Landlord duty to replace broken items

mumlady1

Looking for a bit of advice from other landlords please.
Just had a text from tenant to say the whirlygig in the garden has broken & she wants to me (as landlord) to renew so she can hang washing out.

Whirlygig is old & came with flat when I bought it a year ago.

Is it my duty to replace this or should tenant replace it?

WestonDave

Bigger picture time - if its not on the inventory then arguably you wouldn't have to replace it as its not part of the contract - but - if you don't replace it and she starts drying stuff indoors with consequences like mould and condensation damp you may end up with bigger costs. At least if you spend £40 getting a new one and she has damp inside due to drying clothes you have something to chuck at her. Get one, get her to sign for it as being supplied and that she accepts responsibility for returning it in good condition when she leaves.

thesaint

No, it's not your duty to replace it whether it is included on the inventory or not.

Jenniefour

Good tenants? Want them to stay in the longer term? Worth the £40 to get a new one.

Enfieldian

Remember, being an amateur landlord is about maximum return from minimum effort and outlay.

Don't replace it but charge them for a new one when they leave.

whalster

Can't beat the comments above ,replace it it's good tenant relations you sound like your not daft enough to use an agent so your not loosing 10% a month of your rent so it's not such a big cost to keep a good tenant

BitterAndTwisted

I can't believe that a tenant would ask their landlord to replace such a thing! It's possible that it's been broken through mis-use rather than old age, in which case it's the tenant's responsibility to replace it or suffer a deduction from their deposit.

If it's not on the dual-signed check-in inventory then do not replace. It's my feeling that if you replace this you will be asked to pop round and wipe their bums quite soon. Some tenants know when they have a newby or inexperienced landlord and are able to play them like fiddles.

cattie

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

I can't believe that a tenant would ask their landlord to replace such a thing! It's possible that it's been broken through mis-use rather than old age, in which case it's the tenant's responsibility to replace it or suffer a deduction from their deposit.

I have to agree, the more I read these forums, the more I pity LL's with some of the ridiculous expectations that tenants have of what they feel a LL should be forking out for.

I know that a lot of tenants go on about how they are paying a LL's mortgage, well dearie, isn't the LL providing a roof over your head? Where would you be if there were no LL's?

And no, I am not, have never been & would never be a LL. Reading posts on mse is enough to put anybody off.:o

19lottie82

thesaint wrote: »

No, it's not your duty to replace it whether it is included on the inventory or not.

Morally maybe (debatable), but not legally.

SerialRenter

cattie wrote: »

Where would you be if there were no LL's?

Probably in a house because without property investment perhaps homes would be affordable =P

*This post does not imply agreement with the OP's tenant

societys_child

ASDA £9.50 - or just send them a washing line . . .