Broken bed

Sncjw

I rent a flat and it’s my first time renting. I have lived here a year and half and prior to me moving there was previous tenants I don’t know how long they stayed here. I would imagine in short periods because I had a high volume of letters coming for other people. Therefore I don’t know how old the bed is.

The bed is two blocks I think divan but they are more square than rectangle. I have had no issues until last night when I felt the bed sinking. I woke up this morning to see the fabric on one side of he block tearing away from the frame.

Now I’m worried that I have to pay for a new bed. Do you think I need to. I’ve looked at my agreement but it’s confusing as it says I should replace for damage but not for wear and tear. I’ve only used it to sleep on and for sex. That’s all which I only slept last night.

I am not well and recovering from surgery so I am certainly not up to intense activity on the bed.

Thank you

danlewi2

Only one way to find out - ask your landlord.

Divan bases are relatively cheap - its the mattress which is expensive.

sal_III

It doesn't matter whether you deliberately broke it or it was just a cheap one (most likely for rented accommodation) and came to the end of it's life. If it wasn't marked as damaged on the check-in report you will have to pay for the replacement. You will not have to pay for a new one, only a portion reflecting the remaining lifespan of the frame.

Ask your LL how to handle the situation, one option is for you to source a replacement 2nd hand frame either buying it or getting it for free from Freecycle etc. Another would be for the LL to buy a new bed and you cover part of the cost agreed with the LL in writing.

kerri_gt

sal_III wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether you deliberately broke it or it was just a cheap one (most likely for rented accommodation) and came to the end of it's life. If it wasn't marked as damaged on the check-in report you will have to pay for the replacement. You will not have to pay for a new one, only a portion reflecting the remaining lifespan of the frame.

Not necessarily the case. We had an armchair in a rented property and one day when someone lent over the arm, it buckled and broke. No mistreatment or excessive force, again it just came to the end of it's life.

We contacted the LL via the LA who agreed we could choose a suitable sofa to replace the two armchairs that were in situ. Cue a little back and forth (apparently anything from JL was slightly out of budget :rotfl::o) and we ordered a replacement from Argos for which the LL reimbursed us for entirely.

You need to contact your LA / LL and take it from there.

davidmcn

sal_III wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether you deliberately broke it or it was just a cheap one (most likely for rented accommodation) and came to the end of it's life. If it wasn't marked as damaged on the check-in report you will have to pay for the replacement.

Why would a tenant have to contribute anything towards the replacement of an item of landlord's furniture which happened to come to the end of its life during the tenancy?

oystercatcher

There are loads of free beds up on our local Facebook selling site. The problem would be getting someone to move the things in and out .

I would check with landlord that it's OK to replace . As they may well be willing to replace due to wear and tear but if not bag a freebie and get some mates to help.

macman

Too much information. I've yet to see an AST that specifies that the bed is only to be used for sleeping, and not for any other purposes!

shortcrust

Another vote for call the landlord. I had exactly the same thing happen years ago when I was renting and my landlord just changed the base for a new one the same day. There was no talk of me contributing. Like davidmcn, I don't see why a tenant should be expected to contribute to replacing end of life items.

TBagpuss

Contact the landlord. It sounds as though it has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced, which as it sounds as though it has got to that stage through normal wear and tear, not any damage by you, would be the landlord's responsibility.