--- title: "A stove in a rental: what the tenant looks after and what the landlord repairs" description: "Who is usually responsible for a stove that came with the apartment, a ten-minute move-in check, how to ask for a repair in writing and how to hand the stove…" url: "https://stoverepair.center/guides/stove-care-in-a-rental/" date_modified: "2026-09-26" --- Maintenance and prevention # A stove in a rental: what the tenant looks after and what the landlord repairs With a stove in a rental, the landlord usually maintains and repairs an appliance they supplied, while the tenant keeps it clean, uses it as intended and reports problems promptly in writing. New York's attorney general, for example, lists landlord-installed stoves among what must be kept in good and safe working order. Rules differ by state, so read the lease and your state's tenant guide. By [StoveRepair.center technical team](https://stoverepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 26, 2026 ## At a glance. Living with a stove you do not own changes who pays for what, but not how the stove should be treated. A tenant's job is to use it sensibly, keep it clean and report problems early and in writing; the landlord's job is usually the repair. Read the whole guide ### Usually the landlord's Repairs to a stove the landlord supplied New York's attorney general names landlord-installed stoves specifically. ### Usually the tenant's Everyday cleaning and reasonable use Damage beyond normal wear can come out of a security deposit. ### Best evidence Dated photos at move-in and written repair requests Keep copies of every message about the stove. ### Never wait on Gas odor, sparking, or a burner stuck on Make it safe first, then tell the landlord. In this guide 1. Whose stove it is decides who fixes it 2. A move-in check that takes ten minutes 3. The care that falls to the tenant 4. Asking for a repair so it actually happens 5. Moving out without losing deposit money over the stove 6. Step by step 7. Questions ## Whose stove it is decides who fixes it In most rentals the stove came with the apartment, and that makes it the landlord's appliance. New York's attorney general, for example, says landlords must keep appliances they installed, naming refrigerators and stoves, in good and safe working order, with repairs made within a reasonable time. Other states have their own rules, and many put similar duties under the warranty of habitability, so your state attorney general's tenant guide is the place to confirm. The lease matters too. Some leases for single-family homes shift minor upkeep to the tenant, and a stove the tenant brought in is the tenant's to repair. When the lease is silent, treat the stove as the landlord's and ask before arranging any repair yourself. None of this makes a stove in a rental less important to look after. The tenant is the one cooking on it every day, and a problem reported in the first week is almost always cheaper and faster to fix than one discovered at move-out. Source: [New York State Attorney General — Residential Tenants' Rights Guide](https://ag.ny.gov/publications/residential-tenants-rights-guide) — Landlords must keep appliances they installed, such as refrigerators and stoves, in good and safe working order with repairs in a reasonable time; tenants should keep copies of repair communications; repair-and-deduct applies in extenuating circumstances; the deposit may cover repairs beyond normal wear and tear ## A move-in check that takes ten minutes The day you get the keys, before you unpack the pans, go over the stove and write down what you find. Photograph anything that is already chipped, cracked or dirty, with the date visible or recorded, and send the list to the landlord so it is on file. - Light every gas burner or switch on every element and confirm each one heats and switches off. - Run the oven to a normal baking heat and check it warms up and the light and fan work. - Look for cracks or chips in a glass top, missing grates or caps, and cracked or missing knobs. - Open and close the oven door and the drawer, and note any door that does not close fully. - Ask whether the stove is secured with an anti-tip bracket, and where the gas shutoff or breaker for it is. Close on a tenant's hand holding a phone to photograph a dark coil burner on an older white stove, the screen facing away. ## The care that falls to the tenant Even when every repair is the landlord's, the everyday condition of the stove is yours, and it is the part that decides what happens to the deposit. ### Keeping it clean Wipe spills when the stove cools, wash grates, caps or drip bowls every week or two, and keep the oven floor clear of burned-on drips. A stove handed back greasy looks like neglect even when it works perfectly. ### Using it as intended Do not heat the apartment with the oven, stand on the open door or use a glass top as a counter for heavy pots. Damage caused by misuse, like a cracked top from a dropped cast-iron pan, is the kind of repair a landlord can charge back. ### Knowing what not to touch Leave the gas connection, the power cord, the wiring and anything behind a panel alone, even if a video makes it look simple. A tenant who swaps a part on the landlord's stove can end up responsible for whatever goes wrong next. ## Asking for a repair so it actually happens Report a problem as soon as you notice it, while it is still one burner and not the whole stove. Put the request in writing, by email, text or the landlord's portal, describe what the stove does rather than guessing at the part, and include the brand and model from the tag if you can find it. Keep copies of every message, as the New York guide advises for any repair dispute. Offer times when someone can be home for the visit and follow up in writing if nothing happens within a reasonable time. Paying for a repair yourself and deducting it from rent is allowed only in some states and circumstances, so check your state's tenant guide before trying it. - What the stove does: which burner, element or oven, and what happens when you try it. - When it started, and whether anything preceded it, such as a spill, a power outage or a move. - Brand, model and serial from the tag, or a clear photo of the tag. - Whether you have stopped using the whole stove or only one part of it. Source: [New York State Attorney General — Residential Tenants' Rights Guide](https://ag.ny.gov/publications/residential-tenants-rights-guide) — Landlords must keep appliances they installed, such as refrigerators and stoves, in good and safe working order with repairs in a reasonable time; tenants should keep copies of repair communications; repair-and-deduct applies in extenuating circumstances; the deposit may cover repairs beyond normal wear and tear ## Moving out without losing deposit money over the stove A landlord may use the security deposit for the reasonable cost of repairing damage beyond normal wear and tear. Faded knob markings and a slightly scratched top after years of cooking are ordinary wear; a shattered glass top or a door hinge bent by someone standing on it is not. Clean the stove thoroughly in the last week: grates, caps or bowls, the top, the knobs, the inside of the oven and the storage drawer. Take dated photos when you finish, next to the photos from move-in, and you have the whole story of the stove on your phone. Source: [New York State Attorney General — Residential Tenants' Rights Guide](https://ag.ny.gov/publications/residential-tenants-rights-guide) — Landlords must keep appliances they installed, such as refrigerators and stoves, in good and safe working order with repairs in a reasonable time; tenants should keep copies of repair communications; repair-and-deduct applies in extenuating circumstances; the deposit may cover repairs beyond normal wear and tear ## Where to stop A tenant should never work on a gas connection, a power cord, a receptacle or anything behind a stove panel. A smell of gas means getting out first, phoning the utility from outside and letting the landlord know once everyone is safe. For sparks, smoke from the controls or a burner stuck on, switch off the stove's breaker if you can reach it safely and report it as urgent. Written by [StoveRepair.center technical team](https://stoverepair.center/authors/technical-team/). The people who come to your kitchen when a stove visit is booked on this site. They write from what they find behind the storage drawer, under the stovetop and inside the oven of stoves in everyday homes, and they check it against the maker's own manuals whenever a manual is available. Sources: [New York State Attorney General — Residential Tenants' Rights Guide](https://ag.ny.gov/publications/residential-tenants-rights-guide) ## Step by step. Four steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Make it safe Turn the burner off, switch the breaker off for an electric problem, or leave and call the gas utility from outside if you smell gas. 02 ### Write it down Note what the stove does, when it started and the model from the tag, and take a photo or short video. 03 ### Send it in writing Email, text or use the portal, and keep a copy of the message and any reply. 04 ### Follow up If nobody responds within a reasonable time, send a dated reminder and check your state's tenant guide for next steps. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Can I book a repair on my rental stove myself? Ask the landlord first. Many landlords have their own technician, and a repair arranged without permission may not be reimbursed. ### Who pays if I cracked the glass top? Damage from misuse or an accident is usually the tenant's, often out of the deposit. Ordinary wear and a part that simply failed are usually the landlord's. ### How long does a landlord have to fix a stove? Usually a reasonable time that depends on how serious the problem is; your state's tenant guide or local housing office gives the rules where you live. ### What if the stove has no anti-tip bracket? Ask the landlord to install one, in writing. It keeps the stove from tipping forward if someone leans on the open oven door. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://stoverepair.center/problems/) Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on ### Stove Smells Like Gas 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Stove Burner Not Working 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Stove Door Won't Close 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Stove Knob Broken or Loose 6 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Diagnostic visit A visit that cooks on your stove the way you do, burners on top and the oven below, and finds the part that failed before anything is ordered. ### Stove burner repair Gas burners on a stove that light weakly, burn unevenly or will not hold a steady flame, fixed at the cap, the burner head, the orifice or the valve behind the knob. ### Stove door and hinge repair Oven doors on a stove that will not close, drop open, sit crooked or leak heat, fixed at the hinges, the door seal, the glass or the door lock. ### Knob and switch replacement Stove knobs that are cracked, loose or spin in place, and the switches behind them that leave a burner stuck on high or dead, replaced at the knob, the stem or the switch. ## More in maintenance and prevention. The small weekly habits that keep a stove out of the repair book, from wiping spills before they bake on to keeping knobs dry and looking after a stove that belongs to your landlord. [The whole section](https://stoverepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/) Keeping the stove out of trouble ### A weekly stove cleaning routine for burners, knobs and the oven A two-minute wipe after cooking, a ten-minute weekly pass for gas, coil and glass stovetops, and the monthly spots under the drawer and along the counters that nobody remembers. Keeping the stove out of trouble ### Keeping stove knobs working: cleaning, loose knobs and the parts behind them What each knob turns on a gas, electric or induction stove, the habits that crack and loosen them, how to wash and refit them, and what a spinning or stiff knob points to. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: A stove in a rental: what the tenant looks after and what the landlord repairs](https://stoverepair.center/guides/stove-care-in-a-rental/)** **[Book a visit with StoveRepair.center](https://stoverepair.center/schedule/)**