Moving Out - potential replacement of blinds

KatieDee

I have recently purchased a house and we are due to exchange in the next few weeks. At the moment I am in a private rented property and will need to give notice on this.

We have really loved living in our little flat and have taken good care of it. When we move out, we plan to have the entire property and all carpets professionally cleaned, so I cannot foresee any issues apart from one....

Unfortunately our little terror of a cat has a habit of using our bedroom window as a cat flap, resulting in the blinds becoming slightly tatty on the backing lining. They are roman blinds, fitted when the property was build in 2006 and only the one blind is damaged (two blinds in the room). We are trying to work out the best way of dealing with this.

Should we replace the blinds with brand new ones prior to moving and not mention it to the landlord? These are unlikely to be identical due to the age of the blinds, but we would ensure they were similar and to the same quality.

Or should we give them notice ahead of time and ask what they'd like to do?

Or do we not mention it at all, allow it to be picked up in the check out inventory and then allow the DPS to deal with it?

I don't think there is any denying that the damage isn't classed as standard wear and tear, but the blinds themselves are about 13 years old. I suppose I don't want to pay the £300 for new matching blinds, only to risk the landlord telling us they're not the original ones and recharging us through the deposit scheme anyway.

We just want to do the right thing but some guidance would be very helpful!

There are a few disrepair issues which have been repeatedly ignored or put off by the landlord, one of which has resulted in a kitchen appliance being completely unusable for the duration of our tenancy, so I think they are relatively laid back. I just don't want to cause any issues for them as they are not really "professional" landlords.

need_an_answer

Ultimately I would be inclined to let the DPS decide.


You can of course bring up the subject prior to leaving with the LL and offer to pay a portion of the cost of the blinds.

You wont have to pay for new an allowance should be made for age.

Some may suggest that blinds have a life span of 5 years so nothing would be payable however without seeing the quality and style of them this probably remains something that is subjective.


You could offer a figure to the LL which they may or may not accept...great if they do if not dispute with whatever evidence you can provide to DPS.


The key point for you is that your check out should mirror your check in minus fair wear and tear...Damage would be deductible if found and if you cant agree between parties the DPS will step in

The key point for the LL is that they are unable to charge you for betterment,so they would not be able to claim for full replacement cost


Take plenty of photos of the property before you leave,this will help you should your dispute need to go to DPS

PasturesNew

It depends on size, if you're really lucky they are a "standard size" bought off the shelf ... and you might get lucky with the size, 2nd hand, on ebay.

Don't leave it for the LL to deal with, else that'll cost you more money than if you find a way to do something yourself.

Roman blinds used to mean something entirely different (more flouncy/swagged) back in the mid/late 80s! I was surprised to see the term, but, googling, they look like roller blinds to me

KatieDee

need_an_answer wrote: »

Ultimately I would be inclined to let the DPS decide.


You can of course bring up the subject prior to leaving with the LL and offer to pay a portion of the cost of the blinds.

You wont have to pay for new an allowance should be made for age.

Some may suggest that blinds have a life span of 5 years so nothing would be payable however without seeing the quality and style of them this probably remains something that is subjective.


You could offer a figure to the LL which they may or may not accept...great if they do if not dispute with whatever evidence you can provide to DPS.


The key point for you is that your check out should mirror your check in minus fair wear and tear...Damage would be deductible if found and if you cant agree between parties the DPS will step in


Take plenty of photos of the property before you leave,this will help you should your dispute need to go to DPS

Thank you very much. They're not falling apart, shredded to pieces and useless, but I can definitely tell where they're worn and have been caught. They still work, no issues there, I can just see his tiny little claw marks and the lining is slightly torn which lets the light through.
Thank you for the suggestion about photos - nothing was done when we moved in so we don't have anything to compare to, but we're not concerned about the property in general as we have looked after it. We plan to take photographs of everything

PasturesNew wrote: »

It depends on size, if you're really lucky they are a "standard size" bought off the shelf ... and you might get lucky with the size, 2nd hand, on ebay.

Don't leave it for the LL to deal with, else that'll cost you more money than if you find a way to do something yourself.

Roman blinds used to mean something entirely different (more flouncy/swagged) back in the mid/late 80s! I was surprised to see the term, but, googling, they look like roller blinds to me

Not standard sizes unfortunately, otherwise I would have nipped to Dunelm and paid about £100! They are quite long and thin windows, which mean we would have to get replacements made. I have already done this and they're coming back at £170 for a pair (can't replace one and not the other, as the pattern is ever so slightly different) but I didn't want to buy and install these, then have the landlord complain because they are different.

Thanks for the responses so far guys

need_an_answer

KatieDee wrote: »

Thank you for the suggestion about photos - nothing was done when we moved in so we don't have anything to compare to, but we're not concerned about the property in general as we have looked after it. We plan to take photographs of everything





Thanks for the responses so far guys

so no inventory of any sort was done when you moved in.....

that case you will not be bound by one and there is no expectation for you to replace OR offer compensation for damage

an inventory is done by the LL at the start of a tenancy to protect themselves,any LL who chooses to no do one is not able to claim anything when the tenant moves out.


There is nothing to compare you have returned the property to the LL.


DPS would return your deposit in full

What you now have is just a moral dilemma.

The most likely thing going forward is that the LL will understand the need for an inventory for the next tenants and when this blind is photographed and described it will take into account the condition you left it in with "claw puncture marks".

It may even be possible for the LL to repair a small section but that's not your concern if no inventory was completed at the start of your tenancy.

Comms69

12 year old blinds, worthless

need_an_answer

Comms69 wrote: »

12 year old blinds, worthless

The fact that there may never have been an inventory... now makes the situation priceless!!

KatieDee

need_an_answer wrote: »

so no inventory of any sort was done when you moved in.....

that case you will not be bound by one and there is no expectation for you to replace OR offer compensation for damage

an inventory is done by the LL at the start of a tenancy to protect themselves,any LL who chooses to no do one is not able to claim anything when the tenant moves out.


There is nothing to compare you have returned the property to the LL.


DPS would return your deposit in full

What you now have is just a moral dilemma.

She did walk round with a list, writing down the few items that came with the property (ornaments, etc) but to call it an inventory would be stretching it.

I think I will do my best to repair the blinds, maybe reline them, then see if they are picked up by the landlord. We will offer to do a joint check out with the landlord, so they can make us aware of anything they might not be happy with beforehand, which gives us the opportunity to fix it.

Most of the items in the property, including carpets and furniture, haven't been replaced since they bought the flat over a decade ago, which is why I'm slightly reluctant to drop nearly £200 on a brand new set of blinds. However, they would probably be fine if our cat hadn't gotten hold of them, so I feel responsible.

My other half is of the opinion that we should just pay for the cleaning then move out and let them use the deposit scheme for its purpose - I am a bit of a softy and don't want to risk anybody being unhappy! :rotfl:

need_an_answer

KatieDee wrote: »

She did walk round with a list, writing down the few items that came with the property (ornaments, etc) but to call it an inventory would be stretching it.



My other half is of the opinion that we should just pay for the cleaning then move out and let them use the deposit scheme for its purpose - I am a bit of a softy and don't want to risk anybody being unhappy! :rotfl:

Were you given a copy of this list and or asked to sign it?

If the condition of the item wasn't specified and there is no other supporting evidence to assume the quality was good when you moved in then I still feel it would be difficult for the LL to deduct anything


I'm in the camp with your OH ...go to DPS if needed...although if it were me i'd ditch the professional clean too and just do a good standard clean yourselves for a fraction of the cost!!
You don't need to prove with a receipt that the property was cleaned professionally...a good domestic standard is absolutely acceptable.


I have never insisted on tenants having a professional clean but I do rely upon the description and pictures that were taken as part of the inventory when looking at deposit deductions

KatieDee

need_an_answer wrote: »

Were you given a copy of this list and or asked to sign it?

If the condition of the item wasn't specified and there is no other supporting evidence to assume the quality was good when you moved in then I still feel it would be difficult for the LL to deduct anything


I'm in the camp with your OH ...go to DPS if needed...although if it were me i'd ditch the professional clean too and just do a good standard clean yourselves for a fraction of the cost!!
You don't need to prove with a receipt that the property was cleaned professionally...a good domestic standard is absolutely acceptable.


I have never insisted on tenants having a professional clean but I do rely upon the description and pictures that were taken as part of the inventory when looking at deposit deductions

Thanks for the reply

We didn't get a copy of anything, weren't asked to sign anything and the whole thing was done on a piece of paper a few minutes after we'd collected our keys.

It's a bit of a strange set up really - they do rent through an agent but they manage the property themselves. It isn't clear whether the agents just find and vet their tenants or whether they're actually involved in the process. The tenancy agreement (with the name of the EA on) states that a professional clean is required on checkout, as well as an oven clean which the agency will arrange themselves (for £100 plus VAT :eek:), so we figured we would arrange this ourselves. I suppose it depends on how committed the agency are to ensuring you stick to this, as I would hate paying out a few hundred for my own clean only for them to deduct the money anyway!

I'll take your advice though - have a really good scrub, clean the carpets, make sure it's sparkling clean and just see whether the agency demand it, or whether the landlord accepts it as is. I remember before we moved in, they visited the property to "clean it properly" which suggests this hadn't been done when the former tenants moved out.

Reassuring to know we probably aren't going to be charged our full deposit just to replace the blinds though. I just want the best and fairest outcome for everybody involved.

EstherG

I believe that the tenant should leave the room in good condition. And all the problems and the landlord mistakes should be discussed directly with him at the time the problem occurred. Of course, it is time to change the old blinds, but you must always act according to your conscience.