questions & answers

Question: My family has been living at our location for over 3 years. We just asked to renew our lease a few months ago. As we were going through the house to see what needs to be fixed and repaired, my wife and I admitted that a few things is our responsibility. Other things I feel should be our LL. We had someone say that who ever done the tile did a bad job, and that the kitchen needs to be replaced. That was why about 9 tiles cracked. The refrigerator is over 15 years old and she wants us to buy a new one. We told her about the garage door breaking. Her excuse that she had to pay over $1200 for this

Answer: Ordinarily, the terms and conditions of the rental agreement determine what the rights and responsibilities of the landlord and the tenant are (A.R.S. 33-1314), so if a residential tenant has a written lease, but that lease does not specify who should pay for what, and the repairs that need to be made are not repairs that the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires the landlord to make in order to maintain the premises in a “fit and habitable condition” (A.R.S. 33-1324), then usually it is up to the landlord and the tenant to negotiate a mutually agreeable arrangement.