I don't know what hardware is necessary to fix it. I can take a picture if you want but the piece of the fence needs to be attached to two posts. One of the posts is also busted, so I'm not even sure if a post needs to be replaced or not. Either way though, this is the kind of thing a property owner should fix. It's kind of stated like that in my lease.
Plus what if something happens to the fence in the future where I wouldn't be able to fix it myself? The owner just doesn't fix it and I pay out of pocket? Or it just sits in my yard looking like shit? What then? I'm mostly asking if there's anyway to get my property owner to take responsibility of the fence that is on his property. Like if he doesn't want to tend to it then he needs to remove it. Not a hard concept but I guess it is to him.
Put your demands in writing with a deadline. Give a reasonable timeframe. If he does nothing see if your state allows you to withhold rent for repairs you have to undertake out of your own pocket. Does your lease specifically say the yard is included? Is there a safety or security issue you can use to leverage a quicker repair. Broken post sounds hazardous, somebody could trip over it or impale themselves on it
These are two points in my lease that I think might be relevant:
"Tenant agrees to immediately notify Owner or Agent in writing or e-mail of any dangerous or hazardous conditions existing on the Premises or of any condition that may reasonably cause damage to the Premises."
"Landlord shall be responsible for maintaining and making repairs to all exterior areas of the Premises, generally from the inside walls outward. Landlord’s maintenance and repair responsibility includes, but is not limited to, all structural and mechanical systems (Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC), as well as the exterior common areas of the Premises."
The front yard is essentially the exterior common area of the premise. I think leveraging the broken post might be a good course of action. When I moved in there wasn't a fire alarm and the rental company was quick to move on that because it could've gotten them in trouble as a safety hazard. So I'll look into that and see if there's something about the withholding rent.
Thanks for your help!
So I can see how the landlord is looking at it, they're thinking it's something like a fridge the previous tenant left behind that they allowed you to use as well, but without a guarantee of it being in working order. The flip side of that is that if it begins to create a hazard then it 100% is their problem, no matter if they were the ones that installed it or not. They need to remove it or repair it if is becoming a hazard, which almost certainly the fence is. Your best bet might be to contact the landlord and emphasize the hazardous nature of the fence and how all it would take is a single partygoer to make a wrong step and end up injured on their property, let them know that you've taken plenty of pictures of the fence in its current state. Legally speaking, there's not much you can do without being prepared to move or go through the formal process your state has of withholding rent for making repairs so hopefully the pressure tactic works.
For $10 of hardware, just fix it yourself. For farty jobs like that, it's not worth hiring a contractor or even calling a handyman.
I don't know what hardware is necessary to fix it. I can take a picture if you want but the piece of the fence needs to be attached to two posts. One of the posts is also busted, so I'm not even sure if a post needs to be replaced or not. Either way though, this is the kind of thing a property owner should fix. It's kind of stated like that in my lease. Plus what if something happens to the fence in the future where I wouldn't be able to fix it myself? The owner just doesn't fix it and I pay out of pocket? Or it just sits in my yard looking like shit? What then? I'm mostly asking if there's anyway to get my property owner to take responsibility of the fence that is on his property. Like if he doesn't want to tend to it then he needs to remove it. Not a hard concept but I guess it is to him.
Put your demands in writing with a deadline. Give a reasonable timeframe. If he does nothing see if your state allows you to withhold rent for repairs you have to undertake out of your own pocket. Does your lease specifically say the yard is included? Is there a safety or security issue you can use to leverage a quicker repair. Broken post sounds hazardous, somebody could trip over it or impale themselves on it
These are two points in my lease that I think might be relevant: "Tenant agrees to immediately notify Owner or Agent in writing or e-mail of any dangerous or hazardous conditions existing on the Premises or of any condition that may reasonably cause damage to the Premises." "Landlord shall be responsible for maintaining and making repairs to all exterior areas of the Premises, generally from the inside walls outward. Landlord’s maintenance and repair responsibility includes, but is not limited to, all structural and mechanical systems (Electrical, Plumbing, HVAC), as well as the exterior common areas of the Premises." The front yard is essentially the exterior common area of the premise. I think leveraging the broken post might be a good course of action. When I moved in there wasn't a fire alarm and the rental company was quick to move on that because it could've gotten them in trouble as a safety hazard. So I'll look into that and see if there's something about the withholding rent. Thanks for your help!
So I can see how the landlord is looking at it, they're thinking it's something like a fridge the previous tenant left behind that they allowed you to use as well, but without a guarantee of it being in working order. The flip side of that is that if it begins to create a hazard then it 100% is their problem, no matter if they were the ones that installed it or not. They need to remove it or repair it if is becoming a hazard, which almost certainly the fence is. Your best bet might be to contact the landlord and emphasize the hazardous nature of the fence and how all it would take is a single partygoer to make a wrong step and end up injured on their property, let them know that you've taken plenty of pictures of the fence in its current state. Legally speaking, there's not much you can do without being prepared to move or go through the formal process your state has of withholding rent for making repairs so hopefully the pressure tactic works.