Tenant damaged house with satellite TV installation

AdrianC

They're out there.


https://www.screwfix.com/p/armeg-ebs-single-box-cutter/65150


SDS drill on roto-stop.


But, in the OP's case, I suspect it's just a badly bodged hole where the render (not plaster?) fell out in a roughly-square lump.

westernpromise

I would think the reason for doing this was to do a cheap and shoddy job where the drawbacks are all somebody else's problem. Had the tenant asked for this to be done you'd have appointed a proper contractor who'd have done it the right way at greater expense to herself.

tacpot12

The OP's point is that the deduction is being made to encourage the tenant to act in a tenant-like manner in future. It doesn't matter that it would have cost the OP more had the tenant done so (or that they inherited the property).

NewInvestor35

As a landlord myself I can sympathise with the OP. I have no doubt the tenant would not have recalled these various contract clauses when arranging to have Sky TV installed. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't even know they were in there and just signed the contract regardless.

I think the managing agent is quite symptomatic of agents in general, in so much that they are quite happy to cream the profit from your rental income without really doing a lot. My experience is that they have no vested interest in the condition or treatment of the properties they manage and will tick all of the necessary boxes without really drilling down into details.

For example, my agent called me a few months ago to let me know that a radiator had fallen off the wall and that I'd need to pay for a plumber to re-fit. Not until I queried how on earth a radiator just 'falls off a wall' and asked them what exactly their role is if they don't stop nonsense like this from reaching me did they go back to the tenant to quiz exactly how this had happened. It transpired that her kids had been sitting or leaning on it, causing it to become unstable. Eventually, after arguing with the agent, they asked the tenant to pay, but they wouldn't have, had I not been onto them about it.

Point is, the agents don't give two hoots about your property and neither do the tenants. So my advice would be to go through everything with a fine tooth comb because no one else will. I'm sure there are loads of tenants that do look after the properties they rent, there will be lots that don't.

I would definitely seek to have the damage caused to be repaired to your satisfaction. Why should the landlord be out of pocket because the Sky installer did a cowboy install?