My situation was atypical, both as a loandlord and as a leasee. When I had a rental property, I rented it to a friend, there were a few things I let her do her self painting and such and I paid for all of the materials. As a leasee I did a ton of work on the house, paint, landscaping, ficked a few appliances, toilets, etc. The landlord reimbursed me for all materials... However, I knew if I tried to fix somehting and failed. I might be out any dollars I spent on parts, etc.