Paragraph 11 of the Residential Lease or Month to Month Rental Agreement states "tenant shall be charged for drain blockages or stoppages, unless caused by defective plumbing parts or tree roots ...". I am also a landlord and I have a home warranty protection plan in place in my rental property. I have had this problem in the past myself with my rental and in that case I had my tenants call my Home Warranty Company and they paid for the house call.

On our rental properties, we always have the plumber ascertain "what caused the problem". If it is clearly a tenant issue, i.e., they put celery in the garbage disposal, we take care of it the first time and explain what caused the problem.

Any future plumbing issues similar in nature will be charged to the tenant.

As a landlord myself, I always pay for any maintenance in my building even If I think the tenant is at fault. It’s just smarter in the long run. If the problem doesn’t get fixed, it’s going to cost me more in the long run. No matter who’s at fault, the landlord should fix it. Contact your local government agency and they will tell you what your right and responsibilities are. I hope this answers your question. If not, feel free to contact me.

I think it goes either way, it really depends on each particular situation. Is the clog related to a problem that was already there?

Hi James,

It is "customary" for the landlord to pay for maintenance. Of course if this is a recurring situation, then either the tenant is careless or there is a problem with the pipes.
Leonardo

Depends, if the landlord is smart he will maintain the plumbing to avoid other problems. I would refer to the lease but you may not get an answer there. Its best to have open communication between Landlord and tenant to work these things out.

It is governed by the terms and conditions of the executed agreement signed between tenant and property owner. Refer back to that contract.