Should a co-op maintenance fee include repairs in your apartment?

By | January 26, 2011 - 4:11PM

One of the downsides of renting is that you don't own your fixtures, appliances, toilets, etc. One of the joys, however, is that you are, within reason, not responsible for the repairs of the same--a call to the super or landlord should be all it takes. Over on StreetEasy.com, a co-op owner wonders whether the maintenance fee should confer similar benefits. Most posters argue not, noting that if the building were required to offer repairs to tenants, costs would go up. But not everyone agrees.

One owner lives in a building with a lot of staff, who are willing and have time to perform routine repairs. Another owner has a live-in super, who would not be doing much with his time if he were not kept busy with small tasks for the owners: "Why pay a full salary to a SUPER if he isn't going to fix anything besides 'building' stuff...if this was the case he would be laying around in his free apt doing nothing." (StreetEasy.com)

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.