Tenant has broken the bath

smala01

I have a clause in my rental agreement that i must have contents insurance that covers accidental damage to glass and sanitary wear.

In fact most contents insurance have tenants liability cover for the above as standard.

Smala01

smala01

Oh - and cracks to baths can be successfully "fixed" by using an epoxy putty to the underside of the bath/shower base. (the silver type is available in poundland at the moment)

A plumber will protest but this was the approved repair proceedure for large property maintenance companies for properties i rented in the past!

Smala01

tommie1shunt

Get a bath for £100, get a bath suite for £150, fit it yourself it aint difficult.

dotchas

boyse7en wrote: »

We're contacting our broker to find out the position re: insurance
But I suspect that it may not be worth claiming due to excess, premium increase etc.

I have found a peach-coloured bath online, but it is £250 + £30 delivery, and they won't take returns unless it is faulty (so colour match may be an issue)
My current thinking is to buy a complete white suite for about £400 and fit it myself (I've done a few replacement bathrooms now) and to ask the tenants for a contribution towards purchase and fitting costs.

Try B&Q for a bathroom suite around £200 or Screwfix. We fitted a £200 Focus suite a few years ago when a leak necessitated the removal of the 1980s Whisper Green bath in our rental flat. We didn't see the point of refitting the out of date bath, so went the whole hog and got a white suite. Our plumber even managed to fit it leaving the tiles intact.

Oh and a few years down the line its still intact, and our tenant is errr... lets say solidly built!

FireWyrm

:beer:

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

How easy or difficult is it to "fall over and crack the bath?" I've never heard of such a thing.

Yes you have. I did exactly that in January this year. You commented on it, I'm sure....

Anyway OP, this is what happened to us....I fell over in the shower and cracked two ribs as well as the bath itself....it's actually easier to do than yu think. I was off work for 2 weeks but luckily was paid. However, when I tried to claim on our insurance, we were told that it was classed as 'fixtures and fittings' so our insurance wouldn't pay, since you cannot insure what you don't own. We informed the LA who told us to pay since we had 'damaged' the bath and it was entirely our fault. We advised them this was a pure accident, but they told us that the LL didnt have accidental damage insurance so we were liable. We gave them a choice, to forego January rent, or have the bath replaced, but we couldn't afford both at once. Finally, the LL said he would pay half and we borrowed the rest. 2 months later we renewed our tenancy but only for 6 months instead of 12 as had been done previously, entirely at the LLs behest. 6 months later the SOB issued us with a S21. So, there yu have it. Tenants who have an accident apparently have to not only pay to put it right because the LL didn't have the appropriate insurance, but get evicted too for being clumsy. I later found out that ADC was only something like £7 a month!

FireWyrm

jc808 wrote: »

Indeed - I smell BS

I smell someone who genuinely slipped in the god damned shower and genuinely may have hurt themselves....I would have laughed too...until I did it myself and then I can tell you that you won't be laughing with broken ribs. It's hurts like a SOB.

tpt

if you want to keep the tiles don't just go and buy a cheap b&Q suite. measure the one that's fitted now, including the size of the sink where it meets the wall and the toilet cistern size or you'll most likely find that your new cheap suite is much smaller than the old one leaving nasty gaps and meaning you have to re-tile the whole thing.

Plumbing changes should be very very minimal - you can switch to using flexible push fit tap hoses to make that easier meaning its only the waste that needs adjusting (if you ordered the right height toilet to fit your soil pipe) 2 days work max for a plumber.

Plus if you go for a cheap suite - expect it to crack again!

Callie22

FireWyrm wrote: »

I smell someone who genuinely slipped in the god damned shower and genuinely may have hurt themselves....I would have laughed too...until I did it myself and then I can tell you that you won't be laughing with broken ribs. It's hurts like a SOB.

Been there, done that - when I was staying in an hotel for a business trip. Apart from the embarassment, you really don't look professional when you're sitting in meetings with a huge bruise on your forehead (yes, I headbutted the wall on the way down too), and you can't stand up because you've bruised your leg and cracked a couple of ribs. That was not my finest hour ...

BitterAndTwisted

It might not have been your finest hour but it surely must have been one of your most heroic ones.

FireWyrm: I do not remember that. Must be getting senile. Was that in January 2011 or a few days ago as in "January this year"?

suki1001

Just for interest: If you could shake a house upside down - everything that would fall out is contents, everthing that stays in is buildings x