Shady Rental Agreements

[Jameson Sullivan]

So a buddy of mine has been in this house for a few months and just told me he started getting a little bit of hassle from the property management company over a few minor things. Noise complaint from the neighbor, they said they weren't allowed to use the fire pit at the house that the owners themselves actually provided, just a bunch of little things. When he disclosed to the property management company that his dryer wasn't working (and never has actually worked), they directed him to the part of the lease that he signed(The fact that he signed it without reading is a different story, don't even get me started on that one haha Im going to have that conversation with him later) that says "All appliances in the home are property of the owner however MAY NOT BE RELIABLE and do not come at the cost of the lesser(owner)" It then went on to say that if they break, the tenant should nicely store them away in the garage where "kids and animals cant get to them." Theres other parts as well that say things like "I accept the house in its current condition"......I don't have it in front of me but I remember that it was VERY specific on what the tenant could and could not change about the house, which I understand but it just seemed off to me. Ive signed 7 or 8 leases so far in my life and I've read every single one, this one just seemed off to me.

Okay, now that Ive given you the back ground, I have a few questions.

I am located in Washington State By the way.

1.This is not an agreement I would ever sign, but is it legal? Aren't there laws protecting tenants from exactly this?

2. Where could one go to deal with this, if anywhere?

3. Is the entire contract void if the landlord breaks one or more of their commitments?

Anything helps.

This is actually good timing for me as I am buying my first rental this year so it'll be good for me to get some information from the tenants POV of a disagreement.

Thanks

Jameson Sullivan

[Michele Fischer]

Jameson, welcome to BiggerPockets and landlording!  You haven't yet heard from a local, so thought I would chime in.

As a tenant there are free legal advice places he can engage in, but really the message is that he needs to read what he's signing and ask more questions before signing.  Your friend can call a used appliance shop and get relatively inexpensive service done to the appliance. As a landlord, I'd recommend a membership to WA landlord Association (WaLandlord.com,t hey help answer these kinds of questions and have great forms.

In Washington the rules are below.  The lawn care and which appliances should be stated  elsewhere in the agreement.  In my view stove and fridge are essential, everything else landlords can refuse to replace.  Tenants are extremely hard on appliances, it is not uncommon.

Landlord Responsibilities: Landlord will at all times during the tenancy keep the premises fit for human habitation, and shall in particular:

a.Cultivate, care for and mow surrounding grass, lawn, flowers, and shrubbery

b.Maintain the premises to substantially comply with any applicable code, statue, ordinance, or regulation governing the premise

c.Maintain the roof, floors, walls, foundations, and all other structural components in reasonable good repair as to be usable and capable of resisting normal loads

d.Keep any shared or common areas reasonable clean, sanitary, and safe from defects increasing the hazards of fire or accident

e.Provide a reasonable program for the control of infestation by insects, rodents, and other pests at move in

f.Except where the condition is attributable to normal wear and tear, make repairs and arrangements necessary to put and keep the premises in as good condition as at move in

g.Provide reasonably adequate locks and provide keys to the tenant

h.Maintain all electrical, plumbing (main lines), heating, and other facilities and appliances supplied by Landlord in reasonably good working order

i.Maintain the unit in reasonably weather tight condition

j.Provide facilities adequate to supply heat and water and hot water as reasonably required by the tenant