Payment for Damage to a Cotton Candy Machine
Question
I have a small business renting out food machines. I rented a cotton candy machine to someone, he used it only a little, and it suddenly blew out and started short-circuiting. (The day before, I rented out the same machine and it worked perfectly.) He ended up renting another machine from someone else instead.Does he still have to pay for the rental?If repairing my machine costs money, can I ask him to cover the repair?
Answer
Shalom uVracha,
From your description, it seems clear to both of you that the renter was not at fault for the machine blowing out, it was simply a malfunction.
Therefore:
a. He is only required to pay for the portion of time the machine actually worked. Since he used it only a little, he’s exempt from payment.
b. Since the damage wasn’t caused by his negligence, he’s not obligated to cover the repair costs.