Repair cost charged to tenant?

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I think that sort of clause is in some of the boiler plate leases.

Usually how it works is that the tenant gets $100 deduction off the rent every month except in months when there is a repair. You might think your rent is $600 a month because that is what you are paying, but your lease says that rent is $700 a month with the monthly discount that is given to the tenant in exchange for the tenant taking care of repairs and paying the deductible for repairs.

Probably it is legal. I know that there was some real estate guru who was teaching his students to write leases that way.

It was a mistake for you to move in without seeing the lease first, OP. There is a lesson to be learned here.

[katjonjj]

I would not sign a lease where a tenant paid for landlord costs. Remember that it is their property and anything that increases the value of their property (even if it benefits you in the short term) can also deprive you of space/time/use of such property. This is not okay. If replacing the AC unit is beneficial to you but you have to pay, then you have to assess whether it would increase or decrease your financial responsibility. If it is beneficial to you then yes... but if it doesn't then I would say no.

[momtothree]

Originally Posted by katjonjj

I would not sign a lease where a tenant paid for landlord costs. Remember that it is their property and anything that increases the value of their property (even if it benefits you in the short term) can also deprive you of space/time/use of such property. This is not okay. If replacing the AC unit is beneficial to you but you have to pay, then you have to assess whether it would increase or decrease your financial responsibility. If it is beneficial to you then yes... but if it doesn't then I would say no.

In my case paying that $50 service call for the new AC benefited me. It was a 20 year old system. With the new one, my electric bill was cut in half, the house cooled so much faster and evenly and much quieter. Best $50 spent on my part. Again I knew this signing the lease so it wasn't a big deal. And I did get a discounted rent. I wouldn't have if the place and appliances were in bad state though.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I've signed a lease with me paying the first $50 of repairs. The house was what I wanted and I am perfectly capable of doing minor repairs myself. A $50 repair isn't much of a job. That sort of thing I can do myself in 5 minutes or so. I'd rather do it than to wait around for a repairman.

The rent was a bit lower than identical houses in the area. Well worth it to me. Please note, I knew exactly what I was signing and I evaluated whether or not the deal suited me before I signed the lease.