Holiday let..burnt surface...LL wants a brand new worktop??!!

mazy_m

G_M wrote: »

The point is you'd be getting a brand new one in place of a 5 (or 15) year old one.

Morally questionable, and legally unenforcible.

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Thank you for this!!!

and a point to make for the person you quoted is the burn mark is not pan size in the slighest it was no bigger than a 2p and 1p piece in height and half the width.

geoffky

looks like you just wait and see what they do next...but the courts will not allow them betterment.

Mistral001

The OP left property they rented with a burn mark on the kitchen worktop. It is only a matter of the cost of putting it right as far as I can see not whether the Op should pay or not. The state of the cottage is irrelevant.

Has a price been discussed yet? If it is one of those chipboard one and a half inch thick worktops with a plastic coating from somewhere like B&Q then it should not cost very much to replace.

One good thing about the situation is that the cottage seems to have been rented out in the name of the person who made the burn mark and so tehre will be no arguments as to who will have to pay. not much consolation though I suppose.

Torry_Quine

It seems a very silly thing to do if you didn't know whether it was heat resistant. Sorry but I think you are liable. Unless I've missed it did you tell the owner what had happened right away as that is the first thing that should have happened. When in holiday accomodation I always tell immediately if something breaks or is damaged.

hotpot1000

Ive had to live with a similar burn mark on my pale grey working top for over 10yrs after a friend put a red hot fry pan off the cooker and onto working top.
I was horrified when I found the burn and have had to live with it all these years, it has faded a lot now.
I can understand why they feel it should be replaced by the person who caused the damage.

phill99

I run a property maintenance company and this is something I see with some frequency.

Lets put it into reality.

All of the other stuff about the cottage is irrelevant.

The worktop needs to be repaired.

You cannot repair a worktop. It has to be replaced. If it is an 'L' or 'U' shape worktop with Masons mitres (ie not those awful metal joing strips), then you can not replace just one section as the minute you disassemble a masons mitre, it ruptures the work top. therefore the whole thing has to be replaced.

If you did this at home it is normally claimable on your buildings insurance.

Therefore, the L/L should be looking at replacing this via his insurance, with the OP contributing to his excess.

And this sh*t about 'Betterment' is a non discussion. You cannot replace 15 year old worktops with 15 year old work tops. You can only replace them with new. Insurers do not make any deductions for betterment anymore. The insurance industry has moved n in the last few years.

thegirlintheattic

There is a difference between betterment and making good the damage. A worktop cannot be 'patched up' so it doesn't matter if the worktop was 15 years old or 5 mins old, it needs to be replaced. The quality of the worktop has to be the same but not the age.

OP I suggest you contact LL and offer to pay their excess on the insurance if your insurance does not cover it.

Tinkaf1

If it is a cheap worktop they are about 30-50 from DIY places aren't they? If 6 chipped in then it isn't a lot for something that you admit you caused I guess. IF you made a proper complaint about the hot tub AT THE TIME then that is a different issue altogether. Pay up for the worksurface, but state clearly that you are now going to persue an official complaint about the hot tub. Swings and Roundabouts really I guess.

jamie11

G_M wrote: »

The point is you'd be getting a brand new one in place of a 5 (or 15) year old one.

I think the real point is that since it is a holiday home the clients have a right and expectation that it should be as nice, and perfect. as possible, if it were a normal long term letting then I would agree with you about betterment. Phill99 makes good sense.

Mazy_m, I know it was only a small mark but the principle remains that it mars the worktop and lowers the value of the property. Practically speaking, for such a small mark I would have made and fixed a heat resistant 'pan rest' over it. If that were possible of course.

Uk_Lover

Like others I'd offer to pay the excess for their insurance then take up a claim against the holiday company for the other problems. You will probably find it works out about the same.

In future make sure you take photo's of any problems while you rent as if you don't it's your word against them.