Tenants Damaged Work Surface!

clutton_2

i replaced part of a standard worktop in a property where a tenant had put a chip pan down on it and burn it badly - worktop £68 - (we found a spare bit left over in the kitchen suppliers warehouse) and £45 to refit it.

Imp

linda4767 wrote: »

I am not talking about the cost of the materials! its pretty obvious you cant expect a tenant to pay for granite when ordinary work top was taken out. I am saying dont use the cheepest labour quote to complete the works carried out. It can be a costly job taking out a work top, especially if a hob or sink has to be cut out. A plumber may have to be called out and tiling may have to be re done. You dont want your kitchen being toshed by some cowboy and his cheap qoute :rolleyes:

As I said in my original reply, you can not charge the tenant more than the cheapest quote you get.

Simple answer - don't ask cowboys to quote. In fact, if you know you are not going to use somebody to carry out the job, it is morally questionable to ask them for a quote unless you are going to pay them for the time they spent preparing it.

liz545

linda4767 wrote: »

why should he have to get the cheepest quote ? he could end up with a poor tradesman and the kitchen could look worse than it does now. Go for a middle of the range quote

Because of the legal principle of "Betterment" - the landlord cannot charge the tenant for damages if the replacement/repair is of a better/higher quality than the original item; i.e. you can't bill the tenant for a granite replacement worktop if the original was cheapy laminate.
http://www.arla.co.uk/infosheets/list.aspx?id=7

Lavendyr

linda4767 wrote: »

why should he have to get the cheepest quote ? he could end up with a poor tradesman and the kitchen could look worse than it does now. Go for a middle of the range quote

I think the recommendation is worded something like "obtain three quotes from reputable tradesmen, accepting the lowest" - thereby assuming that none of the three will be poor, because you will have selected reputable tradesmen.

mizzbiz

jammy78 wrote: »

Yeah the deposit is in the protection scheme but I'm prepared to do whatever to keep for the damages caused. Can I tell my LA that I want to hold £550 for the damages and if they don't like it they can administer the dispute - is that how it works?

I'm sorry but £550 is a disgrace. People work hard for that kind of money. It's not yours by right you know. You need to get a genuine quote for repair.

Oh and if you don't want people to 'live' in your house, then you shouldn't rent out in the first place.

moonshine

I'm confused by the situation here. First you say it was a new build and everything was new when they moved in :-

jammy78 wrote: »

The house is a new build, so everything was new when they moved in.

but then you say that you had lived there and subsequently moved out :-

jammy78 wrote: »

Plus I didn't buy this house to let it out - it is for me & all the stuff in there is quality. I only moved out as I was having trouble with the ex (who I owned it with) & I plan to move back in.

So how can it be both brand new when they moved in but previously used by you because you had lived there?

Something doesn't quite add up somewhere.

Imp

moonshine wrote: »

I'm confused by the situation here. First you say it was a new build and everything was new when they moved in :-



but then you say that you had lived there and subsequently moved out :-



So how can it be both brand new when they moved in but previously used by you because you had lived there?

Something doesn't quite add up somewhere.

It psychological. Because the OP bought everything new, they still think of it as new, even though it is second hand. They haven't managed to detach their emotions from reality.

Lavendyr

mizzbiz wrote: »

I'm sorry but £550 is a disgrace. People work hard for that kind of money. It's not yours by right you know. You need to get a genuine quote for repair.

Agreed. The thing is, of course he can tell the LA he wants to withhold £550. But then the tenants can open a dispute with the deposit scheme, during which it will be found that the landlord used absolutely no sensible measures to determine the amount to be withheld and is found to be being unreasonably greedy. As a result, the landlord will be told by the scheme dispute system exactly how much he is allowed to withhold - which sounds like it should be considerably less than he wants to withhold - and that will be that.

Far better for the landlord to come up with a reasonable and well-substantiated figure to withhold in the first place. Not to mention more moral.

jammy78

Thanks for the replies.

I do not want £550 just for the work surface. I wanted to find out a reasonable amount to deduct. I know a work surface will only cost £50 - £60 what it is a tricky job to fit. So labour must be £100 - £200?

I am estimating £550 for:

1. Loft Hatch which is badly damaged & need replacing (which isn't wear & tear) = £125
2. The jungle, I mean garden (I provided them with a lawnmower) = £80
3. Large computer table / desk - which they asked me to leave = £20 (part of cost)
4. Holes left in wall due to them putting up blinds, which I told them they need to repair any damage/holes before they leave = £25
5. Work Surface = £200 - £300?

Total £450 - £550? So you think I'm being unreasonable?


ps: I only lived there for 3 months - part time, so it was new!

& as to: Not to mention more moral! As tenants you are lving in & using someone elses property - so treat it with respect. If I was renting & caused this damage, I would expect to pay for it to be repaired. I am not asking for the property to be in the same condition as when they 1st moved in but I don't expect me to pay out for items that shouldn't have been damaged!

beingjdc

jammy78 wrote: »

4. Holes left in wall due to them putting up blinds, which I told them they need to repair any damage/holes before they leave = £25

You're going to charge them for making improvements. Interesting...