Fixing things that break/wear out in a rental unit is just a fact of life. Generally the landlord is responsible for keeping the unit in a safe and habitable condition, and all appliances in good working order. My lease and state law require that I make allowances for “normal wear and tear”, and that I repair these items at my expense. But damage to items due to tenant neglect, carelessness or abuse is their responsibility.

Recently a tenant called to complain about their toilet not working. When asked if he knew what happened to cause this, he said that a cap from one of the aerosol cleaning products in the bathroom ended up in the toilet when it was flushed. He wanted me to send for someone to fix the toilet immediately. When I emailed him to say that someone was ready to do an inspection and estimate for me, but that he would have to pay for the repair, he was upset. He wanted to know why I would charge him for this type of essential repair. I had to explain to him that the toilet absolutely needed to be fixed, but that the toilet was plugged because of his actions, he had used the toilet in a manner inconsistent with its intended use. Toilets were not designed to dispose of plastic caps.

When the plumber arrived, he tried to snake the cap out for $225, but that did not work. He ended up having to removing the toilet and charging the tenant close to $500. Hopefully the tenant learned his lesson.