When Appliances Break: Repair Responsibilities in Rentals

If your landlord supplied the stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, washer, dryer, or garbage disposal, the landlord usually has to repair or replace it when it breaks from normal use, and you pay only when you, your household, or a guest caused the damage. Washington and Arizona require landlords to keep every appliance they supply in working order, and California requires a working stove and refrigerator in most rentals whose lease was signed, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026. For appliances your state's law does not cover, such as a dishwasher or washer in California or Texas, your lease decides who repairs them. Report the problem in writing, because the deadline runs from your notice; in Washington, the landlord must start work within 72 hours on a refrigerator, range, or oven it supplied.

Which appliances does the landlord have to repair?

• Washington: RCW 59.18.060 requires the landlord to keep "all electrical, plumbing, heating, and other facilities and appliances supplied by him or her in reasonably good working order." That reaches every appliance the landlord provided, not just the stove and refrigerator.
• Arizona: ARS 33-1324 requires the landlord to keep all appliances it supplies, or is required to supply, "in good and safe working order and condition."
• California: Civil Code section 1941.1 makes a stove that can safely heat food and a refrigerator that can safely store it part of habitability (the legal standard for a home fit to live in) for leases entered into, amended, or extended on or after January 1, 2026. Permanent supportive housing, single-room occupancy units, residential hotels, and buildings with shared kitchens are exempt. For items such as washing machines, the state's tenant guide says the rental agreement decides who repairs them, and those terms are usually enforced. If the landlord does not provide an amenity that is part of your lease, the guide says you may be entitled to lower rent.
• Texas: the landlord's repair duty in Texas Property Code section 92.052 covers conditions that materially affect the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant, plus a water heater that delivers at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit. For an appliance whose failure does not reach that level, such as a dishwasher or dryer, check what your lease promises. A Texas landlord also may not remove an appliance it furnished except for a genuine repair or replacement, and that repair or replacement must be done promptly.

How fast does the landlord have to act?

Our guide to how long your landlord has to make repairs covers deadlines in other states.

What if the lease says "as is," or the appliance is yours?

A lease clause saying an appliance comes "as is," or that the landlord will not fix it, has different effects by state:

• Washington: a rental agreement cannot make you waive your rights under the landlord-tenant act, and such a clause is unenforceable. A landlord who knowingly uses one can owe your actual damages, up to twice the monthly rent, and attorney's fees. Because the act covers every appliance the landlord supplies, a clause refusing repairs on one of them conflicts with that duty.
• Arizona: in an apartment, you can take on specified repairs only through a separate written agreement signed by both of you, made in good faith and for adequate consideration (something of value in return, such as lower rent). The agreement cannot cover work needed to correct building-code violations materially affecting health and safety or keep the home fit and habitable.
• California: the law's only built-in exception is the refrigerator. At signing, you can choose to bring your own if the lease includes a specific acknowledgment. The landlord cannot require this, is not responsible for maintaining your refrigerator, and must install one after you give 30 days' written notice that you no longer want to keep your own.
• Texas: for appliance problems outside the health and safety repair duty, the lease terms control.

If you brought the appliance, the state rules above do not apply to it, because they cover appliances the landlord supplied. Repairs to your own machine are your cost.

When you pay for the repair

You pay when you, a member of your household, or a guest caused the damage, as opposed to wear from normal use:

• Washington: the landlord has no duty to repair a defect caused by you, your family, or your guests. The act also requires you to properly use and operate appliances the landlord supplied and not to damage them intentionally or through carelessness.
• Texas: the landlord has no duty to repair conditions caused by you, an occupant, family, or guests, unless the cause was normal wear and tear. A Texas lease can also make you pay for damage from drain stoppages caused by foreign or improper objects in pipes that serve only your unit, if the clause is underlined or in bold, specific, and agreed to knowingly. Stoppages from deterioration, breakage, roots, faulty construction, or malfunctioning equipment stay the landlord's cost.
• California: the landlord does not have to repair damage caused by you, your family, guests, or pets.

For damage you caused, expect a repair bill or a deduction from your deposit at move-out. Washington and California bar deposit deductions for wear from ordinary use, so an appliance that wore out with age is not your cost. Washington also bars deductions for repairing or replacing an appliance whose condition was not documented on the written move-in checklist. See normal wear and tear versus damage for how landlords must price deductions, and maintenance tasks that are your responsibility for upkeep the lease can assign to you.

Garbage disposal care and reset steps

InSinkErator, a disposal manufacturer, gives these care rules:

• Run a steady stream of cold water before you turn the disposal on, turn it on before adding food, feed scraps in gradually, and let the water run a few seconds after it stops grinding.
• Never put fats, oils, or grease into it, and keep harsh cleaning products and non-food items out.
• What it can grind depends on the model. The maker lists coffee grounds and eggshells for its Badger series but chicken bones and corn cobs only for its Advanced series, so check your model before grinding hard scraps.
• An odor usually means food buildup. Clean the underside of the rubber splash guard and grind ice cubes with lemon or lime wedges.

For InSinkErator units other than EZ Connect, Builder Series, Amana, and ES models, use the steps below if the disposal hums without grinding or shuts off. For excluded models or other brands, follow the manufacturer's instructions for your model.

1. Turn the wall switch off. Never put your hand inside the disposal.
2. Put the hex wrench that came with the unit, or a standard 1/4-inch Allen wrench, into the hole in the center of the bottom of the disposal. Turn it back and forth until it turns in full circles in both directions.
3. Look inside with a flashlight and remove anything stuck there with tongs or pliers.
4. Press the small red reset button on the bottom of the unit. If the button drops back down, wait 10 minutes and try again.
5. Turn on the cold water, then the disposal.

If it still will not run or it leaks, stop and report it rather than taking the unit apart. Water that swirls in the sink without draining while the disposal runs can mean a clogged drain line; see plumbing issues in your rental.

How to request the repair

1. Write to the person your lease names for repairs. Name the appliance, its brand and model if you can see them, what it is doing, and when it started. Attach a photo or a short video.
2. Send it in a way that proves the date. Washington requires written notice to the landlord's designated agent or the person who collects rent, and Texas requires notice to the place where rent is normally paid, in writing if your written lease says so.
3. Stay current on rent. Texas's repair duty applies only if you are not behind on rent when you give notice.
4. Let the repair person in. In Washington, a tenant who unreasonably refuses access for repairs loses the landlord's repair duty for that problem.

For wording and delivery options, see how to report maintenance issues to your landlord.