Landlord left us without washing machine

eddddy

The core of the dispute is whether the washing machine door broke through fair wear-and-tear, or as a result of misuse.

You probably have the legal right to insist that the landlord fixes the door or replaces the washing machine - but the result might be that the landlord wants to keep some of your deposit, and you end up with a Deposit Protection Scheme dispute.

In which case...

• You would put forward your argument that the door broke through fair fair wear-and-tear

• The landlord would put forward their argument that the door broke due to misuse

I suspect that the outcome might be a bit of a lottery. So it's probably better to negotiate an agreement with the landlord instead, if you can.



FWIW, you mention that you have a small child. It may be that the landlord suspects that your child has been swinging on the door, etc.

A landlord was telling me recently that a tenant with a small child reported that a kitchen cupboard door was hanging off one of it's hinges; a radiator was coming away from the wall; and a bath panel was falling off. The landlord very much suspected it was a raucous child doing the damage - but the landlord paid for repairs anyway. 

silvercar

You’ve got 6 weeks left in the property, the landlord doesn’t intend buying a new machine. Easiest solution would be for you to buy a second hand machine off eBay etc and sell it to the landlord or new tenants when you move out.

theoretica

Best way of fixing the washing machine is to replace the part, but could a patch keep it limping on for a few more weeks?

Grumpy_chap

moneysavvy2328 said:

We are purchasing a new build property with all fixtures and fittings included. Another reason for not purchasing a machine as we couldn't take with us.  

Washing machines are hard to get rid of so there are often machines going for "free to collector" from Gumtree, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace, local Whatsapp / Facebook groups and such like.
Would that be something you can look into?
Any machine that works and lasts 6 weeks will do.

penners324

To be fair to the landlord it's not particularly likely a washing machine door will just break, especially one that's only 7 years old. It'd probably need opening repeatedly in hard way or leaning on repeatedly.

newsgroupmonkey_

penners324 said:

To be fair to the landlord it's not particularly likely a washing machine door will just break, especially one that's only 7 years old. It'd probably need opening repeatedly in hard way or leaning on repeatedly.

On the flip side, betterment.

Look it up.

https://www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/a-guide-on-the-life-expectancy-of-rental-property-products/

6 years for a washing machine. Case closed.

MysteryMe

Scrappers will take away washing machines for free, the metal is worth money. Your local facebook group will most probably have posts about them. Only time they may not be interested is if you are in a high rise flat or no lift.

Have you tried contacting the machine manufacturer? Sometimes parts from other models will fit

Or try a really good quality duct tape as a temporary fix. You just need something that's going to keep the door sealed in place whilst it's on. Might not work but worth a try?

35har1old

moneysavvy2328 said:

We gave our landlord advanced notice that we would be leaving the property at the end of the year. Worked out at around 3 months. 

During this time, we noticed a hairline crack in our washing machine door by the hinge so we notified the managing agent. They said the landlord didn't want to do anything as the crack wasn't affecting the use of the machine. Fast forward a few weeks later and the crack worsened and the door was no longer stable/hanging off.

We notified the managing agent again, and told them that the machine wasn't usable as the door was now broken off the machine. We have a young child so heavily rely on this machine. After a few days I was asked for the door serial number which i provided to the managing agent. This made us assume they were replacing the door.

After 10 days, we then received an email from the managing agent saying that they had spoken to their contractor (no one has physically inspected the machine) and he had advised a 'door wouldn't just fall off' and therefore as we broke it we are responsible for replacing the machine. I heavily contested this and asked the agent to read back the email chain where we notified them of the small crack originally.

They came back and said the landlord 'stood by his previous position' and that it was our responsibility to replace. I told them under no circumstances were we replacing the machine. They said the landlord was happy for us to buy a new machine but take it with us when we leave. We said no to this and that we would make other arrangements. We have now been without a washing machine for 6 weeks, relying on friends/family and laundrettes and it is a further 6 weeks until we move. We will not buy a washing machine ourselves as we strongly believe the landlord should be replacing it. The machine we had was second hand when installed and the serial number dates it at 2017. 

My question is, is there anything we can do? and will they try and deduct this from our deposit when we leave? We do not want to be charged for an old broken washing machine when we did not purposefully or neglectfully break the machine. If anything we want to be compensated for not having a washing machine for almost 3 months. 

Our tenancy agreeement says: 

To keep in repair and proper working order provided that he has been notified of the need of such repair all mechanical and electrical items including all washing machines, dishwashers and other similar mechanical or electrical appliances belonging to the Landlord as are included in the Check-In Inventory provided that this Agreement shall not be construed as requiring the Landlord to carry out any works for which the Tenant is liable by virtue of his duty to use the Premises and the equipment and effects in a Tenant-like manner.

A landlord doesn't have to provide a washing machine the property remains habitial so you have no base's to withhold rent

Bookworm105

35har1old said:

moneysavvy2328 said:

We gave our landlord advanced notice that we would be leaving the property at the end of the year. Worked out at around 3 months. 

During this time, we noticed a hairline crack in our washing machine door by the hinge so we notified the managing agent. They said the landlord didn't want to do anything as the crack wasn't affecting the use of the machine. Fast forward a few weeks later and the crack worsened and the door was no longer stable/hanging off.

We notified the managing agent again, and told them that the machine wasn't usable as the door was now broken off the machine. We have a young child so heavily rely on this machine. After a few days I was asked for the door serial number which i provided to the managing agent. This made us assume they were replacing the door.

After 10 days, we then received an email from the managing agent saying that they had spoken to their contractor (no one has physically inspected the machine) and he had advised a 'door wouldn't just fall off' and therefore as we broke it we are responsible for replacing the machine. I heavily contested this and asked the agent to read back the email chain where we notified them of the small crack originally.

They came back and said the landlord 'stood by his previous position' and that it was our responsibility to replace. I told them under no circumstances were we replacing the machine. They said the landlord was happy for us to buy a new machine but take it with us when we leave. We said no to this and that we would make other arrangements. We have now been without a washing machine for 6 weeks, relying on friends/family and laundrettes and it is a further 6 weeks until we move. We will not buy a washing machine ourselves as we strongly believe the landlord should be replacing it. The machine we had was second hand when installed and the serial number dates it at 2017. 

My question is, is there anything we can do? and will they try and deduct this from our deposit when we leave? We do not want to be charged for an old broken washing machine when we did not purposefully or neglectfully break the machine. If anything we want to be compensated for not having a washing machine for almost 3 months. 

Our tenancy agreeement says: 

To keep in repair and proper working order provided that he has been notified of the need of such repair all mechanical and electrical items including all washing machines, dishwashers and other similar mechanical or electrical appliances belonging to the Landlord as are included in the Check-In Inventory provided that this Agreement shall not be construed as requiring the Landlord to carry out any works for which the Tenant is liable by virtue of his duty to use the Premises and the equipment and effects in a Tenant-like manner.

A landlord doesn't have to provide a washing machine the property remains habitial so you have no base's to withhold rent

It would appear you have failed to read the landlord's obligations section quoted. 
LL is obliged to maintain the washing machine as it was on the check in inventory.

Jude57

newsgroupmonkey_ said:

penners324 said:

To be fair to the landlord it's not particularly likely a washing machine door will just break, especially one that's only 7 years old. It'd probably need opening repeatedly in hard way or leaning on repeatedly.

On the flip side, betterment.

Look it up.

https://www.mydeposits.co.uk/content-hub/a-guide-on-the-life-expectancy-of-rental-property-products/

6 years for a washing machine. Case closed.

Mine's 21 years old. But it was brand new when I got it and I treat my belongings carefully, having worked hard to afford them. In this case, the machine was second hand when installed and however careful the OP might be, there's no knowing whether the previous owner was or was not heavy handed. Certainly there's no right to betterment but I take issue with the implication in your statement that 6 years is a reasonable lifespan for a washing machine - especially on a money saving site ;-)