Does This Landlord Have the Right to Force Tenant to Pay His Kid’s Medical Bills After an Accident?

An exchange program student from Canada is being forced by his landlord to pay for the medical bills of his kid who got into an accident.

Posted by u/LeatherSeveral7614, the story begins with OP renting a basement suite with an adjacent laundry room which he shares with the landlord’s family as part of the lease agreement.

Once a week, the landlord would unlock the door to the laundry room so OP could wash his clothes. OP would load his clothes into the washing machine, then shut its door so he would not hear the noise.

Unfortunately, during his laundry hours, while drying his clothes, OP suddenly heard his landlady yelling from his suite. An ambulance arrived, and it was then that OP learned that the landlord’s four-year-old kid had climbed into the dryer and got hurt because the machine was faulty. The dryer would not stop even when the door was opened; that was why the kid went tumbling with the clothes that OP had loaded into the dryer.

Later, the kid returned home, and the landlord confronted OP, demanding a reimbursement of all the ambulance and medical expenses their family incurred during their child’s treatment. The costs amounted to $8477.34.

Of course, OP did not agree to make the payment. First, he is not the person in charge of looking after the kid, which is the responsibility of his landlord and his wife as parents.

Second, it is not his fault that the dryer was malfunctioning. The washing machine is owned by the landlord, which he permits OP to use as part of the lease agreement.

OP has tried attending a forum to find the proper answer, but he felt that he was being given the wrong advice by suggesting he pays the amount to be fair to the landlord’s family, who has not raised his rent even though he has been residing in the basement suite for more than a year.

This time, OP consults Reddit’s “Am I The A**hole” forum for more insights.

AITA community members mostly voted NTA (Not The A–hole); they believe that the landlord’s family is simply trying to take advantage of their tenant.

A Reddit user commented, “NTA. You need legal advice, now. Because you aren’t responsible, but they are trying to fleece you. And they should contact their homeowner’s insurance. It can cover this sh*t sometimes.”

This advice was supported by another commenter, “I agree. Lawyer up. This can get messy. This is negligence on their part. Not your fault, but still can get messy. You might also want to start looking for another place to live. NTA.”

Another person made the same suggestion, “NTA. You need legal advice, now. This is the best and only answer. OP NEEDS to talk to a lawyer (instead of a landlords group who might just be a little biased). Oh, and document, document, document. Copy and save every email, voicemail, text message, physical letter. If they speak to you, send them a follow up email detailing what was said. But must of all, OP needs to get to a lawyer TODAY.”