How do i tell my landlord that i broke my refrigerator?
If you say it’s not working and then he figures out that it’s not working because you punctured it, you look stupid and dishonest. Best to call him up and say “I’m really sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking because I know you’re not supposed to use sharp implements to chip ice out of a freezer, but I accidentally punctured the wall of the freezer and I think the freon is gone because the fridge isn’t working now. I did the damage so would you like me to go out and buy a comparable fridge, or would you like to arrange for another fridge to be installed?” That way, you still look stupid, but honest, repentant and responsible enough to be willing to make up the damage. The rule in renting is that if you did the damage, especially through carelessness, you pay for it. If the landlord is happy with another working fridge of a similar vintage, you might get away with $100 or less. If he’d rather get a new one, maybe you can pay for the value of the old one. It’s also possible that you’ll
Even if you are a student, you have to replace stuff that you broke! I know somebody who damaged a borrowed camera lens as a student, and did not replace it. Years later, the lender killed a major aerospace contract as an act of revenge. He had been harboring a grudge all those years! You have absolutely no idea of the amount of ill will that can arise from not fixing other people’s property that you break, or of how long people’s memory is about this stuff. Later in life, as you have acquired stuff of your own through hard work, you will understand.
