Legal Q&A:

Legal Q&A: Tenants want money for food that spoiled when fridge broke

April 25, 2017

Question: A tenant reported a broken refrigerator at 10 a.m. Monday. We replaced the refrigerator at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the same week. Now, the tenants want us to pay for the spoiled food. Should we?

Answer: You would only be liable if the tenant could prove you were negligent in maintaining, purchasing or repairing the refrigerator. Landlords are not guarantors or insurers of the tenant’s personal property.

Question: I took a $300 deposit from a tenant to hold an apartment pending a credit check. The credit check came in, and I declined the application. How long do I have to return the money?

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Dear Ms. Moss, I want to personally thank you for your timely and very professional response. You are very thorough AND you provide examples and attachments how to find solutions and how to address the issues effectively. What you did would have taken me hours of research and still I wouldn't feel as confident in my ability because I am not up to date on how certain areas of a contract are practiced.

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