Q: I pay my landlord to do the yardwork. Should he be trimming the flower bed that is partially blocking the stairs?
A:
I assume you have contacted your landlord in writing or email asking him to trim the flower bed and he refused.
Whether the agreement with your landlord requires him to trim the flower bed depends on what the agreement states (if in writing) or what the terms you and he discussed and orally agreed to. The word ”yard work ” alone is ambiguous and could mean many types of work. What matters is what you and your landlord mutually agreed would be included as yard work. If you and he never discussed the flower beds, they most likely were not included under the contract. (There is no legal definition of the word ”yard work”). If your landlord used to trim the flower bed and then stopped trimming it, that would indicate that the agreement included trimming the flower bed. In any event, as your landlord, he is required by virtue of the lease itself to provide you, as his tenant, with access to the space leased to you. I suggest you write him and tell him about the stairs being partially blocked and that you are concerned that the blockage may cause you serious physical harm [assuming that is true] and that, as landlord, he must clear the stairs within 5 business days, and that if he does not, you will consider your options.
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