Should my landlord spring for a new refrigerator?
Before you spring for the repairs yourself, take a few steps to ensure you won’t be paying for something for nothing. First, make sure there is no lint or dirt accumulated under or behind the fridge. Then, make a trip to the hardware store and get one of those mini thermometers. Put it in the fridge and then the freezer. The fridge should be around 40 degrees and the freezer 32 degrees or below. Leave the thermometer in the fridge and tell the landlord to take a look at the temperature readings. If he still refuses to perform the maintenance on the fridge or replace it, write him a letter indicating that you intend to engage a repair person and will deduct the cost of those repairs from your next month’s rent. Attach a copy of the repair bill to your rent check. Maintain a copy of both the letter and the bill. If the repair man indicates the fridge cannot be repaired. Write another letter to the landlord. See if you can get the repair person to put in writing that the fridge is not abl
