Asked by Anonymous
Under the standard rental contract agreement, my property agent is saying that everything that is old in the apartment and not working well even after 20+ years is the tenant's responsibility because of the minor repairs clause. Where is the line drawn between the owner and tenant's responsibility? For examples -
1) the shower head is so old that water sprays at all angles now, is filled with limescale, and many parts of the shower nozzles are missing
2) the toilet seat is so old that it is all yellow and the plastic is peeling off the seat
3) the toilet seat handle is so old that the plastic mechanisms inside have broken down so the toilet doesn't flush properly anymore
If I damage anything in the apartment, I understand that as a tenant I should be responsible for fixing it. However, if the apartment over the years has been poorly maintained by the owner and the wear and tear has finally resulted in issues during my tenancy, is it my responsibility as a tenant to pay to fix all these things?
In the meantime, the owner has taken advantage on us and raised rent prices over the years knowing that we have built a life here with a family so moving is undesirable. Despite the rental increases, there is still a general refusal to fix anything.
Would appreciate some advice from fellow property agents.
1) the shower head is so old that water sprays at all angles now, is filled with limescale, and many parts of the shower nozzles are missing
2) the toilet seat is so old that it is all yellow and the plastic is peeling off the seat
3) the toilet seat handle is so old that the plastic mechanisms inside have broken down so the toilet doesn't flush properly anymore
If I damage anything in the apartment, I understand that as a tenant I should be responsible for fixing it. However, if the apartment over the years has been poorly maintained by the owner and the wear and tear has finally resulted in issues during my tenancy, is it my responsibility as a tenant to pay to fix all these things?
In the meantime, the owner has taken advantage on us and raised rent prices over the years knowing that we have built a life here with a family so moving is undesirable. Despite the rental increases, there is still a general refusal to fix anything.
Would appreciate some advice from fellow property agents.
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