List of wear and tear lifespans?

hostie

PS I notice that people are giving you prices, which strikes me as a bit strange. It is the landlords responsibility to maintain the property and replace any furniture in it that breaks through fair wear and tear. They can claim the 10% wear and tear discount from their tax liability.

jjlandlord

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Carpets = 20 years (unless they are "bedroom quality", in which case make that 5 years)
Paint on walls = 10 years

Seems odd to have carpets for 20 years but walls coverings for only 10...
Unless Spiderman.

benjus

jjlandlord wrote: »

Seems odd to have carpets for 20 years but walls coverings for only 10...
Unless Spiderman.

Batman has to get his ceilings repainted every 6 months.

moneyistooshorttomention

It does indeed depend on the quality of the item originally. My last washing machine lasted 17 years (Zanussi - back when it was a Swiss firm). I have a couple of pairs of curtains from my first home (that makes them over 30 years old) and they are absolutely fine and not at all worn and only reason to get rid of them would be because they've cut up and altered over the years to fit another place since.

I don't anticipate my present cooker lasting as long as it should. It was showing signs of wear in only about a year:eek::mad: (made with the Zanussi brand name on it, but its no longer a Swiss firm these days..'nuff said).

My recently-bought washing machine, fridge and freezer are all Bosch, so I will be expecting my 15 years worth at least from them.

Cheapie own brand makes of anything...I'd probably expect only a very short time past the guarantee period. One particular item lasted literally one day past the guarantee period, as I recall, and my reaction was "That manufacturer worked out the built-in obsolescence period absolutely exactly to the T then, didn't they?:mad:".

mumlady1

Can I make a suggestion, Generation Rent, just to relieve your anxiety a little?
You are doing a brilliant job saving up to £500 a month for your new home so why don't you take 10% or 15% of that amount & put it away in a separate account each month for any wear & tear that may or may not be requested when you leave your rented flat? That should help with the anxiety as you will know you have a fund ear marked for the purpose but assuming all is well when you leave you will have an 'extra' pot of money for your new home.
If your agent has already complimented you on how well you're looking after the flat, I would try to stop worrying about it

TBagpuss

I agree that the times suggested by Moneystootighttomention are much longer than would be reasonable for a rented property, and that the reasonable life expectancy will vary depending on the quality of the original item, and the reasonable usage - for instance, I'd expect a washing machine in a 1 bed rented flat to last longer than the same washing machine in a 4 bed rented house, as if the accommodation is for 4 people instead of one, it would be reasonable to assume that it's going to be washing (at least) 4 times as much stuff.

Make sure that you notify your land lord straight away of any faults or issues, and when you move out, take photos as well as going through the sign out inventory.

Pixie5740

mumlady1 wrote: »

Can I make a suggestion, Generation Rent, just to relieve your anxiety a little?
You are doing a brilliant job saving up to £500 a month for your new home so why don't you take 10% or 15% of that amount & put it away in a separate account each month for any wear & tear that may or may not be requested when you leave your rented flat? That should help with the anxiety as you will know you have a fund ear marked for the purpose but assuming all is well when you leave you will have an 'extra' pot of money for your new home.
If your agent has already complimented you on how well you're looking after the flat, I would try to stop worrying about it

Tenants are not liable for wear and tear, that's a business cost for landlords which should be factored into the rent.

skivenov

General rule of thumb from a landlord's point of view is expect to have to redecorate communal areas (lounges, kitchens, bathrooms, hallways) every 3 years. Bedrooms every 5.

benjus

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

My recently-bought washing machine, fridge and freezer are all Bosch, so I will be expecting my 15 years worth at least from them.

My last Bosch washing machine lasted about 6 years. Got a repair man out but he said that a repair would be uneconomical. I think you're lucky if you can get more than this sort of lifetime from mid-range brands these days. On the plus side, after accounting for inflation they are much cheaper than they used to be.

moneyistooshorttomention

benjus wrote: »

My last Bosch washing machine lasted about 6 years. Got a repair man out but he said that a repair would be uneconomical. I think you're lucky if you can get more than this sort of lifetime from mid-range brands these days. On the plus side, after accounting for inflation they are much cheaper than they used to be.

Only 6 years:eek: That would mean that machine had cost me somewhere around £80-£100 per year:eek:. Well the Zanussi (when it was Swiss) one never even had to have a repair in its 17 years (despite having had lodgers using it too for some years). You must have been unlucky with that particular one I guess? Think I'd be looking to do my washing by stamping up and down on it in a tub if I had to pay out £100 a year before even costing in my electric and water to use the machine personally....