Landlord trying to make us pay for repairs...

madmish

we have been renting for a year and half, our Landlord lives in Australia and his brother does the inspections etc. recently one of the neighbours requested some of the fence panels be replaced as they were broken, we got the landlords brother round to check it out and then left it in his hands.last week it was repaired, also gas fire was removed as it did not work(never had since we moved in) and the en suite shower room had leaked into the living room below, so this was also repaired. my hubby has just rang saying the landlord is insisting we pay for half the fence repair as he believes the kids did it with football!! i am furious!1 my hubby kind of agreed to pay half, but i don't want to, that fence was about 16 years old, and actually only 1 panel actually had a hole in although 3 were replaced. i think he is after a quick buck as he has just had all this work done. My hubby is worried that if we refuse they won't renew the tenancy next June. we have 4 kids and another baby is due in March, we have terrible credit and finding a landlord is very difficult. any ideas or advice would greatly be welcome x

BitterAndTwisted

You have to weigh up the risk of being given notice if you decline to pay for half of the fence. It all depends on how much this small job is going to cost you and balance that against the possibility of finding and being able to afford all of the costs of having to move somewhere else. Terrible credit equals being between a rock and a hard place. Personally, I wouldn't risk it. Mind you, the landlord may not renew your tenancy in June anyway, now that these repairs have had to be paid for. They could believe that they could get much more rent than you are currently paying.

jamie11

If you are broke and you agree to pay the half cost, ask your landlord if it's possible to take it from the deposit at the end of the tenancy rather than expect cash now. It's better to talk now than ignore it, at least your landlord will know you are not burying your head in the sand, oh yes, confiscate the ball.

casper_g

jamie11 wrote: »

If you are broke and you agree to pay the half cost, ask your landlord if it's possible to take it from the deposit at the end of the tenancy rather than expect cash now. It's better to talk now than ignore it, at least your landlord will know you are not burying your head in the sand, oh yes, confiscate the ball.

The problem with this would be that it gives the landlord another reason to want to end the tenancy and recover the money. The OP is concerned to avoid this.

BitterAndTwisted

The cost of half of replacing a few fence-panels could be about twenty quid or so. A drop in the ocean compared to the monthly rent. That's not even the equivalent of two adults and four kids popping down to McDonalds this afternoon.

princeofpounds

No-one has actually mentioned or asked... did your kids actually damage the fence?

If yes, even if it was old you should contribute. If not, you should not.

bris

Did the neighbour contribute towards the fence? If so then half the cost could very well be his entire share. You could tell him it's not your problem as it's down to wear and tear after 16 years, he certainly can't be sure of how the damage was caused.
Like others have said though you have to weigh it up with getting the tenancy renewed. Personaly I would want to speak to, or email the LL in Australia and get his point of view, the brother could be pulling a fast one.

G_M

* Whose fence? Landlord's or neighbour's?
* did kids cause damage? If so, you contribute, but could negotiate how much
* are you in a fixed term contract or monthly periodic? If periodic, your tenancy is not secure so arguing could result in eviction.
* Was anything agreed before the fence was repaired? Orally? in writing?
* Have you seen invoice for the repair? Were you shown more than one quote for the cost?

Plus
* who do you pay rent to? Brother in UK or landlord overseas? If landlord, beware! HMRC can chase YOU for the landlord's tax on his rental income unless he has got written agreement from them. Read here.

clutton_2

how do you know it is 16 years old ?