HELP PLEASE! "GRAFFITI" REMOVAL FROM BRICKWORK

P0123

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82049403#Comment_82049403

I can't afford a "professional"; from what I understand, on a generic Google search, they may charge anything from about £45 to £135+, plus a call-out charge. (I am not earning at the moment, either.)

It was one of the landlords who told me that I "should get a "Graffiti Remover" off Amazon" and remove it, (whilst the other one had previously said he "had something that I could use"….

Grumpy_chap

Is this a question of "can I afford a professional?" or the real question "can I afford not to engage a professional?" If you do the job yourself and simply make things worse overall, will the LL seek to pursue recovery?

Sapindus

Tell the landlord you are very sorry for painting the number on (personally I think it looks OK, rather like a Banksy) but that advice you have received is that removing the paint will damage the brick or at best leave an obvious patch where the number was. You are where you are and which would they rather have? A number or a scruffy patch? Or would they like you to paint the pillar to cover over the paint? Most graffiti "removal" I have seen councils do consists of painting over. Politely present them with the options in writing and then if any damage happens they can't say you didn't warn them.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82050229#Comment_82050229

Or will this give the landlord grounds to evict/not renew the tenant due to willful damage to the property?

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82050229#Comment_82050229

You are where you are and which would they rather have? A number or a scruffy patch? Or would they like you to paint the pillar to cover over
the paint? Most graffiti "removal" I have seen councils do consists of painting over. Politely present them with the options in writing and then if any damage happens they can't say you didn't warn them.

That comes across as a threat, or at the very least an attempt to bully the landlord into accepting the status quo. On the basis of the OP's posts it doesn't seem likely the landlord will just say "Oh, Ok then".

It won't serve the OP well to point out the landlord has to accept either a scruffy number or a scruffy patch. The landlord might agree the damage is irreversible and decide the pillar needs to be rebuilt. Politely confirming this in writing by putting (limited) options to the landlord would put the OP at a disadvantage if the matter progressed to some form of legal action.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82050107#Comment_82050107

I'm so impressed that no-one has been judgemental, or asked "why the heck did you do that?!"

The LL who suggested you use a remover bought from Amazon, do you have a record of this advice? And the one who has a product you could use, have you gone back to ask for this?

'Cos, if so, surely you'd be protected from liability if you went with either of these routes?

Anyhoo, an alternative solution which they might accept, is a proper name/number plate on a suitably-sized backing board. Since it would need to be largish, it would also have to be in keeping. So perhaps contact local sign maker for their thoughts, and you can run it past the LLs?

Does the street have a nice name that could be incorporated? I collected a shed from a new estate last week, and every house had their number clearly displayed, but the actual house I went to also had the whole street name added under their larger number which I initially thought strange, but it was actually nicely done, and helpful as the house was around a corner in a culdesac. I noticed some other houses had done similar, and even had engraved images to reflect the name. (Just looked it up - 'Alder Meadows', so lots of potential for nice designs.)

Any slight white over spray showing around the board could pass, I think, as just brick variety?

As long as you don't live on Pratt's Bottom.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82050374#Comment_82050374

A compromise maybe getting a house number/street sign that you can screw over the Banksy so it's not seen but it would still be there under the sign.

As for the LL saying get somioff Amazon maybe it was just an idea of where to find products as most people use Amazon compared to a builders merchants.

WIAWSNB

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82050450#Comment_82050450

That's what I mean - cover it rather than remove it. But the OP should get a nice design proposal first, so the LLs can be hopefully persuaded.

The 'Amazon'/"I have summat you can use" options - if the OP had an evidenced record of the LLs suggesting this, then the LLs would surely be as liable if it went wrong; "They told me to do this…"

If the LL accepts a nice sign, then the OP could consider a paint-remover test first; if it works, then great, if it doesn't, then cover it!

I think there's every chance a paint remover will work without damaging the brickwork, even tho' it is quite a porous type; paint and brick are very different materials, and there must also be some specialised removers these days specifically for use on masonry?

I mean, there's stuff to remove paint from soft plaster coving without harm. And my bro had the whole brick front of his Victorian terrace cleaned off masonry paint a good decade ago, with no ill effect (and that was pretty soft brick).

silvercar

I’d apologise to the landlord, say that money is tight at the moment so you can’t afford to fix the problem even with the product suggested. Accept that you did wrong and say you understand the cost will need to be deducted from your deposit when you move out.

It’s not offensive graffiti and the landlord doesn’t have to look at it everyday, so they may let things rest. I can’t see a landlord winning in court to evict just based on that!

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82050781#Comment_82050781

Best to get the LL to pay for somebody who knows what they are doing and get all the paperwork on the price paid as your reference of cost that will be deducted from the deposit and when you leave you both know what is what and LL can't just pick a number out his head .

As I mentioned LL has evidence of his tenant defacing his property so LL can just not renew the lease or try to get him out.