Money Moral Dilemma: Should I charge my tenant for damage?

crittertog

Alantheaged wrote: »

be VERY careful of the estate agents small print: hers contained a hidden beauty which meant she was liable for the estate agents fees still to be paid by the landlord as she left before the minimum contract time...Whilst the dispute with the agent is still open, I cannot see any way of getting that money back.

Seek qualified legal advice (your home insurance may provide free advice if you bought that add-on). My gut reaction would be to investigate the possibility of it being an unfair term under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, as it sounds one-sided. If the landlord has new tenants in, and they are using the same estate agent, then the estate agents won't be able to demonstrate a loss ...

crmism

You appear to think that your tenant has psychic powers and should have been familiar with the workings of the hob even though she has evidently never seen the model before. Anything that runs on electricity or gas needs to be given a demonstration, for your own safety as well as your tenant's.

As the landlord and owner of the premises, it was your responsibility to explain how everything works to your tenant before she used any appliance. You certainly should not have let her find out for herself by trial and error. You wouldn't put someone who's never driven a car behind the wheel and tell them to get on with it, would you? Or maybe you would.

By no stretch of the imagination should you forfeit part of her deposit. Any damage caused was your fault, and no-one else's.