Damage to furnished rented property

Hayfield57

Hi,

I am renting a property via an estate agent, which I paid a full deposit towards to cover any damages or arrears in future. 

You know how it goes.

But what has happened, is my friend came and visited with her cat. We were hanging out in the bedroom whilst the cat was elsewhere. Eventually we decided to check on her, and noticed the sofa on one side was really pulled at. And the carpet slightly. Now it's a very obvious damage caused by a cat and I don't see any way of fixing or mending the fabric sofa. Unless anybody can suggest something. We tried a razor blade to shave away the pulls, but that didn't work.

Just to note, my friend and her pet did not stay the night or anything. It was just an incident from a short visit.

The apartment was fully furnished when I rented it out.

There's also a few marks on the walls which I think can be wiped down etc. And the sliding wardrobe has also come off its rolling hinges, causing it to jam a little. Don't know what to do about this either.

Otherwise, there's no damage to the property elsewhere.

My concern is mainly the sofa. How do I go about letting the landlord know, or did I wait until a rental inspection or when I end my tenancy and they look around. Will I be penalised heavily? Depends on the cost of the sofa in the furnishing pack which the landlord chose I suppose.

Is there any chance he could kick me out?

I have paid my rent on time and on full every month.

I want to be honest and transparent with the estate agent, but don't want to cause myself more grief than what's necessary.

If and when I do contact the landlord, what is best to put in the email and how best to write it?

Thank you

greatcrested

Hayfield57 said:

...... my friend came and visited with her cat......the sofa on one side was really pulled at. And the carpet slightly. Now it's a very obvious damage caused by a cat....

So far as the landlord is concerned, you are responsible.

So far as you are concerned, your friend is responsible.

Just to note, my friend and her pet did not stay the night or anything. It was just an incident from a short visit.

Makes no difference
The apartment was fully furnished when I rented it out.
Hmm.. You are the landlord? I suspect not.
There's also a few marks on the walls which I think can be wiped down etc.

So wipe them down. Keeping the property clean and in the condition it was in when your tenancy started is your responsibility.

And the sliding wardrobe has also come off its rolling hinges, causing it to jam a little. Don't know what to do about this either.
If you have broken it, you are responsible. If it is wear & tear, the LL is responsible.
Otherwise, there's no damage to the property elsewhere.
Oh well then! That's OK then! (errrr... not!)
My concern is mainly the sofa. How do I go about letting the landlord know, or did I wait until a rental inspection or when I end my tenancy and they look around.

Why not wait till the next inspection. LL is unlikely to repair/replace the sofa immediately, though he may wish to do so when your tenancy ends.

Will I be penalised heavily? Depends on the cost of the sofa in the furnishing pack which the landlord chose I suppose. Indeed.

And on how old it is.
Is there any chance he could kick me out?
Highly unlikely. Are you in a fixed term tenancy or is it periodic (rolling)?
I have paid my rent on time and on full every month.
Good
I want to be honest and transparent with the estate agent, but don't want to cause myself more grief than what's necessary.
Either let the LL/agent know and ask for their comment, or wait till the next inspection.
If and when I do contact the landlord, what is best to put in the email and how best to write it?

This may help:

Post 3: Deposits: Payment, Protection and Return.

Post 4: Ending/renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?

yksi

This is an awkward thing, because I have massive doubts that a cat really did such extensive damage in the space of an hour. Having owned cats for years, they don't destroy fabric sofas in that space of time. Leather maybe! But fabric... and also to the point where people can see damage in the carpet? From a cat sharpening its claws, or was it actually a jackhammer? Or maybe a cat that lived there for weeks? I think you're pulling our leg. But hey, let's give you the benefit of the doubt. I think if it were me, I'd hide the cat damage during inspections (just to delay the conversation). I mean like drape your coat over the sofa arm and put down a small rug or something.

I would then take full and complete responsibility for it at the time that I move out and tell the landlord the complete truth of what happened. This will at least save you from getting given an eviction notice.

A_Lert

I say keep quiet about the sofa and carpet right now. It's minor accidental damage and doesn't affect your use of the furniture. No worse than a coffee spill really. If you're there for long enough the general depreciation of the furniture value will mean your landlord can't justify a big deposit deduction. If you move out soon then you could end up having to pay.

If it's noticed by an inspection and you're outright asked about it, tell the truth.

Watch out for landlords trying to pull a fast one, for example claiming a sofa cost £500 when actually they bought it for £50 in a charity shop. They should have evidence to justify any deposit deductions.

As for the wardrobe, well you could report it as needing repair. Personally I would at least wait til Covid's over though, it's not a priority. Probably take a handyman 10 minutes to put right when it's done.

During your fixed term none of this would justify an eviction. Once your fixed term is over your landlord can give you notice for no reason anyway.

Hayfield57

yksi said:

This is an awkward thing, because I have massive doubts that a cat really did such extensive damage in the space of an hour. Having owned cats for years, they don't destroy fabric sofas in that space of time. Leather maybe! But fabric... and also to the point where people can see damage in the carpet? From a cat sharpening its claws, or was it actually a jackhammer? Or maybe a cat that lived there for weeks? I think you're pulling our leg. But hey, let's give you the benefit of the doubt. I think if it were me, I'd hide the cat damage during inspections (just to delay the conversation). I mean like drape your coat over the sofa arm and put down a small rug or something.

I would then take full and complete responsibility for it at the time that I move out and tell the landlord the complete truth of what happened. This will at least save you from getting given an eviction notice.

It wasn't a visit for just an hour, it was 6 hours that my friend was round for during the day.

The pulling doesn't cover a lot of area, just a small bit, but it is obvious when you're close to it. And carpet, was just me being fussy.

Anyway, I managed to get an electric razor at it, and that did the job. 

Thanks though!

[Deleted User]

Hayfield57 said:

yksi said:

This is an awkward thing, because I have massive doubts that a cat really did such extensive damage in the space of an hour. Having owned cats for years, they don't destroy fabric sofas in that space of time. Leather maybe! But fabric... and also to the point where people can see damage in the carpet? From a cat sharpening its claws, or was it actually a jackhammer? Or maybe a cat that lived there for weeks? I think you're pulling our leg. But hey, let's give you the benefit of the doubt. I think if it were me, I'd hide the cat damage during inspections (just to delay the conversation). I mean like drape your coat over the sofa arm and put down a small rug or something.

I would then take full and complete responsibility for it at the time that I move out and tell the landlord the complete truth of what happened. This will at least save you from getting given an eviction notice.

It wasn't a visit for just an hour, it was 6 hours that my friend was round for during the day.

The pulling doesn't cover a lot of area, just a small bit, but it is obvious when you're close to it. And carpet, was just me being fussy.

Anyway, I managed to get an electric razor at it, and that did the job. 

Thanks though!

 Rubbish. I have 5 cats, 3 of which love to scratch. I have nothing showing on the sofa and a tiny bit on the carpet in 4 years. 

AdrianC

A friend visited for a few hours...

...and brought their cat.

Anyway, how it happened is irrelevant. It happened while you were tenant, and the sofa was in your custody.
Is it damage in excess of fair wear and tear? Yes, almost certainly.
What can be deducted from your deposit? A proportion of the value of the sofa relative to the amount of life lost from the sofa when you move out.
How old was it when you moved in?
How long will you have lived there when you move out?
How long is the expected life of a sofa in a furnished rental property?

yksi

I did have a fabric sofa wrecked by claws. But it took months to even become visible. And it was second-hand to begin with. The sofa was still perfectly sittable, it was just shredded at the front of the legs   

Anyway, I don't think you're at risk of being booted out, providing the sofa damage doesn't end up in the landlord's face, because if it did they might assume you have an animal and are breaking your lease and damaging their property (this makes landlords wary that more damage is coming). Like others noted, figure out whether you can live with the wardrobe because it's probably not something that urgently needs attention, and it's worth "picking your battles" here.

NinjaTune

"We were hanging out in the bedroom whilst the cat was elsewhere"

For 6 hours < high five >

Just out of interest, does your friend take their cat out with them on a regular basis?

Glad to hear you've managed to deal with the damaged sofa though

moneysavinghero

"There's also a few marks on the walls which I think can be wiped down etc. And the sliding wardrobe has also come off its rolling hinges, causing it to jam a little."

Sounds like you had a good time.

Slinky

Carpet damage depends on the carpet. When our cat decides to have a go, the damage is immediately obvious on 3 year old carpets. Sofa, again depending on how she catches it can pull threads out.