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tas4636 · Aug 29, 2013, 09:14 AM

My landlord had the trees in the yard topped. He made arrangements to have the wood taken away, but I was left with the rest of the clean up. It took me 5 days after work, 11-12 hours to clean up all the debris. Can I deduct $100 from the rent for my time?

smoothy · Aug 29, 2013, 09:19 AM

Not unless you had an agreement with him beforehand.

ScottGem · Aug 29, 2013, 09:34 AM

Let me get this straight. These were trees in the yard of the property you rent?

In that case, cleanup was the landlord's responsibility. Did you ask the landlord to have the yard cleaned up? Did you point out the mess?

As smoothy said, if there was no prior agreement I doubt if you can force it. What you can do is present a bill for your time, but if the landlord won't pay it or agree to let you deduct it, your're stuck.

AK lawyer · Aug 29, 2013, 12:06 PM

The problem is that, while a landlord is generally responsible for the condition of the interior of the premises; he is not responsible to provide a yard to your satisfaction. It can be a mess and (absent lease terms or local ordiances to the contrary) he can get away with it.

ScottGem · Aug 29, 2013, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by AK lawyer

The problem is that, while a landlord is generally responsible for the condition of the interior of the premises; he is not responsible to provide a yard to your satisfaction. It can be a mess and (absent lease terms or local ordiances to the contrary) he can get away with it.

I don't quite agree with that. It depends on what the tenant rented. If I rented a house, I would expect that rental to include the grounds and would expect the landlord to maintain those grounds.

smoothy · Aug 29, 2013, 02:53 PM

I've never known of a rental house where the tenant wasn't responsible for mowing the grass and the other general yard work as part of the basic lease.

You pay $250 a month for landscaping companies to do from 1/4 to 1.2 acre around here.

But I don't doubt there are some where its included... but the rental fee would be higher to reflect that.

I know a couple where it is, but the tenants pay an premium for that luxury in the form of a higher rent. They had that option when they rented it if they wanted it or not..