Rental Oven Damaged-On us???

[Shannon Shaddow]

Hi BP!

I have a single family home that we rehabbed and rented out in 2023. A brand new oven and as purchased and installed in March 2023. Tenants moved in in April 2023 and renewed their lease again this spring. I got a picture from my tenant saying that I need to give them a new oven. Looking at the picture, the exterior glass is smashed and they told me they don’t know how it happened and the oven was not on. It looks like damage to me versus a faulty stove (no damage beyond the glass) and we would not be liable. Thoughts? Tenants do have renters insurance but are not going to be pleasant to work with on this likely…

[JD Martin]

That doesn't need a new oven, just the front glass. It literally takes 5 minutes to put that on. Two screws hold the handle on, which holds the glass at the top and the bottom slides into a metal groove. Depending on the brand about $100. 

For something that cheap I'd replace it and forget it. Possibly they broke it, or there was a fault in the glass and the heat/cool cycle shattered it. 

If your PM can't do it for a cheap service visit then find a new PM. If you don't have a PM then any handyman can put that on. 

[Theresa Harris]

I agree with JD.  Easy to replace the glass.  Look up reviews on the stove and see if this has happened on other ones and if there was a recall you might have missed. It is likely outside the warranty period, but worth a call to the company.  If the tenants have otherwise been good, just chalk it down to a fluke.

[Henry T.]

Something impacted it. Replace the glass for them (easy, two screws), or find a door off a used appliance that will work.  I would definitely have a red flag raised for future dealings with this tenant if they didn't own up to it.  Probably a kid with a BB gun, or bumped it with a pot.

[Adam Bartomeo]

Believe it or not there are a lot of cases where tempered glass just explodes. There is a fault in the manufacturing process and can happen with ANY type of tempered glass. Either way there is no need for a new stove, just get it repaired. BTW I have never had a tenant break the glass on the oven before.

[Julie Huffman]

Like a lot of people here are saying, you can just replace the front glass which is a cheaper cost! I would definitely go back and look at when you purchased the stove to see if it came with any sort of warranty that could replace this at no cost to you. 

[Nathan Gesner]

I would give the tenant written notice that they are responsible for the repair. I would give them 30 days to make said repair. They can purchase the parts online and install them themselves, or they can hire a professional and pay the bill. If it's not done in 30 days, then I would terminate their lease and fix it after they are gone.

[Nathan Gesner]

By the way, the glass shatters due to impact or someone slamming the oven door. They don't just break on their own.

[Lynn McGeein]

@Nathan Gesner they actually do just shatter if there is an imperfection in the glass. My husband was just looking at his roast (light was on, didn’t touch the oven) and it shattered right in front of him, with me in the kitchen behind him. Very scary. Lucky it didn’t harm him. Covered by warranty as it was installed about 8 months before. The guy who came out said it happens more frequently now, thinks there’s less quality control in the glass.

[Shannon Shaddow]

Thanks everyone! The tenants said it wasn't on at the time it happened (and of course no one was home and they have no idea what happened). I could see it exploding accidentally if it was in use but it doesn't make sense at all. I am going to look into the cost of fixing it and go from there....