I had a phone call from an angry tenant who wanted to sue his landlord. His refrigerator had died and he reported it to his landlord and the landlord took 8 days to replace the refrigerator. The tenant wanted to sue his landlord and asked me what steps to take. Unfortunately for the tenant the landlord acted within his rights and within state law. Under the Utah Fit Premises Act-deficient condition a landlord has 10 days to repair or replace a broken appliance such as a refrigerator. The tenant wasn’t happy and asked if there was anything he could do. I told him his only recourse was to move out when his lease expired. He said he was already planning to do that. It’s unfortunate that the landlord will lose this tenant over something as simple as fixing or replacing his refrigerator in a more timely manner.
Published: Aug. 31, 2015
