Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

My tenant reported me a "very slight leak" under the sink after I leased them my house, I personally checked that everything was working well before they moved in, I actually took a video of this and there wasn't anything wrong but they are not fixing this and no longer answering my calls or e-mails. The person who I pointed as the manager of property (I'm out of the State) checked this and said this is only a drop that falls if they pull up the hose of the sink and that wasn't there before, Am I responsible for this fix or them?


Asked on 11/23/11, 9:37 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

David Gibbs The Gibbs Law Firm, APC

If it is leaking, and there is no obvious indication that the tenant caused the problem, you are responsible for the cost of the repair. I would suggest that the cost of repairing a minor leak is going to be substantially cheaper than the tenant's claim in the future for health issues related to the mold which will inevitably grow under the sink, not to mention replacing the damaged cabinet and their personal property under the sink which may become mold-infested. This is likely a very, very inexpensive repair compared to the down-side of not fixing it.

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Answered on 11/23/11, 11:37 am


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