QUESTION
Is it legal for them to just hand out a paper telling us that we now have to pay for repairs and replacements for a senior home?
Asked on Dec 06th, 2015 on Landlord and Tenant Law - California
More details to this question:
Repairs for like $10 each to replace a florescent bulb, plus charge us $25 an hour for the work to fix a stove, dishwasher and fridge that has been here for 15 years. How can they do that? That has always been up to them to fix things. We don't own these items. Please help. We are all low income seniors here end barely make it month to month. I don't think this is right.
1 ANSWER
You need to give us more details. Are you still living there and they are now saying you have to take over the maintenance or did you leave the premises and they are trying to bill you against the security deposit. Assuming the former, what you have to pay is governed by your lease. Normally, the landlord has to take care of repairs and can not charge the tenant for matters of normal wear and tear, such as replacing light bulbs that just burn out from normal usage or appliances that just have worn out. If the owner wants you to pay for those items, it is something that has to be agreed to when the new lease needs to be signed, but it is doubtful a landlord would insist on your paying for such minor things since the cost of finding a new tenant is relatively high [the unit would probably sit empty for a month before someone new moved in at possibly the same rent].
Answered on Dec 16th, 2015 at 2:30 AM