Should Landlord or Renters Pay This Oven Service Bill?

Lhollycylloh on 07/04/2020 - 13:03

I am currently renting with friend. 2-3 months in to our stay here any use of the oven would produce a crazy amount of smoke. I cleaned inside thoroughly in case this was the issue. We informed real estate and stopped using until an oven technician that the landlord had organised could come. We don't cook with the oven or grill too often anyways so this was fine.

Technician came, stated that smoke was due to build up of grease on the element and to leave the grill on for 5-10 mins prior to cooking each time to burn off what was on the element. They said that everything otherwise was working fine and left after being here for 15 minutes.

Yesterday we received a bill from the technicians for about $150 and my housemate sent this on to the real estate as we assumed it was the landlord's responsibility. Real estate replied stating that the owner had forwarded it on to us as there wasn't anything wrong with the oven, just a build up causing the issue therefore it was our responsibility.

Is it our responsibility to pay for this service fee? This doesn't feel quite right to me as we haven't been here long.

We are especially upset as I have just informed the real estate that I have lost my job due to the coronavirus changes and asked for a decrease in rent. They replied stating that they need a letter from my employer which I received yesterday and have forwarded on now. We are awaiting a reply. My other concern is that they will be less inclined to decrease our rent if we try to challenge them on this issue over the service fee.

What do you all think is the best thing to do here? Should it be our responsibility to cover this fee? This is my first time renting so I am quite unfamiliar with these processes and I'm unsure if my current personal financial challenges are clouding my judgement about what is fair.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • kanmen on 07/04/2020 - 13:09
    +1

    Was the buildup from your use or previous use? Do you have photos of the oven beforehand and after to be able to prove it wasn't you?

    • hollycylloh on 07/04/2020 - 13:17
      +2

      We took photos of most things but unfortunately did not even think about photographing the inside of the oven. I personally do not think the build up is due to our use.

      • brad1-8tsi on 07/04/2020 - 14:44

        Have you been roasting meat or similar?

        • hollycylloh on 07/04/2020 - 15:12

          I have had one roast in there, otherwise I mostly use our air fryers. With the smoke being so extreme I never ended up trying another roast in the oven. Actually preferred it in the air fryer anyways.
          Oven mostly used for heating easy frozen meals eg. chicken tenders. We tend to use the air fryers for that most of the time too.

          • brad1-8tsi on 07/04/2020 - 20:43

            @hollycylloh: Sounds like pre-existing but I'll admit that I'm always surprised how much smoke my grill puts out when I use it and I rarely roast meaty things these days - just baked vegetables.

      • kanmen on 07/04/2020 - 16:02
        +2

        Yeah I'd be surprised if it was from your use, especially after only a few months. I guess this can be what you say as a reason for not being responsible for it.

  • lordezekiel on 07/04/2020 - 13:10
    +4

    The landlord should pay.
    An oven is a dangerous thing if malfunctioning.
    If you had already cleaned the oven and done anything reasonably within the ability of the average person, i would think requesting a techinican look at it to be a reasonable next step.
    Regardless of what they find, it's the landlord's oven, in their house, it is up to them to maintain it, at their cost. And they certainly should not be leaving it in a condition where it could potentially cause property or even personal damage.

  • jimbobaus on 07/04/2020 - 13:11
    +1

    Send it back.
    Landlord pays it plain and simple.

  • iampoor on 07/04/2020 - 13:19
    +6

    I am a landlord - I would pay it.

    • wiipantz on 07/04/2020 - 13:34
      +2

      username checks out, for being a brolord

    • robbyjones on 07/04/2020 - 13:35
      +4

      Yeah, same. I would add, however, that I would take it up with the REA as they are responsible for ensuring the property is clean prior to new tenants moving in.

    • wiipantz on 07/04/2020 - 13:35
      +3

      Actually upon second thoughts, this is on the agency. They do the post inspections and I bet they put the oven was fine. That's on them I believe

    • [Deactivated] on 07/04/2020 - 13:59
      +2

      Same. Landlord. That is clearly an issue to do with long term neglect.

      If someone is to blame, it is the REA but I'll just chalk this one up to shit happens.

      • iampoor on 07/04/2020 - 14:39
        +2

        Unfortunately shit does happen.

        I would imagine the agent would have done a visual on the outside of the oven.

        A more conscientious agent would have had a look inside but I doubt any agent would turn it on to test it?

        • [Deactivated] on 07/04/2020 - 14:58
          +2

          I doubt any agent would know what they are looking at.

          • hollycylloh on 07/04/2020 - 17:30

            @[Deactivated]: Yeah it definitely wasn't done thoroughly. They missed a few things such as the range hood not working that we then recorded on the condition report, they just wrote 'clean' on their report initially.

  • coxjon on 07/04/2020 - 13:34
    +3

    Seems like normal use, just like carpets in high traffic areas. You can’t exactly misuse an oven to get grease on the element (I guess cooking a lot of REALLY greasy food).

    +1 for send the bill back

  • BadHorse on 07/04/2020 - 13:35
    +2

    Landlord for sure - you wanted a technician to check if your over is a safety hazard.

    Landlord pays for it. The perks of having someone else pay your mortgage also involve some maintenance and safety responsibilities.

  • wiipantz on 07/04/2020 - 13:36
    +3

    Agent who did the post inspection should pay as the oven wasn't clean and fit for purpose. Once again letting agents being scum.

  • Almost Banned on 07/04/2020 - 13:44
    +6

    Build up of grease on the element is not a malfunction with the oven - it is a cleaning issue.
    My vote is that the tenants should pay.

    • lordezekiel on 07/04/2020 - 15:34
      +3

      Yes the problem with that is it could have been the PREVIOUS tenants grease build up because honestly it takes a LOT of super greasy cooking to cover a cooking element to the point it smokes the house when you turn the oven on…

      • Almost Banned on 07/04/2020 - 16:36
        +1

        Maybe so - but that doesn't change the liability IMHO.
        If the previous tenants left dirt on a counter would the landlord have to pay for it to be cleaned, or would the incoming tenants who have accepted the property in the condition it was in be liable?

        • hollycylloh on 07/04/2020 - 17:26
          +1

          Unfortunately I did not think to inspect the amount of grease on the element of the oven as well as I did the amount of dirt on the counters when moving in.

          I don't really think the oven element and dirty counter tops are comparable IMHO.

  • Danstar on 07/04/2020 - 13:50

    My vote is landlord should pay. But upon leaving tenant should pay to have it inspected upon vacating the premises

  • redforever on 07/04/2020 - 13:51
    +2

    Was the oven working fine at anytime at all since you moved in? Was it the first time you use the oven when it started smoking?

    If not, I would say you caused the grease buildup.

    • hollycylloh on 07/04/2020 - 15:20
      +1

      It was initially but we really don't use it much. In terms of greasy foods, have had one pork roast in there. Otherwise I mostly use our air fryers, slow cooker, my electric frypan or our stove to cook. With the smoke being so extreme I never ended up trying another roast in the oven.

      Oven mostly used for heating easy frozen meals eg. chicken tenders, nothing particularly greasy. We tend to use the air fryers for that most of the time too so with the minimal use I find it difficult to believe that this build up is due to us. It's unfortunate that I can't really prove that we do use it minimally.

  • brendanm on 07/04/2020 - 15:23
    +4

    I seriously doubt you could possibly cause that much build up in 2-3 months, would have been like that for ages. Landlord can pay.

  • chumlee on 07/04/2020 - 15:41
    +4

    Scott Morrison will pay for it. He's handing out cash like it's fun coupons

  • wannagrababargain on 07/04/2020 - 15:44
    +5

    $150 call out fee is a bit much. Technicians/tradies will often attend renters premesis and encounter some kind of "user error" and then the Landlord refuses to pay so the agent just forwards the bill to the renter hoping they pay and it all goes away. In reality the agent is mostly to blame due to their lazy processes in this regard. They are the ones who incur these $100, $150 call-out fees for simple things that may have been easily sorted with a phone conversation. I notice that property managers actually know very little about property maintenance themselves and any request that comes through they'll just forward straight to their tradies incurring a call-out fee just for someone to come out confirm if there is really a problem.

    • iampoor on 07/04/2020 - 16:07
      +2

      I received an emergency text one day from my property manager claiming that there was a risk of flooding as water was coming out of the solar external hot water tank.

      He wanted to call a plumber immediately for about $150 from memory. I asked for photos of the potential "flood". Turns out about a cup of water came out from the relief valve as it was a really hot day.

      Apparently he is supposed to be an experienced property manager so I wonder how an inexperienced one would be like…

      • [Deactivated] on 07/04/2020 - 16:51
        +1

        Doesn't sound like your property manager did anything unreasonable.

        • iampoor on 08/04/2020 - 10:50

          The unreasonable thing he did is not doing his job that he is paid to do.

          He should have verified what the "flood" was instead of just taking it on face value.

          • [Deactivated] on 08/04/2020 - 11:08

            @iampoor: It sounds like that is exactly what he was doing and that you are just venting. Water was leaking, he figured it was a risk of flooding. He’s not a plumber.

            • iampoor on 09/04/2020 - 20:00

              @[Deactivated]: A cup of water is not a flood.

              A relief valve is there to vent the water should the pressure be too high.

              It doesn't take a plumber to verify facts and to know that a cup of water doesn't equal a flood.

              And if an experienced property manager doesn't know what a pressure relief valve does given that nearly every property with a water tank has one…

              • [Deactivated] on 09/04/2020 - 20:13

                @iampoor: You say he’s an experienced property manager. So let’s assume that’s true.

                Also let’s assume that his role of property manager meets the typical job description for one.

                He did his job correctly.

                It is painfully clear what kind of a “landlord” you are anyway so vent away

              • gyrex on 09/04/2020 - 20:57

                @iampoor: I have no idea why you're getting downvoted and challenged so hard on this. Your story is unfortunately a common thread with these property managers. With the amount of money they take as a percentage of rent, a simple and basic diagnosis of the issue would have been the most prudent step to take but they never check anything or do their jobs properly because it's easier to throw money at someone else to troubleshoot basic maintenance issues and send the landlord a bill - I was sure they get kickbacks from some trades based on how much work property managers provide them. Property managers (and real estate agencies and agents) are a waste of space.

  • [Deactivated] on 07/04/2020 - 16:50

    Landlord should pay, but it should have been arranged through the landlord or the agency, or from a pre-approved list.

  • Stewardo on 07/04/2020 - 17:28

    Dirty oven, tenants responsibility
    Calling a technician for a repair on a dirty oven, tenant pays bill for technician.

    • lordezekiel on 07/04/2020 - 20:39
      -2

      Sounds like someone has some investment properties with pesky tenants paying their mortgage/s whilst daring to think they have any rights at all as a pathetic renting peon…

  • gyrex on 08/04/2020 - 14:23

    If there was a fault with the oven then the onus would be on the landlord to fix but this is clearly a maintenance issue and as such, is the tenant's responsibility.

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