Sofa In Rented Property

singingsister

Hi guys

Quick question.

We live in a rented property and have done since July 2009. When we moved in the landlady bought a new Ikea sofa which, over the weekend has broken.

She's quite a neurotic landlady so we really try not to contact her unless we have to (for example she replaced the dishwasher but only got a 1/2 size one as she was unsure a full size one would fit....even though the previous one was a full size!).

It's only a £200 Ikea Klippan sofa and we're unsure the best thing.

1) Ring her and tell her it's broken and needs replacing (which we are loathed to do also as she just decided to get us a new front door at great expense)
2) Buy a sofa to replace it hoping we can take it when we move out (possibly either Jan or July 2014) but I think this is cheeky
3) Get one on E-bay for cheap (I am looking)
4) Get one for free from freecycle or similar (I am looking)

My question is - is 4 years a "reasonable" time for a "cheapish" sofa to last? I feel so bad telling her it's broken but even if we replace it with a cheap or free sofa, realistically the replacement won't last long!

What would you do?

BitterAndTwisted

A £200 sofa is not "cheapish" it's ruddy dirt-cheap! Quite frankly I'm absolutely astounded that it's last for over four years.

If you think it's broken due to natural wear and tear rather than having been damaged by you through mis-use you should inform her.

It's really not fair on your landlady to replace it and then expect to be able take it away with you when you move out. She'll discover it's damaged then and could make a deduction from your deposit for what would have been left of its useful life. Personally, I'd say that that will be nil but she might think otherwise.

Be an adult and own up.

[Deleted User]

Can u repair the sofa? Recovering it, replacing wooden parts or legs, screws for any part of the mechanism that has broken should be possible for a competent DiYer. If you can't do it, do you have a competent member of the family/friend that can help. Its amazing what you can repair when you try. Unfortunately we now live in a society that throws out rather than repairs something that could be repaired.

hazyjo

Ring Ikea and check their guarantee period. Some are 5-10 years so definitely worth looking into. Tried to find info on their site but couldn't so it might take a trip to a store or a phone call.

They might at least cover some of the cost if it's only lasted four years. Agree with B&T that for a cheap sofa it's done well, BUT Ikea seem to think a lot of their cheap stuff should still last...

Jx

Okydoky25

Was it even new when you moved in?

BitterAndTwisted

"When we moved in the landlady bought a new Ikea sofa"

This would indicate that the OP thinks it was

theartfullodger

I've had similar priced IKEA sofas last that long in rented property. WHY did it break - and where on the sofa?

AdrianC

There's a 10yr guarantee on Ikea sofas, including Klippan.

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/pdf/quality_brochures/Sofa%20Guarantee.pdf

BUT it does explicitly say "domestic use only". That _might_ (depending on their definition of "domestic") rule out use in a rental property. Some warranties do, on the basis that it's "non-domestic", since it's being bought for the landlord's business purposes, and because there's an assumption of heavier use and abuse.

So there's two choices...
- Lie to Ikea's customer service. Some may think it's a little white porkie, others might think it's more serious. Your & her call.
- Ask Ikea's customer service whether landlord-provided furniture in a rented flat/house counts as domestic or not.

I'd be tempted to make a phone call and ask.
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/customer_service/contact_us/call_us.html

singingsister

Hubby has had a look and its the thin flimsy wood at the back you lean against that's gone. He has had to do a bit of diy on it over the past year on the back of it. I think the problem is the wood throughout is thin which doesn't help.

A friend of ours who, how can I say this politely - isn't small broke it. The back has come away so where your bum is there is a few centimetre gap which makes it very uncomfortable to sit on, especially when are 33 weeks pregnant like I am.

I have no objection owning up to our landlady but I wasn't sure whether 4 years use was acceptable, if that makes sense. So the breakage is a combination of 4 years almost daily use and my friend "finishing it off" over the weekend.

And yes, it was definitely brand new when we moved in in 2009.

singingsister

AdrianC wrote: »

There's a 10yr guarantee on Ikea sofas, including Klippan.

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/pdf/quality_brochures/Sofa%20Guarantee.pdf

BUT it does explicitly say "domestic use only". That _might_ (depending on their definition of "domestic") rule out use in a rental property. Some warranties do, on the basis that it's "non-domestic", since it's being bought for the landlord's business purposes, and because there's an assumption of heavier use and abuse.

So there's two choices...
- Lie to Ikea's customer service. Some may think it's a little white porkie, others might think it's more serious. Your & her call.
- Ask Ikea's customer service whether landlord-provided furniture in a rented flat/house counts as domestic or not.

I'd be tempted to make a phone call and ask.
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/customer_service/contact_us/call_us.html

Thank you, it doesn't hurt to make a phone call I suppose!

AdrianC

singingsister wrote: »

Hubby has ... had to do a bit of diy on it over the past year on the back of it.

Hmm. That won't help when it comes to a warranty claim.