Every owner of a dwelling shall be responsible
for maintaining in a clean and sanitary condition the shared or public
areas of the dwelling and premises thereof and shall be responsible
for compliance with the provisions of this chapter and shall remain
responsible thereafter, regardless of the fact that this chapter may
also place certain responsibilities on operators and occupants and
regardless of any agreements between owners and operators or occupants
as to which party shall assume such responsibility.
Every occupant of a dwelling containing a single
dwelling unit shall be responsible for the extermination of any insects,
rodents or other pests therein or on the premises; and every occupant
of a dwelling unit in a dwelling containing more than one dwelling
unit shall be responsible for such extermination whenever his or her
dwelling unit is the only one infested. Notwithstanding the foregoing
provision of this section, whenever infestation is caused by failure
of the owner to maintain a dwelling in a verminproof or reasonably
insectproof condition, extermination shall be the responsibility of
the owner. Whenever infestation exists in two or more of the dwelling
units in any dwelling or in the shared or public parts of any dwelling
containing two or more dwelling units, extermination thereof shall
be the responsibility of the owner.
Every occupant of a dwelling unit shall keep
all plumbing fixtures therein in a clean and sanitary condition and
shall be responsible for the exercise of reasonable care in the proper
use and operation thereof. This liability on the part of the occupant
shall not relieve the owner of the responsibility of remedying any
defect, nor of any other liability imposed upon the owner by law,
but it shall subject the occupant to the penalties of this chapter
upon proper proof of any willful or malicious act he or she has performed.
Yards, lawns and courts shall be maintained
in a clean, sanitary and safe condition and free from infestation
insofar as said occupant occupies or controls said yards, lawns and
courts or any part thereof.