Question: I read your December, 2011 article about a landlord’s noncompliance and tenant’s rights. I want to make sure I am complying with the lease, but I have a tenant who is harassing me about every little problem in the unit. Do I have to fix every little thing they complaint about?
Answer: Among other obligations, the Arizona Residential Landlord Tenant Act (“Act”) requires a landlord to maintain the property in a fit and habitable manner and to ensure that electrical and plumbing facilities work. This does not mean you have to make alterations to your property to please your tenant or to change the aesthetics. If a tenant sends you a noncompliance notice addressing issues in the home, you should immediately go to the property, or send a contractor, and inspect the Premises to determine whether the issues exist or rise to the level requiring you to act. Just because a tenant wants work done in a property, does necessarily mean that you have to pay to get it done. A landlord only has to comply with the language of the Act or lease. For example, a tenant recently complained to a client about a rental home simply because the tenant didn’t like the color of the paint. Such complaints do not require you to have the house painted. The issue for a landlord is to determine what issues need to be addressed, and which ones do not.
Information contained in this post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. You should always contact an attorney for legal advice and not rely on information published here.