Broken door lock - maintenance issue but being deducted from deposit?

leveller2911

Hi Eager,
It makes little difference if its a UPVC door or wooden.Many companies make the handles for both ,companies like HOPPE give a 25yr gaurantee too so tell the LL to contact the manufacturers of the handles or the company that supplied and fitted the door...


PS We make double glazed doors too, wooden ones are much nicer looking and last longer too...:D..

Go get em Eager.....;)

property.advert

Wear and tear and lack of maintenance. Don't agree anything and look for a way to go after her for your private hourly rate (not your salary over 48/35) for dealing with this which is just an attempt to screw you over for another £100.

EagerLearner

Hi everyone and happy 2010!
Will have to talk to a local company tomorrow and see if they can back us up on the fact that it's wear and tear.
As if we could control the inner workings of a handle...

She is a 1st time landlady - to give you an idea, for some carpet stains (light but several) she said that if a carpet cleaner could not remove them, she would charge us 75% of the new carpet. As it was we hired a carpet cleaner and it was fine but she seems to be plucking figures out of the air rather than following guidelines for landlords.
I have researched Google and know about LandlordZone, but not found a specific free place to give advice on how much landlords are supposed to deduct and percentages etc for them to have guidelines - if anyone has a reliable website your suggestions would be most helpful.


Anyhoo we've had a great time there and she really had been ok with us, I think it's down to her never having had tenants before.

Also I will speak to DPS to try and get an idea of how the arbitration on a queried item works if we end up going that route.
My fear is that if we say we would like this £50-£100 arbitrated, she might suddenly 'find' other items or issues, and it might prolong things to silly levels which we don't want....

clutton_2

EL - l ook at the T&Cs available on DPS website and look towards the end where you will find Arbitration procedures and time frames

MissMoneypenny

EagerLearner wrote: »

Yes boiler has only been inspected once,

Happy 2010 EL.

I think it was TBS who said that failure to have a corgi gas safety certificate within
12 months is an up to £5,000 fine or 6 months in jail. Unlimited if it goes to county court. Your landlady is required by law to keep the last two gas safety certificates.

I thought the deposit scheme only kept the disputed amount while they decide? So just £100 held back?

If it were me I would not be asking about quotes, but would be reminding the landlady that she knew about the broken handle and had failed to carry out the repair. Also mention to her about her failure to comply with the law regarding a gas safety certificate and the penalty for this.

She can either be decent about this handle and remember that it was her repair to do, or she can gamble on getting the £100 from the deposit but will also get a fine (or jail) for not complying with the law on the gas safety certificate.

clutton_2

"will also get a fine (or jail) for not complying with the law on the gas safety certificate.""

oh do stop being so melodramatic......

prudryden

All I can say is that any LL who is this petty after a 3yr rental shouldn't be in the business and the sooner she gets fined or whatever, the better for the rest of us LLs.

Gorgeous_George

I wouldn't ask for three quotes. I would flatly refuse to accept any responsibilty and as the deposit is protected, let the tribunal decide.

GG

MissMoneypenny

clutton wrote: »

"will also get a fine (or jail) for not complying with the law on the gas safety certificate.""

oh do stop being so melodramatic......

Go and do some reading clutton. Don't you make your living as a LL and LA? If you do then you should be aware of these things. Try the HSE site for starters.

Thrugelmir

EagerLearner wrote: »

Hi P - ah, so what does that mean for us? In the 3 years she has only had to replace an old shower, nothing else has gone wrong.

During the 3 years you've occupied the property everything has aged.

As with a car, often at a certain age repair bills mount up unexpectably. As items have a natural life span not necessarily dependent on usage.

If you one day own you own property you will understand the true cost of property ownership.