Plumbing Maintenance Duties for Landlords

9/5/2020 (Permalink)

Fix any pipe leaks in your building before major damage happens

Plumbing Maintenance Duties for Landlords

As a landlord, it is your responsibility to maintain and repair the plumbing in your rental houses in Romeo, TN. Your maintenance duties can be outlined in several places, so you must know what you will be responsible for before deciding to rent a building.

1. The Lease
The first document which can outline your duties as a landlord is the lease agreement. This document will detail the amount of money the tenant pays in exchange for a building in a certain condition. You must keep the building in this predetermined condition. In other words, you will need to keep those older, polybutylene pipes in working condition or replace them if needed.

2. The Implied Warranty of Habitability
The implied warranty of habitability comes into play in situations where the lease agreement does not dictate a responsible party. It mandates that landlords keep their units in a habitable condition, meaning they need to have running water. While this does not require that you fix leaky drips, it does mean that you need to fix any large problems that can cause health or safety issues. In other words, you will be the one responsible for hiring remediation professionals if a pipe bursts and causes mold to start growing.

3. State Laws
One final thing which can determine your liability as a landlord is state laws. All states have different laws, some favoring tenants and others favoring landlords. In any case, a landlord will be responsible for the burst of polybutylene pipes in an older unit. However, who is responsible for the water damage that results from this incident can be decided by the state laws if it is not covered in the lease and it has not made the unit inhabitable.
Whether you are renting a brand new home or one that still has polybutylene plumbing, it is important to know what your duties as a landlord will be. Therefore, you should check your lease agreement, the implied warranty of habitability, and state laws to ensure that you are upholding your maintenance duties.