Is my landlord being unfair?

NGB92

Hi i'm just looking for a bit of advice please.


I have recently moved out of an apartment that I rented for 6 months. After the 4th month I moved in with my partner but continued to pay the rent and utilities until my contract ran out.


When I moved out the apartment was in perfect condition. A few days before I was due to hand my keys in I went to the apartment to give it one last clean and dust prior to starting work. I bought a bleach that was on offer at the supermarket and ran it around the bath and taps with some water. I left it over night to soak (to try make it squeaky clean for my inspection). When I returned from work to finish off the last bits I noticed that the bleach had tinged a part of the bottom of the bath blue leaving a visible but faint mark on a small section of the bottom of the tub. The coating on the bottom of the taps was also affected.


On inspection my landlord was happy with the apartment apart from the bathroom and stated that he was going to ask someone to come and look at it and will be in touch. Since then he has been difficult to get in touch with despite me asking what is happening with my bond. I received a message from him last night stating that someone had been out to look at the taps and that they needed replacing. He said it would cost me £345 + VAT for the taps changing. He also stated that as the blue mark couldn't be removed from the bath that I would also have to pay for a new bath and the installation which he had not been quoted for yet but would be more expensive than the taps.


I'm really upset by this as I believe he is trying to rip me off. I'm a young woman and I feel like he thinks that he can take advantage of that. The function of the bath/taps is not affected and none of it was cause by neglect or intentionally. It is purely aesthetic and not as bad as he is trying to make out. I was expecting some of my bond to be knocked off (it was £550 in total) but now it looks like he is expecting me to not only not get anything back but also to pay him extra. I have also asked to see the quotes he was given and he hasn't responded.


Does this sound right?
Is there anything I can do to challenge him?
Any advice would be very much appreciated

missprice

Assuming the deposit was protected in a scheme? Have you gone to them to sort it out?.

FBaby

Unless the suite was brand new when you moved in, which he would have to prove, he won't get the full replacement. If it was brand new, they could consider that it wasn't fair wear and tear but damage in which case, they could grant the full replacement, but this is more unlikely.

Go through the dispute process and let an adjudicator decide.

Pixie5740

You have caused damage over and above fair wear and tear but your landlord is not entitled to betterment i.e. he does not get new for old.

Read G_M's guide to Deposits: payment, protection and return.

LdnFtB

A pair of taps does not cost £345.

GrumpyDil

Yup.

I rent a couple of properties and I would be annoyed but 345 for taps sounds somewhat excessive unless they are very special.

And I know that bleach marks plastic quite easily but would be annoyed about the bath.

He isn't generally entitled to betterment but depending upon the amount of damage and that this is damage and not fair wear and tear I'd expect him to get a fair amount of the cost of replacing as the schemes generally work out the amounts based on deducting an element for the amount of usage that has been had against the expected lifespan of the item. I'm not sure what the expected lifespan of taps and a bath is but suspect ten years would be reasonable.

saajan_12

Step 1: who is liable?
It was caused by neglect - you brought the product and applied it on the bath / taps causing the damage. If you believe the product was faulty, that's up to you to take up with the shop / manufacturer. It does not matter whether the damage affects the aesthetics or function of the bathroom - the LL is entitled to his property back in the same condition less fair wear and tear, which this is not. So, you are liable for the LL's damages.

Step 2: How much are the damages?
The LL cannot have betterment, he is entitled to undamaged, fitted bath & taps of the same age as at the end of your tenancy. So if they were 3 years old at the end of your tenancy and the typical lifespan of taps/bath of comparable quality is 15 years, then LL gets
(a) cost of cleaning / repairing if this is possible; or
(b) cost of second hand (~3 year old) undamaged taps/bath + fitting cost; or
(c) 12/15 = 80% of the cost of new taps/bath + fitting cost for the lost 12 years use.

If you think the amounts LL has quoted are too high, then get your own quotes to present to the deposit scheme when you raise a dispute.

00ec25

LdnFtB wrote: »

A pair of taps does not cost £345.

as a total cost that does sound a bit on the high side but have you perhaps ignored the fact that includes the labour charge for fitting? I'd expect between £100 - £200 total cost if "contract quality" taps are fitted by a plumber (+VAT if applic)

OP
- you caused damage
- the LL is entitled to "compensation" for that damage
- the "compensation" is a sum of money. It is not based on the LL having physically spent £x on repair/replacement, it is instead based on a fair assessment excluding "betterment"

let your deposit scheme decide what is fair, that is what the scheme exists for after all

chappers

00ec25 wrote: »

as a total cost that does sound a bit on the high side but have you perhaps ignored the fact that includes the labour charge for fitting? I'd expect between £100 - £200 total cost if fitted by a plumber (+VAT if applic)

OP
- you caused damage
- the LL is entitled to "compensation" for that damage
- the "compensation" is a sum of money. It is not based on the LL having physically spent £x on repair/replacement, it is instead based on a fair assessment excluding "betterment"

let your deposit scheme decide what is fair, that is what the scheme exists for after all

Exactly, changing the taps in my own bath, could easily run to a days work or maybe longer.
Also with regards to the cost of the taps, last year I ripped out a bathroom for a client which I would estimate was 60-70 years old, with that as an expected life expectancy for a bath and taps and depending upon the age and quality of the fittings it could be said that to all intents and purposes they are new.

rob7475

LdnFtB wrote: »

A pair of taps does not cost £345.

Including fitting, it could easily cost this much if the landlord has used high quality fittings.

Yes, you can buy cheap taps for £30 a set but good quality ones can cost much more. If the landlord originally fitted expensive taps, why should they have to replace them with cheap ones? The tenant should have been more careful

lincroft1710

LdnFtB wrote: »

A pair of taps does not cost £345.

There are plenty of taps that cost over £1,000, but I agree that £345 appears excessive for a rental.