Appliance repairs in a rental: who fixes what, and how fast
Who repairs a broken fridge, range, washer or dryer in a rental, what state law says about appliances you supply, and the safety checks at each repair.
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A dead refrigerator, a range with one burner out, a washer that won’t drain: appliance calls are some of the most common a property manager gets, and the first question is rarely technical. It is whose job the repair is. The answer usually comes from three places: who supplied the appliance, what the lease says and what your state requires.
The questions to ask first
- Is there any gas smell, smoke, sparking or burning smell?
- Is water leaking, and can the supply to the appliance be turned off?
- Which appliance is it, and did it come with the home or does it belong to the tenant?
- What exactly is it doing, and is the model label readable for a photo?
- Is food at risk, or does anyone in the home rely on it for a medical reason?
The answer to the third question decides most of what follows. An appliance the tenant brought is the tenant’s to repair. One that came with the home is usually yours.
What the law says about appliances you supply
Arizona’s law is a clear example: a landlord must maintain in good and safe working order all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and other facilities and appliances supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord. The same act puts a matching duty on the tenant: use those appliances in a reasonable manner, and don’t deliberately or negligently damage the premises.
Some states set a clock. In Washington, once the landlord receives written notice, work on a defect that stops a tenant using a refrigerator, a range and oven, or a major plumbing fixture the landlord supplied must start within 72 hours, against 24 hours for no heat, water or electricity and 10 days for most other defects. Check your own state on repair timelines by state, and read the habitability entry for the wider duty.
| Situation | Who usually repairs it | What decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Appliance came with the home and failed from normal use | The landlord | State law and the lease |
| Appliance belongs to the tenant | The tenant | Ownership |
| Landlord’s appliance damaged by misuse | The landlord repairs it, and may charge the tenant | The lease, the evidence and state deposit rules |
| Single-family home where the lease moves repairs to the tenant | Depends on the written agreement | State law, which may limit what can be moved |
On the last row, Arizona lets the landlord and tenant of a single-family home agree in writing, for adequate consideration, that the tenant takes on specified repairs, as long as the agreement is made in good faith and doesn’t dodge the landlord’s core duties. Other states draw that line differently. A charge for misuse is a chargeback, and it needs the vendor’s note on the cause and photos to stand up.
Safety checks at every appliance repair
- Ranges: check the anti-tip bracket. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says the bracket should be attached securely to the wall or floor and the range held securely in it, and that some manufacturers send a replacement bracket at no charge
- Dryers: check that the vent behind the dryer isn’t damaged, crushed or restricted, that the outdoor vent cover opens when the dryer runs, and clean the lint from the back of the dryer. The U.S. Fire Administration lists failure to clean as the leading factor in home dryer fires from 2018 to 2020
- Every major appliance: plugged straight into a wall outlet. The U.S. Fire Administration says never to use an extension cord with a major appliance
- Gas appliances: installed and serviced by a licensed professional, and the CO alarm near them tested
Our post on smoke and CO alarms covers alarm testing, and a gas smell has its own post.
Repair or replace
The vendor’s diagnosis is where the property owner comes in. Ask the vendor for the appliance’s age from the model label, the cost of the repair and the cost of a comparable replacement. Agree with each property owner the amount above which they approve, and send the comparison with photos when a repair crosses it. An appliance that has failed twice in a year is worth a replacement question, and the repeat repairs post covers how to spot one.
What goes on the work order
- The appliance, the model and serial number, and a photo of the label
- Whether it came with the home, and the answers to the safety questions, with the time
- What the vendor found, including the cause if it may be misuse
- For a range or dryer, that the anti-tip bracket or the vent was checked
- The tenant’s confirmation that it works
Turnover is the best time to check every appliance at once. The make-ready and turnover guide and its checklist list each one.
Where Now Ours fits
Ours answers tenant calls and texts at any hour in your company’s name and asks the safety questions you set, so a gas smell gets the 911 and gas utility instruction first. Everything else is offered to your technicians first, then your vendors, and the visit is booked with the tenant. On Cautious, the default, it asks before it spends money or contacts a property owner. The work order stays open until the tenant confirms the fix, or the vendor or technician marks it done with a photo or note.
Sources
- Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1324: landlord duty for appliances supplied by the landlord, and written agreements for single-family homes. Checked October 21, 2026.
- Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1341: tenant duty to use appliances reasonably and not damage the premises. Checked October 21, 2026.
- Revised Code of Washington 59.18.070: 24 hours, 72 hours for a refrigerator, range and oven or major plumbing fixture, and 10 days. Checked October 21, 2026.
- CPSC, Range tipover safety alert: anti-tip brackets and replacement brackets. Checked October 21, 2026.
- U.S. Fire Administration, Clothes dryer fire safety: lint, the back of the dryer and venting checks. Checked October 21, 2026.
- U.S. Fire Administration, Appliance and electrical fire safety: major appliances in a wall outlet, and failure to clean as the leading factor in dryer fires. Checked October 21, 2026.