Tenant repairing damage.

11Mike

Hi all, i have a question and think i may know the answer i am going to get but thought i’d ask anyway.

My tenant broke the shower, it is the bit that slides up and down a bar with the shower head on. Now, the fittings of the shower, towel rail, toilet roll holder etc are all square wher eit fixes to the wall, however, the one the have replaced it with is rounded.

Can request/demand it to be replaced with a matching or similar style to match the decor of the bathroom or am i just being picky. Obviously i would have replaced it like that but being your own you would.

If i can’t do anything then fair enough, it works at the end of the day, as annoying as it is. I am just wondering if they are supposed to attempt to match and not just buy the cheapest one they can.

Cheers.

Gabbs_the_Newt

You have the right to insist on a like for like replacement, subject to reasonably wear and tear (which this isn’t). Is it worth the fight though? You are not out of pocket, and I doubt future tenants will be fussed. If they refuse you will have to deduct from deposit, they may make a claim with DPS and so on and so on....

Slithery

If it's not a like for like replacement I'd be taking the cost of a suitable replacement out of their deposit when they leave.

G_M

It's your right to insist on a like-for-like replacement.

Whether doing so is worth the trouble, and potential bad feeling, is up to you.

It might depend on various factors eg:

* length of potential tenancy. If these are potential long-term tenants, and you want them to be long term, do you wish to risk alienating them over a very minor matter after they have (in their minds perhaps) gone to the trouble of repair/replacement rather than troubling you?

* history of tenants. Is the first issue, or have they been troublesome since they moved in?

* style of property. Is this an upmarket property, decorated to a high standard with fully matching everything?

* cost. How much will it cost to put right?

* age. How old is (was) the shower unit? (see 'betterment')

* property history. Was this once your home, to which you have an attachment which conflicts with running it as a letting business?

11Mike

Thanks guys.

I wasn’t sure if I was being picky but did think it was like for like.

G_M the length of tenancy isn’t an issue as they have just submitted notice, we have new tenants ready to move in too.

It isn’t the first issue but to be h9nest they haven’t been that bad.

It was decorated to a very high standard all throughout with everything matching.

Maybe £40-50, so not mega bux.

The shower was isnstalled when we lived there, also covers your next point, it was still in pristine condition when we left the house though.

It was once our home, hence the high standard of decor etc which prompted me to ask this question if i was being too picky. We understand the difference and the current outgoing tenants have been there for over 2 1/2 years.

Gabbs_the_Newt wrote: »

You have the right to insist on a like for like replacement, subject to reasonably wear and tear (which this isn’t). Is it worth the fight though? You are not out of pocket, and I doubt future tenants will be fussed. If they refuse you will have to deduct from deposit, they may make a claim with DPS and so on and so on....

As said, i thought this was the case but again. I have said the same to my wife, is it worth fighting for? I’ll have a look around and see if i can still find similar, if it isn’t much i will say i want it replaced, if it is i will probably not bother pursuing it.

Thanks for the help.

FBaby

You have new tenants lined up already. Have they requested a reduction of the rent you asked for on the basis of this detail (which they probably didn't even noticed?). I expect not, in which case, why don't you let it go? The stress of going through the deposit dispute will be more costly than what you'd get out of it (if anything) and it sounds like it hasn't cost you anything since you've got new tenants in.

The fact that it was your home before is irrelevant. It isn't any longer.

martindow

I think I would see what else comes up when you do the check out of the condition of the house. If there are other things then add it to the list, but if there is all there is I would let it go. New tenants aren't going to worry about cosmetic differences in the bathroom fittings.

If the check in inventory lists the bathroom as having a shower in good working condition or something along those lines the tenants could argue that it still meets that definition. I would be annoyed as a tenant if I had repaired the shower and then had a LL chasing me for a trivial amount.

PokerPlayer111

If your tenants are generally ok people i would just suck it up. Its £40-£50 you say? pretty meaningless amount to a home owner.

Being a tenant usually means you are poor as !!!!!. Having experienced being a poor tenant myself its not a fun. Generally you worry about breaking anything all the time, its a right pain if the landlord is not chilled out.

When the tenants leave go in and fix everything and expect some cost IMO, if its basic stuff broken just let them have the dam deposit back.

If tenants are breaking stuff all the time then you have to put foot down or kick them out etc.

ProDave

Think yourself lucky he has fixed it.

I m pretty sure 99% of tenants would phone the LL or agent and say "the shower has broke" and you would be expected to repair it at your expense. THEN you will find the fancy shower riser that came as part of the kit with the shower, is impossible to buy spare parts for. So you either fix it with the best you can get, which looks different, or buy a whole new shower kit.

scd3scd4

Sounds like a decent tenant.

Like for like. Is it the same...........just not the same shape?

11Mike

FBaby wrote: »

You have new tenants lined up already. Have they requested a reduction of the rent you asked for on the basis of this detail (which they probably didn't even noticed?). I expect not, in which case, why don't you let it go? The stress of going through the deposit dispute will be more costly than what you'd get out of it (if anything) and it sounds like it hasn't cost you anything since you've got new tenants in.

The fact that it was your home before is irrelevant. It isn't any longer.

The new tenants have only seen the original pictures from when we first let it out to these, they are viewing it at the weekend.

Thanks for the advice everyone, it is appreciated and noted. I have found one that fits the decor for about £20, they also broke the toilet seat which was matched to the units and toilet being soft close too but replaced it with am off white, not white, and sparkly one whch doesn!!!8217;t soft close so i have pointed out the original that can still be purchased.

I understand the comments saying if it fits then let it go but it is the principle that everything matched etc. The finer details are what help increase value and make tenants look after it more imo.

The current tenants haven!!!8217;t been that great, just ok. I had to prompt them to pressure wash the patio etc after i went round and it was green!! Also i spotted the shower, they never told me. I mentioned about the decor match at the time but they fitted this one anyway.

One of the tenants is actually ok to deal with, it is his OH who is very defensive over anything we have mentioned during the tenancy and i don!!!8217;t like being taken for a ride by people thinking, !!!8216;that!!!8217;ll do!!!8217;.