Unless explicitly written into the lease, am I allowed to hook up my own washing machine even if the owner is paying the water bill?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Unless explicitly written into the lease, am I allowed to hook up my own washing machine even if the owner is paying the water bill?

I have been told by another landlord that unless in the contract it states you may not hook up to water, you are allowed.

Asked on October 12, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Ohio

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 12 years ago | Contributor

The answer is not quite that simple. A lease is a contract; when a lease is "silent" as to an issue, then, if there is a dispute, the courts will try to infer or find the parties' intention, looking to the circumstances. In many cases, you could hook up your own washing machine--for example, in an apartment or stand-alone home which has a laundry room or existing hookups for a washing machine. Or if the landlord had stated that you could do this (even if that statement did not make its way into the lease), or not answered "no" if you asked about hooking up a washing machine.

On the other hand, take an apartment which obviously has never had a washing machine in it, lacks a dedicated or obvious space for one, and has no existing plumbing hookups for it. In that case, the circumstances suggest strongly that the apartment was to be leased as one without in-premises laundry, and a court would likely find that it could not have been reasonably in the parties' mutual contemplation to hook up a washing machine where one had never been hooked up before.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption