Landlord's dryer broken

[Alphathree33]

She says she "hangs all of her clothes". Well that's nice, but I signed up for a place with a freakin' dryer.

Anyway, I'm going to tell her this needs to get fixed, but I'm going to try to appeal to her cheap-skateness by doing a little bit of research beforehand.

Now we can get a new dryer for probably about $300 or we can fix this one.

I'm wondering if fixing it would be cheaper? It's an ANCIENT maytag dryer, but it still turns on and runs for the right amount of time... it just doesn't actually DRY anything.

My theory is that the heater is broken. But if we ask someone to come fix it, are they going to charge half the price of a new dryer anyway?

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: Alphathree33
My theory is that the heater is broken. But if we ask someone to come fix it, are they going to charge half the price of a new dryer anyway?

Yup. You will pay at least $50 for any kind of service call. Then figure parts will be at least $50 more.

 

[Tobolo]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: Alphathree33
My theory is that the heater is broken. But if we ask someone to come fix it, are they going to charge half the price of a new dryer anyway?

Yup. You will pay at least $50 for any kind of service call. Then figure parts will be at least $50 more.

Aren't we an optimist?

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: Tobolo

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: Alphathree33
My theory is that the heater is broken. But if we ask someone to come fix it, are they going to charge half the price of a new dryer anyway?

Yup. You will pay at least $50 for any kind of service call. Then figure parts will be at least $50 more.

Aren't we an optimist?

he mentioned at least. but yes i'd expect fixing it would probably cost at least $300

 

[DaiShan]

What state are you in? Send her a certified letter giving her 14 days to remedy the problem. If she doesn't, purchase a new dryer and subtract the cost from the rent then send her another certified letter stating why.

 

[mcvickj]

Pick up a copy of your Sunday paper and take a look at the bargain corner. You can usually find some amazing deals. You might also try Craigslist.

 

[nakedfrog]

Got used appliance stores there? You could probably find one for $150 or less.
I got my washer and dryer free on craigslist.

 

[BChico]

I feel your pain... We were suppose to have a brand new washer and dryer to use, which we do, and it still costs a dollar a load. However, the washer has never worked. We keep telling the lady, and she always comes back with how its now fixed. The first time she said the plumber screwed it up, and forgot to remove plastic packing from the inside, and hooked up the hot and cold water pipes backwards. Long story short, its been a few more weeks back and forth, and last night my girlfriend tried to do a load of wash and it flooded the basement. Landlord comes back and says she has to mop up the basement!! F*ck that.

 

[Alphathree33]

I'm in Ontario, Canada so I'm not "in a state" but rather a province.

I looked at my rental agreement and there isn't a specific line-item that says "landlord will provide a dryer" BUT when she first showed me the place, she showed me the washer and dryer outside my room, specifically saying I could use them.

Also, this is an excerpt from the tenant protection act in Canada:

-------

Landlord obligation

A landlord has to keep the rental property in a good state of repair.

If something is not working because of normal wear and tear, the landlord must fix it.
-----

It doesn't say anything about my being able to simply write a letter and then go buy a new dryer... I'm 99.99% sure that's a load of crap. =) Maybe you can do that in the States, but not here.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Are you at all handy? Putting a new heating element in a dryer is pretty easy and they are fairly cheap $30-50. I know you shouldn't have to fix crap yourself in a rental but offter to do it if she will pay for the part. Sucks but atleast you would have a dryer and maybe you can get her to knock a few bucks of the rent for the month or something.

 

[mattpegher]

First check your lease agreement if it does not state a washer and dryer then you are SOOL. If it does then it is her responsibility to fix or replace it in a timely manner. You could replace it and deduct the amount from your rent but you have to wait for her to replace it at least a few weeks and you should go with a standard model nothing fancy or expensive, comparable to the old model.
Its not your responsibility to try to save her money.

 

[mugs]

You're renting from someone who can't afford $300 for a new dryer? Move.

 

[RaiderJ]

Originally posted by: DaiShan
What state are you in? Send her a certified letter giving her 14 days to remedy the problem. If she doesn't, purchase a new dryer and subtract the cost from the rent then send her another certified letter stating why.

/thread

 

[iamwiz82]

I believe I picked up our dryer off of some post online for $100 and it was nearly new. Works just great and the second it dies I'll go get another one like that.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Originally posted by: RaiderJ

Originally posted by: DaiShan
What state are you in? Send her a certified letter giving her 14 days to remedy the problem. If she doesn't, purchase a new dryer and subtract the cost from the rent then send her another certified letter stating why.

/thread

Actually no.

The lease agreement states nothing about a washer & dryer right? This washer & dryer sounds like it's her own personal appliances that she's allowing you to use. Are you renting a room from her or something?

To get to the point- I think you're SOL. You could claim that one of the reasons you moved in is because of the washer and dryer...but...since it's not in the lease agreement you're gonna have a difficult fight on your hands.

Laundro-mat for the win!

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

you can only deduct the costs of repairs from your rent if the item affects the livability of the tenant space. I.e. your roof leaks, A.C. doesn't work in a hot climate, heater broken, etc.

 

[iRONic]

http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com/appliances.html

 

[fitzov]

I think landlords tend to get this disease--cheapbastarditis. It's sometimes the result of not being too efficient at maintaining one's property, which results in long-term expenditures that could have been avoided by spending less earlier.

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: fitzov
I think landlords tend to get this disease--cheapbastarditis. It's sometimes the result of not being too efficient at maintaining one's property, which results in long-term expenditures that could have been avoided by spending less earlier.

Another cause is being ripped off by repair companies or contractors. The property owner I'm working for currently loves me 'cause I'm on time and under budget. I know how to estimate and communicate when changes occur.