Hi, as a landlord, am I responsible to fix (right away) leaky roof of detached backyard sitting/playing area, that is not in rental agreement? I will be fixing it as a goodwill for my tenants as I communicated with them. I just need to know the legal side of it, am I legally obligated? Thank you. --172.56.xxx.xx

It needs to be fixed, but it’s not a top priority because it’s not a livable dwelling. To me, if it took 60 days that would not be unreasonable. --198.44.xxx.xx

I would think you would want to fix the leaky roof right away. Yes do that for sure. --172.59.xxx.xxx

Little things like this sitting area keep your tenants for you. I have some things like that. Have a gazebo in one yard and the tenants love it and I am sure it is part of what keeps them living there even though there is a scary neighbor. I have a similar item at another location which is a big cement back porch. It did not have a roof so I got a metal shade. It's a perk. Tenants love it. I have a generator there too because one tenant became ill and needed secure oxygen. His wife is still there. In one building now I have big reverse osmosis water filters because the local water is very bad. I will advertise that for sure if the current tenants ever leave. These kinds of things can attract people with better finances to a neighborhood with issues and keep them there. Other things would be: allowing pets, pet fences in the yard, decks, central air. These are things you can add to make your building more attractive to more stable people. --173.61.xxx.xxx

How necessary is this out building to the rentability of the property? I’d be inclined to remove something like this from a rental. Maintain it, maybe. Install a new one specifically at a rental property? No way. --174.240.xxx.xxx

If you don't know, research your local laws. --68.229.xxx.xxx

Fix the roof. The longer you wait, the more expensive it gets. --107.141.xx.xxx

It's not about "legally obligated". It is about taking care of your investment and maintaining the value. Those little out building things have become quite expensive to have built. You already have one, so take care of it. --76.178.xxx.xxx

Owning a rental home or rental units there is going to be costs to maintain. If the structure is damaged then when it comes time to sell that price is going to go down. Major repairs if amortize costs over a period years is part of maintenance. Expense out repairs when filling income taxes. One day when sell more money can be invested in retirement. --207.236.xxx.xxx

I agree if protecting my investment by repairing sooner rather than later. Though, sometimes, life gets in the way. That’s when ya gotta just make time, even if it means hiring it out. --172.59.xx.xxx

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--172.56.xxx.xx