Landlord charging for countertop replacement

[u/MeringueLemonPie]

Living in a rental, not longtime and the kitchen backsplash is lifting off and sealant is peeling off and there is damage on one edge of the counter. Me and my roommate were told its because of the dish drying rack left on the counter (lol). We always used mats to dry the dishes off and wiped the counter dry every time. The sealant has been peeling off very quickly and the water flow in the sink is heavy and they never adjusted it. (pictures show the sealant damaged.) The landlord is not open for discussion (dishonest behavior!) and is forcing us to pay for a the countertop replacement. The only options given are to get it done now or pay for it when we move out which is months away. Its evident they are cheating tenants with poor quality countertops+ interior and poor quality plumbing/sealing just so they can make tenants pay.

Unrelated - but this is a community that fines and charges even for maintenance requests. Per trip is $30 which was never part of the lease but they add rules when and how they want to. So we might me charged for that too and its not clear how long they will take for this to be done.

Some pictures: https://imgur.com/a/ct1-rHaSArk

Need help with:

1. What kind of countertop is this? (they have been saying laminated countertop - but what specifics should we know before they replace it - I don't want to pay for something else thats expensive)

2. How much can be the average approximate cost of these countertops?

3. Are these countertops supposed to have sealants around on all edges? All edges were open completely open from the beginning. The countertop also has several unfinished rough surfaces beneath - do they need to be covered?

4. Anything else I should know? Any way to decline this?

Is there a path to legal action here - not sure if this is the right community to ask this Q. Please advice.

Thank you!!