It's the Renter's Responsibility Just like mowing lawns and trimming hedges, part of regular maintenance involves cleaning gutters. Landlords and tenants share responsibility for the maintenance of the rented property. Failure to comply with responsibilities could mean that one party has to reimburse the other for repair or maintenance costs. Tenants are responsible for repairing damage caused by anyone living in or visiting the unit, including pets.
Tenants must also maintain a reasonable level of health and cleanliness in the unit and surrounding common areas, such as hallways, patios, or laundry facilities. Tenants are not responsible for reasonable wear and tear from normal use over time. Landlords and renters who rent both a manufactured home and a manufactured home under a residential lease agreement also have these responsibilities. At the beginning of a lease, the landlord and tenant must inspect (“walk”) the rental unit together and complete a Condition Inspection Report (PDF, 1.6 MB).
All damages and concerns should be noted in the report; it's a good idea to include photos, if possible. The report, along with any photo, is an official record of any damage to the unit before the tenant moved in; it can be presented as evidence if there is ever a dispute over the status of the rental unit. Landlords must provide an emergency contact name and phone number, either in writing to each tenant or posted in a visible common area. Tenants should contact the landlord or designated contact person to report the emergency problem and have it repaired.
Other regular or minor repairs can cause inconvenience to tenants and make them feel that the rent has lost value. Typically, the landlord is responsible for these repairs if the damage was not caused by the tenant, their pets, or their guests. Tenants must request repairs in writing and keep a copy for themselves. The document should clearly describe the problem and allow the landlord a reasonable amount of time to resolve it.
The Residential Tenancy Act requires landlords to maintain their rental properties in a state that is suitable for occupancy; they must meet housing, safety and construction standards required by law. However, the Act does not describe specific requirements for building maintenance standards, such as what is the correct temperature to heat a building. Local governments have the authority to establish and enforce building maintenance statute standards. Tenants can contact their local government to have city inspectors investigate their property and see if any conditions violate health or safety requirements.
Landlords must meet specific requirements when it comes to providing essential or non-essential services or access to facilities. For example, they must provide things like heat, water, and electricity. The owner is responsible for maintaining all services or facilities within the park, for example, maintaining common areas, roads, and septic systems. You don't need to take a “tour”) for manufactured home park leases.
Contact the Residential Lease Branch The information in this form is collected under the authority of Sections 26 (c) and 27 (c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to help us evaluate and respond to your inquiry. Questions regarding information collection can be directed to the Corporate Web Manager, Government Digital Experience Division. While gutters are certainly part of the roof and therefore part of the structure's drainage system, some homeowners consider cleaning the gutters to be the responsibility of the tenant, in the same category as changing light bulbs or sweeping the sidewalk. And since letting gutters get out of control can cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, then you might want to take a deep breath, accept the fact that you accepted a bad deal, and call someone to clean those gutters safely so you don't have to go out a ladder.
If you don't read your lease or if you knowingly sign on that dotted line after spotting some type of gutter cleaning clause, then, yes, you could be held legally and financially responsible for the condition of your gutters. Although it is legally the landlord's responsibility to maintain the gutters on the property, it can often be more convenient for the tenant to arrange a gutter cleaning service. Gutters are a last idea for most homeowners, but damaged or clogged gutters don't take long to show the wear and tear on your property and devalue your investment. The tenant's sole responsibility for gutter cleaning is to notify the property manager or landlord of any obstruction or suspected damage to the gutters.
This does not mean that the tenant has no responsibility to ensure that the gutters are clean or to notify you if they are not, but ultimately, it is the landlord who must ensure that the gutters and other systems in the building are inspected regularly. If a tenant is concerned about their gutters and believes they could benefit from being cleaned by a professional gutter cleaning service, they have the right to arrange such a service. . .
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