When living in a rental home it’s important to know who is responsible for any household issues. You, or the landlord? You could be spending time, money, and effort on things that aren’t even your responsibility to handle. Let’s go through a list of things and see if you or your landlord is responsible. 

 

Pests

Landlord:Landlords are required to make sure your living area is a safe place to live and that includes no pests. If your landlord is responsible or not depends on a few circumstances, including the state you live in, the type of rental unit and the variety of pest. 

Weirdly, In some states, if the landlord can prove the pests are due to a messy living environment then it will be up to you to pay. As a side note, keep your place clean so this can’t happen and you live in a clean environment. A good landlord will want to solve this problem as soon as possible so that it doesn’t spread to other homes. 

 

Water Damage and Mold

Landlord: While common molds don’t cause health issues, some can cause inflammation, lung issues, and headaches. Even if they didn’t cause those issues why would you want to continue to let mold grow in your home? It’s best to not risk it and just request your landlord to get rid of the mold. 

Be sure to find the source of the mold as well so that the landlord doesn’t have to return. If the landlord can prove that the mold is caused by your living then he may be able to put the responsibility back on you. Be sure you’re not constantly running humidifiers and keeping proper air circulation. 

 

Repairs

Both: While the landlord is responsible for making sure the environment is safe there are some repairs that fall on the tenant. The landlord must make sure that there are no liabilities or health hazards, however, if any damage to the home is caused by the tenants, their friends, or pets then the responsibility falls onto the tenants. 

 

Security Deposit 

Landlord: Once you move out it is the landlord’s responsibility to return your security deposit. If the landlord keeps any of the deposit for repairs they must create an itemized list of the costs.

 

Check Your Lease

Whose responsibility? Yours:Laws are different for every state so make sure to read up on what problem falls under who. Check your lease to make sure everything agreed upon is being met. Be friendly to your landlord as well, they’re there to support you in living in a comfortable environment. Take care of your living space so that major repairs aren’t needed until they are absolutely necessary.