Legal Q&A:

Legal Q&A: Tenant: Paint my apartment, or I’ll do it myself and deduct from rent

November 21, 2017

Question: One of our tenants recently requested that we paint the inside of her apartment. She has threatened to do it herself and deduct the cost of the paint from the rent if we do not have it painted within the next two weeks. Is she legally able to carry out her threat?

Answer: Unless the condition of the walls rendered the premises uninhabitable, the owner is under no obligation to paint the unit at the request of the tenant.

Question: I have single-family homes that I have for lease. They have large, well-maintained gardens. How do I best insure that they are kept up?

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