Appliance repair responsibility

[Raul Paredes]

My tenant complained about the dishwasher that is not working well 2 months after they moved in. I hired somebody to check and repair it. The service guy said that the dishwasher was not working well because of food particles clogging the water pressure outlet in the dishwasher, so obviously the tenant do not remove food leftover from the dishes before putting in the dishwasher. Now, it is having the same problem. The tenant would like me to have it repaired. This has to stop, it is costing me hundreds of dollars. Who shall pay for the repair?

[Nathan Gesner]

Tenants should be responsible for repairs necessitated by abuse or neglect. However, not everyone knows how to properly use a dishwasher.

You can't prove the first issue was caused by your current tenant, though it is likely. I would have paid for that first repair and then ensure the tenants knew how to use the dishwasher properly and that they would be charged if the problem happened again. I prefer to do this in writing, even if it's a text or email, so I can point back and show the tenant was warned.