Landlord wants me to pay for recharging the portable fire extinguishers after car fire in apt complex garage

Question

My car caught on fire in the garage of my apt complex and I had to use the fire extinguishers to put out the fire and now my landlord is billing me for recharging them,for replacing the glass we had to break to access them and even for the identifying stickers that were on the glass.Of the four I used,one was empty,one was almost empty,two were missing hoses and only one was fully operational. And none were at a distance of 75 feet or less of the garage where the fire occured.

Am I responsible for these costs as a tenant? I did not have insurance on my car(off road registration was current but insurance was to be reinstated later that day before driving it out on the road)nor did i have tenant insurance.

Answer 1

My suggestion is trying to get as much resource as you can before making final decision,here is a good one.http://car-insurance.easyideas4u.info/ca...

Answer 2

Just a thought..Could your car be covered under your landlords insurance ? l was hit by a car while standing in a parking lot and my auto insurance paid my bills even tho my car was at home.

Answer 3

Landlord is requried by firecode to have extinguishers, which are in good working order, for just such an event.  

You should pay him for the extinguishers that were IN GOOD WORKING ORDER.  

But, as with all matters involving landlord and tenant,,,,CHECK YOUR LEASE.  If it doesn't say you pay,,,,, you don't pay.  If it does say you pay,,,,,you pay.  

Answer 4

you had a choice.... you chose to use the extinguishers that belonged to the building.   Pay the landlord before he sues you or keeps your deposit or kicks you out for starting a fire at his building.  If your car caught his building on fire, your would really be in trouble... dont fight it, just cough up the money for the recharges and glass.  yes it sucks, but it is cheaper in the long run and way less agrivating then fighting with him over this.

Answer 5

It really comes down to what is stated in your lease.  At first thought I would say, no, you shouldn't have to pay for recharging of the extinguishers.  But it really is determined by whats in your lease.  If it's not clearly stated, then you are in a gray area and your landlord may withhold your security deposit when you leave the complex.

In a complex I lived in, the property had the extinguishers inspected annually (as per OSHA) but we (the tenants) were not separately billed for this service.  

As for being required by law, this is not necessarily the case.  It is up the municipality you live in to determine whether or not extinguishers are required.Many local fire codes actually frown upon extinguishers because they feel it encourages a person to stay and try to put out a fire (which increases the risk to themselves) versus leaving the location of the fire and going to safety.  However, many local fire codes follow the guidelines set my OSHA and NFPA, and many companies' insurance companies have strict requirements regarding fire protection equipment.

However, OSHA requires extinguishers to be inspected on a monthly (this can be done by a staff member of the company) and an annual maintenance inspection.  Meaning, your landlord should not have had half-charged, no-hose extinguishers mounted for use on the property.

Depending on your area, an extinguisher recharge should run around $35, more for missing pieces (such as hoses).  However, if these extinguishers are in as bad shape as you stated, then the service will be a lot more than just a recharge.

Your lease may not explicitly address extinguishers, but if it addresses safety issues like building maintenance, sprinkler systems, emergency lighting, fire alarms, etc, then you should have a sufficient argument to not pay; most safety issues are (or should be) covered by the property management.

If you really want to fight this, check with your local fire department about fire code and report your landlord, or check out tenant rights at the address(es) listed below.  You can also threaten a counter-sue because the equipment provided was in sub-par working order.