matt Motil]

It depends on what is in your lease. It could go either way. If the lease says that you are responsible to keep the oil adequately filled for the heating unit to function, then it would be your responsibility. If it states that the landlord is responsible to keep the unit filled then it's on them. 

If the lease does not specify either way, then I would ask what other utilities in the rental property you are responsible for versus what the landlord pays. 

Those questions should get you started down the path to a solution. Without seeing the lease, it's hard to tell what ultimately will be the correct answer. At the end of the day, ambiguities in contracts are construed against the person that drafted it, which in this case would be your landlord. This means that if left open to interpretation, there's a good chance it's on them, but you would need to consult with an attorney on that one.