questions & answers

Question: The refrigerator is not working the maintenance company came out 1 week ago and stated it needed to be replaced. (fridge is listed under included appliances on lease) How long does landlord have to replace the fridge? I have read that reimbursement for food is not mandatory but how long can this go on legally?

Answer: Unfortunately, the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act does not specify exactly how long landlords have to make such required repairs. As a general rule, required repairs should be made as soon as reasonably possible. Tenants are always encouraged to carefully document all the requests that they make of their landlords by communicating with their landlords through signed and dated letters, with the tenants keeping copies for their own records. That way, landlords cannot claim that their tenants did not notify them or that they did not know how urgent the situation was. It also provides tenants with valuable evidence should they decide that their landlords’ conduct was unreasonable and in violation of the rental agreement and/or Arizona law, which could be grounds to terminate the rental agreement and/or sue the landlord for monetary compensation for losses suffered by the tenant.