Damage to a rental property, should the tenant be given the opportunity to right it?

sequence

Yes, you should not be doing anything or commenting on the cleanliness at this stage, it's none of your business. For all you know the tenants could spend £500k having the property professionally er re-er-fixoring before they go :rotfl:

When they move out you can start asking questions !

clutton_2

""When they move out you can start asking questions !""

ecxactly - if you start talking deposit deductions before tenants move out they are more likely to leave the house in a worse condition ("might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb syndrome")

""my in-laws would like someone they know who can clean the carpets "" - you cannot prescribe how or who a tenant gets to clean - if that person cleans to a professional standard then its clean...... you cant say "it aint clean cos jimmy didn't clean it"... but you can say "its not clean enough" after tenants have cleaned/not cleaned and then left.


""if there wasn't an inventory could they possibly get the tenants to confirm they did the damage? maybe over email? if the tenants don't understand there should have been an inventory maybe they would admit in discussion of putting it right?""

the problem with this is that even if you get the tenant to admit the damage they did... without an inventory (or possibly a set of decorators/cleaners invoices perhaps dated immediately before the tenant moved in ) you have no measure of the standard of the decor when they moved in.......

in the past i had one lot of exceptionally good tenants paint round a fridge in the kitchen and round a wardrobe in the bedroom !!! they did come back and do it again when i discussed deductions ...

the problem about deductions which end up in the Arbitration or court system is that disgruntled tenants will be well peeved off by then, and are likely to be "economical with the truth"... DPS will believe tenants every time unless there is unequivocal evidence to the contrary.. i doubt DPS would accept decorators invoices - but a court would at least look at it and discuss it with you.....

johnsons_baby

Little update today....
The tenant called MIL apologsing profusely for the damage, usual banter, 3 kids, working dad, part time working Mum.

Anyway, she has suggested she and the husband right the damage now, they did say they didn't like living with it as it is.

They have suggested they get a carpet cleaner round and they paint the walls, MIL did say that upon exiting they'd have to put the paint back to how it was upon them moving in....basically do a good job of it.

Unfortunately, I don't believe MIL is cut out for the rental business, she said because they'd been 'so nice' about it, she wouldn't give them notice now, it's her business at the end of the day....

Still working on her about joining the LA.....

In-laws.....don't you just love them!!

clutton_2

let her get on with it ... if she refuses advice from professoinals you are wasting your time.....

Hopejack

It's so difficult to stand back and not say anything about the way a tenant is living in your property (been there!) but I have to say, in my experience, if someone lives like that, then come check out, the place is still going to be a sh*t tip! People like that have no standards when it comes to housekeeping imo. Of course, as others have said, you often have to stand back as you can't start saying too much about the way they are living, only that it has to be returned to same move in standard. Glad to hear your in-laws have a good inventory - I would think 99% they are going to need it when these tenants go - sorry to say!

If I were your MIL I'd give them notice while there is still time to get the place back and not have too much work to do - again speaking from bitter experience here! The longer these tenants are in there, the more damage I think they will do

Cynical, moi, nope

clutton_2

i have had several conversations with tenants in the early months of their tenancy about the state of the property.... especially with younger tenants with kids who really dont know about the world of renting..

i take the view that if they are not told what is expected of them, then how will they know ?

a couple of young women tenants have really upped their cleaning schedule and we now are on very good terms as i always go out of my way to praise things that have improved...

one lass, (first time in a rental) simply did not know where to get hoover bags... sorted in an hour or so....

i think you have to judge each tenant on their individual merits - assess their circumstances and see just what it is they need in order to get things a bit cleaner and tidier...

but at the end of the day some folks - both landlords and tenants - are just slobs !!

Hopejack

clutton - it beggars belief but it's good that you are able to approach and get them on side and tell them how to get vaccum bags!! In the case here though it doesn't seem that the couple are young girls who just don't know any other to be fair

Get your MIL to schedule another inspection in a sensible amount months time (it may well be in their TA what has been agreed re inspection visits) and see if anything has changed. If not, then I'd say that is the time to act.