We've broken a sofa in our rental property, how best to minimise deduction?

DRP

grifferz wrote: »

I love you archive.org:

http://web.archive.org/web/20090123034436/http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S59839817

£161 brand new!!! Well that is less to worry about then...

Also that wooden frame looks fairly fixable.

pinkshoes

I'd just fix it better and not say anything.

It's a cheap Ikea sofa that broke through wear and tear, and is at the end of it's shelf life, and will probably be skip fill!

You could always claim it was always like that!

Or buy a new one - would they even notice??

Or offer to buy it off them?

Is your deposit protected by the way??

grifferz

pinkshoes wrote: »

I'd just fix it better and not say anything.

I've had another look at it and I really don't think it is fixable. Not only is the dowel snapped but the whole last panel of the right side base is splitting at the point where it joins the panels that go 90 degrees along the front and back of the base.

Hard to explain but if you were looking at the frame base from above it might look like:

========
||#||#|| F
||#||#||
======== R
||#||#||
||#||#|| O
========
||#||#|| N
||#||#||
======== T
||#||#||
||#||#||
========
^ dowel here connects to arm

Basically that dowel and the whole panel it connects to (bottom line of "=") is splitting way from the ones going vertically in the diagram. I have no confidence in my ability to fix that.

Although that again is irritating because the base shows some jury-rigging by previous tenants - some of the slats are splitting and have been braced with cable ties!

pinkshoes wrote: »

Or buy a new one - would they even notice??

I'm thinking I can negotiate a deduction of less than £100, but that I wouldn't be able to source a sub £100 sofa including my time and delivery (would need to be flat-packed to get inside this property), and still have them not notice.

pinkshoes wrote: »

Or offer to buy it off them?

Would you as a landlord not be rather put out if a tenant offered to buy some furniture off you, you couldn't agree a price, and then they told you that it was damaged?

Would you not feel like they had been trying to pull a fast one on you, and treat them with suspicion from then on?

Thing is we still have to get out of this flat and get the rest of our deposit back and while I do not believe there is anything further they could deduct for, they could still cause us some hassle with the usual "professional cleaning of carpets, oven, etc." charges (which would all be invalid as that wasn't the case on moving in, but still they may try).

pinkshoes wrote: »

Is your deposit protected by the way??

Yes and I do have all the prescribed information. Sadly its not going to be that simple.

Dovah_diva

jamie11 wrote: »

(Because I would expect it to last a minimum 10 years.)

You'd expect that cheap piece of crap to last ten years?!!!! You'd be lucky to get 10 months.

jamie11

Judging by your diagram I'd expect to take no more than about half an hour to make a repair, but then I am handy with wood and have the tools. Do you have anyone that could drill out the old dowel and fit a new one. It's really not hard if you have the gear.

jamie11

Dovah_diva wrote: »

You'd expect that cheap piece of crap to last ten years?!!!! You'd be lucky to get 10 months.

:beer: There ain't nuffink from Ikea that I would expect to last in terms of years. That was not the question though.

ValHaller

DRP wrote: »

£161 brand new!!! Well that is less to worry about then...

Also that wooden frame looks fairly fixable.

Hmm. Not worth worrying about.

Given the quality of the item, I would argue that

• its life is 5-8 years, not 10 years
• the 'damage' is actually fair wear and tear

I would be looking to settle at a write off and prepared to pay £25. £40 tops.

I agree, it is probably repairable, but I would not bother.

slowcoachme

I would do nothing at all. The sofa was dilapidated when you moved in 4 yrs ago, did you sign an inventory including condition of furniture? Your landlord is non resident, has his agent been doing regular house checks? If so it should have been noticed and reported to him. I am a landlady, if it was reported to me, I'd say Don't worry, the flat is going to be sold and the sofa will be chucked anyway.

pinkshoes

As it broke through wear and tear, you shouldn't have to pay a penny! It's clearly at the end of its natural life!

I would do my best to fix it then leave it!

societys_child

I would do my best to fix it then leave it!

What pinkshoes says ^^^

Can you not simply replace the broken dowel? Problem solved.

(Edit: or a small bracket and a few screws.)