Tenant repairs

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2005
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    NT East
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    Tenant repairs

    Hoped someone has a previous ruling on this one:

    After several years tenancy, we have a leak in a concealed pipe - probably drain pipe - under the built-in tile base of a lavatory cabinet. All exposed fixtures / pipes / fittings / joints are OK.

    Who pays the repair - landlord or tenant? Cost of actual repair to PVC pipes is minimal, but the cost of tearing out and replacing the cabinet and tile subfloor is substantial.

    The boilerplate lease specifies almost no Landlord responsibilities, while a clause appears to put the responsibility on the Tenant:

    "- The tenant is solely responsible for the repair of doors, windows, kitchen and bathroon fittings, pipings, drains etc. during the continuence of this Tenancy."

    It is the cost of exposing / covering the faulty pipe or fitting that I wish to avoid, if this were considered a "structural" defect then the landlord generally pays (but not stipulated in our lease).

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Posts
    12,383

    Ugh. I would have insisted that the clause be removed... but then I've been trained by some of the most anal corporate lawyers.

    If you've lived in that flat for a while, talk to your landlord. After all, he's made hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent of you and a reasonable landlord (only met 1 so far in HK) should agree to fix.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    NT East
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    Thanks, KnowItAll - thought you'd have a comment and glad to have it so quickly.

    May be best to fix this one myself (literally), if it's the drain rather than the fresh water that is leaking. I'd expect $1200 to $2000 to carry-out repair to a $10 PVC fitting. Fortunate to have access to hand and power tools here in HK, but tile is not my specialty. Still, it's concealed...


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Apr 2003
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    12,383

    Hope your DIY skills are better than mine.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    NT East
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    Talking

    Ha! Would'nt need to be if I'd been trained by anal corporate lawyers!