Do replies to a tenant have to address every statement they make?
<p>Just had an email exchange with my tenant, in which he made a couple of untrue assertions. I only sent a short email asking for a phone call so we can resolve the issue since I have no intention of fighting. I like to ask though, If I receive an email containing a number of claims which are false. Do I need to point that out? If I send a reply addressing one issue, am I agreeing to the other items in the email? That is, if the reply contains the original sent by the author. I think our relationship is governed by the contract in place, and the landlord tenant laws. Am I right? </p>

<p>No landlord-tenant laws that I have ever seen impose an obligation on a landlord to give a point by point response to everything in an email from a tenant. However, a tenant probably has the right or obligation to provide a landlord with written notification of a problem requiring remedy. You might then be required by law to provide a specific reply within some time frame, for example "We will fix that tomorrow afternoon", or "We are not required to fix that": it would depend on the jurisdiction and the accusation. Some caution in how you respond is warranted, because your answers can be used against you in a court of law, thus you want to be sure that your response is not misleading, and that you don't accidentally promise to do something that you won't actually do.</p>

<p>There is a concept of "adoptive admission", where silence can be used against you. A typical case is if Smith says to Jones "That was really cold-blooded, the way you murdered Thompson", and Jones does not respond to the accusation – that fact can be introduced as evidence, because there is an assumption that if Jones were really innocent, they would protest the accusation. I don't see any way for "failure to respond to everything" in this manner could constitute an adoptive admission – an "admission" means that you directly or indirectly indicate that you did a thing, which is not the same as <em>ipso facto</em> agreeing to something (for example, not replying to a statement "I'd like my rent reduced by $100 per month" is not an "adoptive agreement").</p>

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