"Wear and tear" in a rental property

lazy_girl

Your mum is an expert on housing law and she can't decide what is fair wear and tear?

Hmmm.

clutton_2

""there are even coffee rings on the arm of the couch despite a coffee table being provided ""

i'm sorry, but this comment, and your provision of pale coloured carpets and furnishings really shows your inappropriate attitude to renting.

you cannot legislate others' behaviour - you cannot tell others not to put coffee cups on the chair, you cannot tell others to not smoke, you cannot rule tenants' lives - you rent them a house - that's all. If you don't want furniture damaged then rent it unfurnished - if you dont want horribly stained carpets, use darker colours, but, don't, please, be judgemental about others peoples lives and habits.

if you feel strongly enough - with-hold the cost of a new settee, or get it recovered, or buy new covers, or withhold all the deposit and see what a court decides if your tenant takes you to court.

Unless - have you by any chance talked to your tenants yet about what they feel is a fair deduction ?

i have just negotiated a very fair deduction for burn damage to a kitchen worktop, to a 2 year old tenancy which is ending.

Solutions are never possible without communication - talk to them

Melissa177

Is it acceptable to put a no-smoking clause in an agreement, by the way?

Or is this unenforcable (such as having children)?

This is a hypothetical question, I might add!

roswell

Oh no not another missK thread,

Anyway back to topic, if you dont liek the damage dont provide light coloured sofa`s carpets etc, or better still rent out as un furnished,

if your mom has been in the BTL business as long as you like to make out she should know this anyway.

missk_ensington

Just to adress a few things, yes my mother is a a lawyer but hasn't practiced for many years, and even if she was still practicing she doesn;t know every aspect of the law in the same way a doctor doesn;t know about every illness - professionals specialise in certain areas.

Vase -it isn't that is has a huge value, its just that because it was a gift and quite old she doesn;t know the value to bill for it.

No my Mum isn;t part of any kind of association, she runs the business by herself (no partners) and it doesn;t warrant being in anyu kind of association.

I accept that wear and tear happens, but what is wear and tear? Is something wear and tear because someone has trodden mucky boots into carpet day in day out and split ribena and not cleaned it up properly cos they're scruffy and lazy? Who defines wear and tear? Is something general wear and tear, if a brand new couch has to be replaced after 15 months of usage because its black with grease and muck? (Lynzpower it has already been professionally cleaned and it can't be brought up clean).

The reason I've put up this thread is not just because of my mums situation, but to see if anyone could clarify the grey areas of letting such as these.

What if it is in the contract that there can be no smoking/pets...etc in a property and then they contravene it? Fair is fair, its a persons house at the end of the day, a very expensive possession and it isn;t fair that people can ruin it and not be able to do anything. If you hired a car and smoked in it when you were told it was strictly no smoking you'd get your deposit docked, how's a house/flat different?

brazilianwax

missk_ensington wrote: »

Just to adress a few things, yes my mother is a a lawyer but hasn't practiced for many years,

And yet just 6 months ago you said she still was (in the quote Zara 33 posted). Do NASA know about your time travel abilities?

Why not just screw the tenant in the way you screw the benefits system and your 'au pair', Miss K?

missk_ensington

roswell wrote: »

Oh no not another missK thread,

Anyway back to topic, if you dont liek the damage dont provide light coloured sofa`s carpets etc, or better still rent out as un furnished,

if your mom has been in the BTL business as long as you like to make out she should know this anyway.

If you don't my threads, don't post a reply or read them. There are many others threads where you can contribute.

My Mum has been in gthe BTL business about 6 years, I dont remember ever telling anyone how long she'd been in it.

What a stupid comment about damage, it is marketed as a beautful luxury apartment at a pretty high rate, aimed at professionals. Can one no longer have such properties for rent? Can people not be trusted to clean up after themselves??

brazilianwax

missk_ensington wrote: »

even if she was still practicing she doesn;t know every aspect of the law in the same way a doctor doesn;t know about every illness - professionals specialise in certain areas.

But (again) you said she was a specialist in exactly that type of law!!!

missk_ensington

brazilianwax wrote: »

And yet just 6 months ago you said she still was (in the quote Zara 33 posted). Do NASA know about your time travel abilities?

Why not just screw the tenant in the way you screw the benefits system and your 'au pair', Miss K?

She does not practice regularly either as a self-emplyed solicitor or as an employee as a firm, she takes on work from friends/friends-of-friends on an ad hoc basis as usually as a favour. She represents herself regularly in her own court dealings, i.e, she is currently undertaking forfeiture of a lease on a property, and in court with another who hasn't paid any rent for months.... But she isn;t a solicitor as such that the general public can call her up and employ her.

brazilianwax

missk_ensington wrote: »

She does not practice regularly either as a self-emplyed solicitor or as an employee as a firm, she takes on work from friends/friends-of-friends on an ad hoc basis as usually as a favour. She represents herself regularly in her own court dealings, i.e, she is currently undertaking forfeiture of a lease on a property, and in court with another who hasn't paid any rent for months.... But she isn;t a solicitor as such that the general public can call her up and employ her.

Finally, some good news for the public.