Appliance Damage vs Normal Wear: Who Pays?

The first question isn't 'is it broken?' but 'why is it broken?' The cause determines who pays. A repair technician's diagnosis is the strongest evidence — never just assume the tenant caused the failure.

Mechanical failure from age or normal use = landlord cost. Misuse (overloading, neglect, physical damage) = tenant cost, prorated.

The landlord typically pays when:

• •A compressor fails from age
• •Heating elements burn out from ordinary use
• •Door seals wear out
• •Belts or pumps fail in normal operation
• •An appliance reaches end of useful life and dies

The tenant typically owes when:

• •The interior is physically damaged (dents, broken shelves, torn seals from misuse)
• •Lack of cleaning caused failure (e.g. dryer lint trap never emptied → fire/overheating)
• •Foreign objects damaged the appliance
• •The appliance was used for something other than its intended purpose

Appliance useful life varies: refrigerators ~10-15 years, ovens/ranges ~15-20 years, dishwashers ~9-10 years, washers/dryers ~10-13 years. If an appliance was 12 years old with a 15-year life when the tenant broke it, you'd typically deduct 20% of the repair or replacement cost — not 100%.

Keep the original purchase invoice or the move-in inspection note showing the appliance's age. Without it, courts often assume a shorter life, which reduces your deduction.

Some leases shift routine maintenance to the tenant, but state law limits what lease clauses can do. The clause can make the tenant responsible for ordinary upkeep (replacing filters, cleaning), but it usually cannot make them responsible for mechanical failure from age. If you're relying on such a clause, document that the failure was caused by neglect the clause covers.