First time renting - what's reasonable for the landlord to charge us for on leaving

DoaM

G_M wrote: »

I'm sceptical about the light fittings, like the landlord - just 'broke'? Not on? Not being switched on? Things don't just 'break'.

Really? Like shower doors* (panels) from Better Bathrooms don't just shatter? Like oven doors* don't just shatter? (Obviously there's a significant thermal consideration with an oven door, but it's supposed to be designed to cope. With a shower panel there's no thermal consideration). Anything made of glass has the potential to fail - even a light fitting (shade).

* Check the Consumer Rights and Praise, Vent boards for examples of both of these things.

Marvel1

FBaby wrote: »

Cobwebs don't grow in two days

I can't find anything about 2 days in the original post.

Phirefly

Our selant has signs of mould and we have professional cleaners weekly. I'm dreading our inspection, our landlord is reasonable but the agency who will be doing the check out are an utter shower of unmentionables. After 5.5 years occupancy, there is definitely a reasonable level of wear and tear but I can see it getting petty. Sigh.

mchale

sheff6107 wrote: »

All sealant eventually goes mouldy. (ADR).

Not if cleaned regularly.

lisyloo

FBaby wrote: »

Mould: The issue is that you should have cleaned it.

Can you please tell me which product removes black mildew from sealant.
Some mildew is inevitable in my view especially in places that aren't well ventilated and sealant needs replacement anyway, but I'd still like to know what you think gets it off.

Edit: just seen the bleach comment.

Fwiw I live in 2 places. In London we have virtually no insects and reckon they are eaten by rats. In Wiltshire we get loads of cobwebs and spiders as our house was recently fields, so yes there can be huge variations. Complaining about cobwebs seems quite petty to me as it's unlikely to cost the landlord anything and sounds like an excuse to keep money.
I do agree that things do just perish, although I think it's a valid point bout reporting issues when they occur.

Tried the (near) bleach and it did not remove black mildew.

Sparky67

I can absolutely assure you the glass did break spontaneously in one light as I was in the room when it happened. The first one that broke I blamed the other half for thinking he must have done it bit didn't want to admit to it. He swore it wasn't him. When the second one went we were both present so knew the other hadn't damaged it. And the bulbs were put in by the landlord.

And the place wasn't awash with spiders webs. I hoovered and mopped before we left.

I did try cleaning the tiny bit of mould but it wouldn't shift with what I was using so obviously I wasn't using the right product.

And yes, I took copious photos. I would attach a few but I can't work out how to on my phone.

I'm going to pop into the estate agent and show him the photos tomorrow.

lisyloo

I would dispute. This is exactly what it's for.
Landlords should not expect their properties to be forensically shrink wrapped or treated like a museum, people need to live in them and there will be an element of wear and tear which is reasonable.
Clearly there's a range of opinions from people who have not seen your photos but I think your landlord is taking the P.
go for the dispute if you're unhappy, what have you go to lose?

Sorry but the agent is not on your side and will be back the LL, you're wasting your time trying to talk them round.

MerrilyA

Did the letting agency do an inventory? If they did then this could clear up any misunderstanding. It might be useful for you to get advise from The association of residential letting agents (ARLA) and see how they what they say. There needs to be an impartial person that can determine whether it's fair wear and tear or actual damage.

Arthien

lisyloo wrote: »

Can you please tell me which product removes black mildew from sealant.
Some mildew is inevitable in my view especially in places that aren't well ventilated and sealant needs replacement anyway, but I'd still like to know what you think gets it off.

Edit: just seen the bleach comment.

Tried the (near) bleach and it did not remove black mildew.

I'm surprised the bleach didn't work, did you leave it for 10-15 mins? It does have to be neat, I've never had success with it watered down. It's the only thing I've ever used that worked on sealant. I suspect it doesn't do it any good, but if it saves your deposit it's worth a try. Hope you find something! I agree the cobweb complaint is OTT from the LL though, but it's interesting to see different perspectives on the same issues.

Phirefly

I have to disagree with some of us opinions on sealant above. We've been on both sides of the fence of this recently. We have just taken back our property after a 5.5 year tenancy. There was mould in the bathroom sealant which had been brand new at the commencement of the tenancy. I judged it to be reasonable, we did not deduct any deposit for it and it was quickly and cheaply repaired. HG did not remove the mould from the sealant. Nor bleach. Dettol Mould and Mildew did remove mould from grout though.

My view was informed by my current home which as mentioned above is kept spotless and professionally cleaned weekly. There are however some evidence of mould in the sealant after 5.5 years of occupancy. I think that's reasonable but I predict our letting agents won't.