Appliance repair responsibility

Our Experts Answer:

Generally, a landlord is responsible for repair of any appliance supplied in a property at the start of a tenancy. Sometimes it’s acceptable to say that an appliance is old and will be left for a tenant’s use only as long as it works. In these cases if the appliance breaks down it won’t be repaired or replaced.

However, it is not legally sound to require that a tenant repair or replace an appliance which belongs to a landlord. It is the landlord’s appliance and, in the normal course of events, a tenant cannot be required to maintain it. Requiring a tenant to be responsible for maintaining all appliances in the house is definitely unacceptable.