paying for broken appliances

[Roy Mitle]

I use the standard CA rental agreement  - the only change I made was regarding appliances.

In my lease it is written that tenant is responsible for maintaining all the appliances. However, if an appliance breaks downs do I pay for it. So this is a fridge. They did a walk through when they rented the place. However, if it is not fixed then its a lot of hardship for tenant.

Another things that broke is the fan in a bathroom. Now that is not really an appliance. Again who should pay for this.

It is generally difficult for me to ascertain on a case by case basis who pays for what. is there a rule of thumb that people follow. I rent in California, san francisco south bay to be specific.

Thank you so much

[Andy D.]

It's your property. You are responsible for your property. Tenant pays you rent for the right to use your property. Portion of that rent is to be attributed to normal wear and tear. Things that get used break. Heck, they even break without being used. Therefore, it's you that needs to pay. Again, it's your property.

If, however, tenant is responsible for breaking something then that's not normal wear and tear and/or normal usage. Therefore in this case the tenant is responsible for any repairs/the costs.

Oh, and a broken bathroom vent fan is something you probably want to fix fairly quickly. Nothing more joyful than mold build up due to insufficient airflow in a space that has a lot of humidity generated.

Remember, rent is not a gift to you. It is a payment based on a contractual obligation. Such contractual obligations go both ways.