List of wear and tear lifespans?

GenerationRent

I have constant anxiety that I'll eventually be handed a bill for thousands of pounds when I leave a rented property. I do my best to take care of the places I live in and the agency guys always compliment me on doing a good job (last time the landlord even came around for the first time and the inspection guy told him that I was doing an excellent job of taking care of the place).

That said I just can't seem to ditch the worry, I guess it's because I'm trying desperately to save up for a house deposit and only managing about £500 a month when I don't spend *any* money at all on anything other than bills, rent, and food.

It just feels like it would be so easy to lose everything that I'm working so hard to save up. It's also possible that I'm just being irrational.

So enough with the complaining. Is there a list that gives good estimates on what the general life expectancy of various items is so that I can figure out how much it would cost to replace of sofa or carpet etc if some horrible accident happens?

dgtazzman

There is no straight answer, I'm afraid. I was looking into this when we decided to buy, thus leaving our rental a few months ago and the best I could come up with is that in some US states, landlords are required to write off paintwork, carpets and the like over 5 years, after which the tenant could not be asked for contribution towards renewing these items. Not even sure if the LL was actually required to redecorate after 5 years, just found somebrefernces on Google to it.

5 years does seem reasonable/realistic to me. The carpets and paint in our rental were 8 years old and looked a total mess (fraying carpets with stains that were mostly already there when we moved in, walls full of marks and holes from previous tenants attempts to hang stuff up, one room covered in old blue tac, tried to remove it, but was taking the paint off with it, so just left it during our 4 year tenure).

benjus

Closest thing I've found on this subject is: http://www.thedisputeservice.co.uk/case-studies.html

Pixie5740

Saving £500 a month is great.

Just relax about what will happen when you move out of your rental property. It hasn't happened, and may not ever happen, so there's no point getting your knickers in a twist about it just now.

Is your deposit protected and did you sign an inventory agreeing to the condition of the property when you moved in?

Remember that the onus is on the landlord to prove to the DPS that you caused damage over and above fair wear and tear.

Now make yourself a nice cup of tea.

moneyistooshorttomention

Guess the best bet is to ask the average person in the street what they would expect in their own home.

Okay, I'll start. I expect things to be mid-price range quality (eg the quality Marks & Spencers used to have for their products, Sainsburys food quality, etc). With that, my take on how long I personally expect my possessions to last is:

Carpets = 20 years (unless they are "bedroom quality", in which case make that 5 years)
Paint on walls = 10 years
Washing machine = 15 years
Cooker = 20 years
Curtains = 30 years
Beds in regular use = 15 years

Does that help at all?

benjus

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Guess the best bet is to ask the average person in the street what they would expect in their own home.

Okay, I'll start. I expect things to be mid-price range quality (eg the quality Marks & Spencers used to have for their products, Sainsburys food quality, etc). With that, my take on how long I personally expect my possessions to last is:

Carpets = 20 years (unless they are "bedroom quality", in which case make that 5 years)
Paint on walls = 10 years
Washing machine = 15 years
Cooker = 20 years
Curtains = 30 years
Beds in regular use = 15 years

Does that help at all?

I admire your optimism, but those figures are 2-3 times what I'd estimate. Modern white goods, for example, don't generally last nearly as long as older models.

Pixie5740

benjus wrote: »

I admire your optimism, but those figures are 2-3 times what I'd estimate. Modern white goods, for example, don't generally last nearly as long as older models.

Especially the pish you find in rental properties. Next year I'll be finished renting and moving into my own property. I'm treating myself to a Miele washing machine...no more Beko for me.

No more Candy or Fridgemaster fridge-freezers. In fact I'll get myself a frost-free fridge freezer...bliss.

abankerbutnotafatcat

In my rental property the white goods are all Siemens and Bosch. I provide what I'd like to find myself.

dgtazzman

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Guess the best bet is to ask the average person in the street what they would expect in their own home.

Okay, I'll start. I expect things to be mid-price range quality (eg the quality Marks & Spencers used to have for their products, Sainsburys food quality, etc). With that, my take on how long I personally expect my possessions to last is:

Carpets = 20 years (unless they are "bedroom quality", in which case make that 5 years)
Paint on walls = 10 years
Washing machine = 15 years
Cooker = 20 years
Curtains = 30 years
Beds in regular use = 15 years

Does that help at all?

Very optimistic indeed.

* Carpets, 5 years for standard quality, 10 for top quality, if you're lucky. Most landlords use 'builders' quality carpets, so 5 years it is. The carpet in our rental was fraying everywhere after 8 years, even in a room we had only stored some boxes in over the 4 years we were there. The room was for the most part unused.
* Paint, again, 5 years. Just moved into a new build and already find myself patching up the paint after just 3 weeks, so no way that's going to last 10 years. If I were a landlord, I'd consider a repaint after 3 years if a tenant had been in situ that long.
* White goods, 10 years, if you're lucky, there's a reason the manufacturer's guarantee for most brands is just a year, the faster they break, the faster they will need replacing.
* Cooker, hard to say, but I'd think I will have had a new kitchen installed well before that 20 years is over, which would include a new hob.
* Must be having a real laugh with 30 years for curtains. The curtains in our rental we just surrendered were of the 'see through' quality, would expect them to last more towards the 30 day mark than 30 years, especially if any of the tenants have been smokers.
* 15 years for beds, also a no, I had to DIY fix our 'high spec' dreams bed after 3 years, when I woke up on the floor one night.

Old_Git

the life expectancy for anything in a home will depend on how many live in it and their age group .
Toddlers draw and wee on everything
Teenagers heavy on the flooring and the doors
Elderly wee and shuffle on the flooring

hostie

Pixie5740 wrote: »

Saving £500 a month is great.

Just relax about what will happen when you move out of your rental property. It hasn't happened, and may not ever happen, so there's no point getting your knickers in a twist about it just now.

Is your deposit protected and did you sign an inventory agreeing to the condition of the property when you moved in?

Remember that the onus is on the landlord to prove to the DPS that you caused damage over and above fair wear and tear.

Now make yourself a nice cup of tea.

Totally agree with the above. It is extremely unlikely that a landlord would be able to prove that you caused unreasonable wear and tear, because from listening to you, you simply won't have.

I expect you will get your full deposit back without any questions. If you don't already know whether your deposit is held in an official scheme, it might be worth asking your landlord. That way they will know that you are not to be messed with

Really though, just relax, you're doing exceptionally well saving £500 per month. :T