Who is responsible for appliance repairs in an apartment?
If the landlord supplied the appliance, the landlord usually repairs or replaces it when it fails from normal use, and the tenant pays when they or their guests damaged it. Appliances the tenant brought are the tenant's. Some states put deadlines on it: Washington requires a landlord to begin fixing a landlord-supplied refrigerator, range and oven within 72 hours of notice.
The usual split
| Situation | Who usually pays |
|---|---|
| Landlord-supplied appliance fails from age or normal use | Landlord |
| Tenant or guest breaks it (dropped item, misuse, overloading) | Tenant, if you can show it |
| Tenant brought the appliance | Tenant |
| Lease says tenant maintains a named appliance | Depends on whether your state allows that term |
| Damage from a building problem, such as a power surge or a leak from above | Usually landlord or insurance |
The reason is that once you supply an appliance, it is part of what the tenant rents. Washington, for example, treats the loss of a landlord-supplied refrigerator, range and oven, or major plumbing fixture as urgent: the landlord must begin repairs within 72 hours of notice. Other defects get up to 10 days (RCW 59.18.070). If the landlord does not start in time, the tenant may repair and deduct within the limits of RCW 59.18.100, which we cover in repair and deduct rules.
Charging a tenant for damage
To charge a tenant, you need a fair basis: what the technician found, photos, and a reasonable price. Charge for the repair, not for a brand-new appliance, unless the old one could not be fixed. And remember that age counts. A 12-year-old dishwasher that stops working is usually wear, not damage. Our post on normal wear and tear versus damage explains how to price a deduction fairly.
Example a made-up tenant cracks a glass stovetop by dropping a cast iron pan. The range is 4 years old. The technician's invoice is $310 for a new cooktop glass, installed, and notes impact damage with a photo. The owner bills the tenant $310 with the invoice and photo attached. Had the range simply stopped heating from a failed element, the owner would pay the $160 repair itself.
Write it into the lease
A short appliance clause prevents most arguments. List each appliance you supply by unit, say the landlord repairs failures from normal use, say the tenant pays for damage beyond normal wear, and say tenants must report problems promptly and may not hire their own repair person except where state law allows. Do not try to waive the tenant's legal remedies; many states void those clauses. Our lease clauses guide covers the rest of the lease.
Repair or replace, and how to book it
For a refrigerator, range, dishwasher or washer you own, compare the repair to replacement the same way as any asset: cost per year of service left, plus the cost of the tenant going without. A good habit is to buy the same model across the building, which keeps parts and technicians familiar.
For taxes, IRS Publication 527 lists appliances such as stoves and refrigerators used in residential rental property with a 5-year recovery period under the General Depreciation System, and 9 years under the Alternative Depreciation System (IRS Pub 527). A new appliance is usually depreciated; a repair to keep one running is usually deducted. Some purchases may qualify for the de minimis safe harbor, so ask your tax preparer.
Before you install a replacement, or when a tenant reports a strange problem, check the CPSC recall search. The Consumer Product Safety Commission lets you search recalls and sign up for recall emails, and you can report an unsafe product through SaferProducts.gov.
A simple appliance process
- Keep a list per unit: appliance, brand, model, serial number, install date.
- Log every repair call against that appliance.
- Respond fast to refrigerators and stoves; a tenant cannot live normally without them.
- Ask the technician to state the cause on the invoice: wear, defect or damage.
- Bill the tenant only with that invoice and photos in hand.
- Replace on a plan for older units, ideally during a turnover.
Appliances in DoorKeeping
In DoorKeeping, appliance repairs and new appliances post to separate accounts in that property's books, which map to Schedule E, so a replacement fridge (usually depreciated, unless a safe harbor such as the de minimis election applies) stays apart from repairs that are expensed. The AI reads and codes each repair invoice, approving the bill waits for your tap, and each repair is a work order on its unit, so its history is easy to pull up.
Sources
- Revised Code of Washington 59.18.070, Landlord failure to perform duties, read Oct 29, 2026
- Revised Code of Washington 59.18.100, Tenant remedies, repairs and deductions, read Oct 29, 2026
- IRS, Publication 527, Residential Rental Property, read Oct 29, 2026
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Recalls, read Oct 29, 2026
Questions
- Does a landlord have to provide appliances?
- Many states do not require a landlord to supply a refrigerator or stove, but once you supply them, you are usually responsible for keeping them working. Check your state and city.
- Can a landlord charge a tenant for a broken appliance?
- Yes, when the tenant or a guest damaged it beyond normal wear. Keep the technician's invoice noting the cause, and photos.
- How quickly must a landlord fix a refrigerator?
- It depends on the state. Washington requires repairs to a landlord-supplied refrigerator to begin within 72 hours of notice.