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I just got a lease to sign, but I am confused by some of the language.

My question in short is: what does "public mains up to the point of entry" mean?

More information:

It reads:

...

Landlord shall make all repairs which, in Landlord's discretion, are necessary to maintain the following, subject to normal wear and tear:

A. The exterior and structural walls, excluding glass, structural floors, excluding floor coverings, the foundations, roofs, gutters, and exterior downspouts of the Leased Premises;

B. All appurtenances to the Leased Premises, including stairways, sidewalks, driveways, tenant shall be responsible for normal maintenance. Tenant responsible for grass cutting, lawn and yard maintenance. Tenant is responsible for snow removal as may be required from time to time;

C. Water, sewage and gas and electrical lines from the public mains up to the point of entry to the Leased Premises;

...

Does this mean that they or I will be responsible for plumbing repairs? I am not sure what the term "public mains up to the point of entry" means.

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    Before you sign the lease ask the landlord to be use explicit terms in the contract, since the contract would also need to be intelligible to a court if a dispute arises. Without knowing the meaning of "mains" (which is why I post a comment instead of an answer), your conjecture makes sense: the clause altogether apparently means that tenant(s) would be responsible for plumbing/power/gas repairs, which seems odd. Commented Feb 24, 2020 at 19:52
  • Will he or does he need to?
    – Trish
    Commented Apr 23, 2022 at 19:29

1 Answer 1

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You are responsible

The “public mains” are the infrastructure owned by the utility (and are the utility’s maintenance problem). From those, to the point where it enters the building (or your unit for a multi-unit building), they are the landlord’s problem. Within your leasehold they are your problem.

Notwithstanding, a leaky tap is probably a worn washer which is caught by the “fair wear and tear” clause anyway.

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