Damaged kitchen worktop - landlord wants to replace?

pbartlett

no you should not pay 2.5 k. This might help - see paragraph about chip on worksurface

https://www.propertyhawk.co.uk/magazines/fair-wear-and-tear/

as above, fight it out when it comes to deposit return with the adjudicators

not sure why but !!!! replaces propertyhawk . co . uk

tangerine27

AdrianC said:

tangerine27 said:
But surely if we damage something it needs fixing?

Not necessarily.
Once you move out, then the landlord may decide that the kitchen worktop functions perfectly well with the chip in it. But that doesn't let you off the hook for the cost of the damage... You still did the damage.

That doesn't sound entirely true? Why should we pay them for damage if they aren't going to fix it and admit that it's not even so bad they aren't going to fix it?

tangerine27

pbartlett said:

no you should not pay 2.5 k. This might help - see paragraph about chip on worksurface

https://www.!!!!!!.uk/magazines/fair-wear-and-tear/

as above, fight it out when it comes to deposit return with the adjudicators

not sure why but !!!! replaces propertyhawk . co . uk

This is excellent, thanks - we've basically agreed we're going to allow the landlord to take the amount that we've already got in quotes for repair from our deposits at the end of the tenancy. But if they say that "replacing is the only way to go" we'll dispute it.

Slithery

tangerine27 said:
That doesn't sound entirely true? Why should we pay them for damage if they aren't going to fix it and admit that it's not even so bad they aren't going to fix it?

It happens all the time and is perfectly acceptable.

If someone dents my car and their insurance pays me £300 for the damage I can spend it all down the pub and just drive around in a permanently dented car if I wish.

You aren't paying for the repair, you're compensating the owner for the reduced value of their property.

GDB2222

I think it was a mistake letting a property with granite worktops, and you made a mistake renting it. They are far too expensive to replace. Unless it's a super-deluxe pad in Chelsea.

As to the tenant's liability, it is to give the landlord back a whole granite worktop (less reasonable wear and tear). It is not up to you to say that a repaired worktop is good enough.

You might have sneaked a repair through, if you had kept quiet, but now you are in for a full price repair. You wouldn't have been paying twice over. At worst it would have been 1.05 times over.

I expect the LL is pricing in replacing all the worktops, so the colour matches.

tangerine27

GDB2222 said:

I think it was a mistake letting a property with granite worktops, and you made a mistake renting it. They are far too expensive to replace. Unless it's a super-deluxe pad in Chelsea.

As to the tenant's liability, it is to give the landlord back a whole granite worktop (less reasonable wear and tear). It is not up to you to say that a repaired worktop is good enough.

You might have sneaked a repair through, if you had kept quiet, but now you are in for a full price repair. You wouldn't have been paying twice over. At worst it would have been 1.05 times over.

I expect the LL is pricing in replacing all the worktops, so the colour matches.

1. It was a property at a good price in a good location, we were hardly thinking about the kitchen tops - and no it's not a super deluxe pad in Chelsea lol, I wish.
2. It certainly will be if the deposit dispute people were to rule in our favour - how would we know what is reasonable wear and tear? It is the tiniest chip and the next tenants probably wouldn't even notice it, were it to be repaired at our cost.
3. We always knew we were in for a full price repair. We just don't think we should be in for the landlord getting a brand new worktop on us - when what was provided most likely wasn't brand new, either!

Mahsroh

tangerine27 said:

AdrianC said:

tangerine27 said:
But surely if we damage something it needs fixing?

Not necessarily.
Once you move out, then the landlord may decide that the kitchen worktop functions perfectly well with the chip in it. But that doesn't let you off the hook for the cost of the damage... You still did the damage.

That doesn't sound entirely true? Why should we pay them for damage if they aren't going to fix it and admit that it's not even so bad they aren't going to fix it?

That's their prerogative. I've made a contribution to replace a damaged carpet in a previous house I rented. I know for a fact the LL didn't replace the carpet. We agreed an amount of compensation for damage that i'd caused. If the LL chose to add it to his holiday fund and leave the damaged carpet in place then that's his decision. 

tangerine27

Mahsroh said:

tangerine27 said:

AdrianC said:

tangerine27 said:
But surely if we damage something it needs fixing?

Not necessarily.
Once you move out, then the landlord may decide that the kitchen worktop functions perfectly well with the chip in it. But that doesn't let you off the hook for the cost of the damage... You still did the damage.

That doesn't sound entirely true? Why should we pay them for damage if they aren't going to fix it and admit that it's not even so bad they aren't going to fix it?

That's their prerogative. I've made a contribution to replace a damaged carpet in a previous house I rented. I know for a fact the LL didn't replace the carpet. We agreed an amount of compensation for damage that i'd caused. If the LL chose to add it to his holiday fund and leave the damaged carpet in place then that's his decision. 

That's fine - but we are not paying them £4000 for them to just put in their bank account. They can have a repair, on us, or nothing at all.

ic

Prior to moving out of my old house (owned, not rented), I repaired some chips to the granite worktop using a £30 repair kit off Amazon.  It worked wonders and our buyers never mentioned a thing.

AdrianC

tangerine27 said:

That's fine - but we are not paying them £4000 for them to just put in their bank account. They can have a repair, on us, or nothing at all.

It isn't up to you to decide.

Nor is it up to the landlord to decide how much is suitable compensation for the damage.

It's up to the deposit arbitrators to decide how much. Once you've moved out, you get no say in the property any more.