Repairs

[Michael B.]

I've been reading this site for some time now, preparing for the day I buy a property and I I've read some posts that I had questions about.

Some people say the charge the tenant "x" amount per service call for repairs such as broken appliances.

I also read a post where a landlord states in the lease that they provide working appliances at the time the tenant moves in and then the tenant is responsible for any repairs while the are in the unit.

I guess I'm surprised this is even possible, especially having the tenant responsible for repairs altogether.  I get the service fee, being a deterrent to tenants that call all the time about little things. 

 Can any of you walk me through this and explain how you can justify these fees and the legality of the fees.  And do you charge a service fee for any calls even if its just a natural breakdown of an item (ex: a dishwasher)  or only charge a service fee if its obvious misuse.