Washing machine valve in unfurnished rental

Jd843

Hi
Scenario: unfurnished rental property. Tenant moves in, brings own washing machine, connects it up to the blue tap/valve/fitting already in place. Years later, when tenant disconnects the washing machine to move out, the tap/valve won’t close/turn off, meaning the washer can’t be disconnected without turning off the water supply to the whole house.

Whose responsibility is it to repair the tap? Is it the landlord’s because it’s part of the property’s pipe work? Or is it the tenant’s, because it’s their washing machine? 

lesalanos

LL for me. The tap was there before the tenant moved in and is part of the properties pipework.

The washing machine goes as far as the hose pipe

AdrianC

Is it really worth arguing about?

£1.43, and two minutes for anybody vaguely competent to replace while the water's off.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/washing-machine-valve-without-check-valve-15mm-x/51231

The landlord could say "Well, we know it worked just fine when you moved in... and you turned it on..."
Ultimately, it's unlikely the deposit arbitrators would side with the landlord, though. And the cost is negligible.

The sensible thing for two grown adults to do would be to talk about it and come to a mutually acceptable agreement to leave the water off short-term, so the WM can be removed, and the landlord will get the valve replaced asap.

couriervanman

Turn water off remove old valve reapply ptfe tape, fit new valve, tighten, turn water on and check for leaks......cost of parts £2 plus 1 hour to fit  

AdrianC

From a week ago...
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6233690/washing-machine-tap-won-t-turn-off

NameUnavailable

Wow, this really puts the cladding scandal problems into perspective doesn't it. How many of those people have to worry about broken valve taps?!

Hebblethwaite

This happened to me in the last house I rented, except I was only there a year. The tap was faulty when I moved in (mechanically overtightened, presumably because it was leaking before I moved in) but I managed to open it and connect my washing machine. I made a note of it on my inventory before returning it to the letting agents but they never did anything about it (there were lots of problems with the condition of the property as nobody had lived there since it had been renovated on the cheap - the letting agents just fixed the bare minimum to make the place habitable). When I moved out and disconnected my washing machine, I wasn't able to close the tap again. I was also unable to turn off the water at the stopcock as that was faulty too and leaked when it was turned off (as noted by a plumber who had come round to fix the broken shower when I moved in, but again, nothing was done about it).

Long story short, we (mostly my Dad) prevented the leak when I disconnected my washer by connecting a hose to the pipe with the broken tap and then feeding it into the waste disposal pipe. I told the letting agents and they weren't too bothered as long as there wasn't water getting anywhere. The next tenants just needed to detach the hose to connect the one feeding their own washing machine. Of course, really the whole property needed a proper overhaul, but that was never going to happen and the short-term fix worked well enough to avoid any structural damage from a leak.

So, it should be the landlord's responsibility to fix (at their own cost, unless there's evidence that the tenant caused the tap to break through misuse), but the tenant has options to control the problem if they don't. 

Jd843

AdrianC said:

Is it really worth arguing about?

£1.43, and two minutes for anybody vaguely competent to replace while the water's off.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/washing-machine-valve-without-check-valve-15mm-x/51231

The landlord could say "Well, we know it worked just fine when you moved in... and you turned it on..."
Ultimately, it's unlikely the deposit arbitrators would side with the landlord, though. And the cost is negligible.

The sensible thing for two grown adults to do would be to talk about it and come to a mutually acceptable agreement to leave the water off short-term, so the WM can be removed, and the landlord will get the valve replaced asap.

No, it’s not worth arguing about, but for some reason the LL is insisting it’s our problem. I was very shocked when, after I told the letting agent about the problem, they called me back to say the landlord doesn’t think it’s her responsibility.  I don’t know if she’s just looking for an excuse to take something from our deposit?

I’ve actually managed to get the washer moved out with a temporary fix to stop water spewing everywhere, and the landlord knows this, but still thinks we should get it replaced before the end of the tenancy.

AdrianC

Jd843 said:

AdrianC said:

Is it really worth arguing about?

£1.43, and two minutes for anybody vaguely competent to replace while the water's off.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/washing-machine-valve-without-check-valve-15mm-x/51231

The landlord could say "Well, we know it worked just fine when you moved in... and you turned it on..."
Ultimately, it's unlikely the deposit arbitrators would side with the landlord, though. And the cost is negligible.

The sensible thing for two grown adults to do would be to talk about it and come to a mutually acceptable agreement to leave the water off short-term, so the WM can be removed, and the landlord will get the valve replaced asap.

No, it’s not worth arguing about, but for some reason the LL is insisting it’s our problem. I was very shocked when, after I told the letting agent about the problem, they called me back to say the landlord doesn’t think it’s her responsibility.  I don’t know if she’s just looking for an excuse to take something from our deposit?

I’ve actually managed to get the washer moved out with a temporary fix to stop water spewing everywhere, and the landlord knows this, but still thinks we should get it replaced before the end of the tenancy.

What recourse do they have against you?
Your deposit.

What means do they have to access that deposit?
The arbitrators.

If the worst comes to the worst, how bad is the deposit-ding going to be?
Negligible.

Jd843

AdrianC said:

From a week ago...
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6233690/washing-machine-tap-won-t-turn-off

Yes, that’s my thread. That was when I was just trying to fix the problem so I could move the washer to my new place. Now it’s a new problem - that the landlord is kicking up a fuss at the end of a 3 and a half year, hassle free tenancy about a £1.43 washer valve!

Jd843

AdrianC said:

Jd843 said:

AdrianC said:

Is it really worth arguing about?

£1.43, and two minutes for anybody vaguely competent to replace while the water's off.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/washing-machine-valve-without-check-valve-15mm-x/51231

The landlord could say "Well, we know it worked just fine when you moved in... and you turned it on..."
Ultimately, it's unlikely the deposit arbitrators would side with the landlord, though. And the cost is negligible.

The sensible thing for two grown adults to do would be to talk about it and come to a mutually acceptable agreement to leave the water off short-term, so the WM can be removed, and the landlord will get the valve replaced asap.

No, it’s not worth arguing about, but for some reason the LL is insisting it’s our problem. I was very shocked when, after I told the letting agent about the problem, they called me back to say the landlord doesn’t think it’s her responsibility.  I don’t know if she’s just looking for an excuse to take something from our deposit?

I’ve actually managed to get the washer moved out with a temporary fix to stop water spewing everywhere, and the landlord knows this, but still thinks we should get it replaced before the end of the tenancy.

What recourse do they have against you?
Your deposit.

What means do they have to access that deposit?
The arbitrators.

If the worst comes to the worst, how bad is the deposit-ding going to be?
Negligible.

You’re right, I was mainly just curious about what people thought. Wasn’t sure if I was being unreasonable thinking it wasn’t my responsibility to fix it.