Scratched hob – should the tenant pay?

Unfortunately tenants don’t always thoroughly clean the underside of pots/pans & often drag the pots rather than lift them off the hob & often don’t bother to properly clean the hob afterwards. Whether you have a claim & how much should be awarded is dependent on the Inventory photo/condition versus now & an allowance for wear & tear i.e. how old the hob is & number of occupiers i.e. one occupant would likely cook less than for a family of 4. My Deposits help line is very useful in guiding what might be acceptable for you to claim against the deposit

Did you or the user Manual specify the type of pans to be used ( not just saying flat) that will not scratch the Hob?
Otherwise it could very ambiguous to determine Flat.
If not then the tenant can’t be held liable.

If the Hob is still in good working order then I wouldn’t be too concerned as it will only happen again.

Unfortunately they always seem to scratch, I’ve Replaced a few over the years in our properties and they all get scratched, you’d never keep one perfect unless you never use it I suppose. If you can’t deal with the mark might be worth going back old school and have if the round ceramic stone type one installed. If that’s all they have done regarding fair wear and tear you’re doing alright I’d say?

In a fair world, yes the tenant should pay but we don’t live in a fair world. You can try to get the money out of the tenant’s deposit but generally the schemes are biased in favour of tenants. It will probably be put down to a case of fair wear and tear. It would be the same if you have damage insurance. Tenants generally do not treat a landlord’s stuff like it was their own. If you supply anything that needs special care or precautions to avoid damage you can be sure it won’t get it. If the hob still works, I would just leave it for the next tenant. Not a lot of point in replacing it as more than likely the new one will go the same way. If I were replacing it I would put in a cheap solid plate hob for about £90, it will stay the course a lot better and can normally be scraped clean once a tenant goes.

Depends how long the tenant was in residence, you don’t say when it was installed?

My landlord installed an induction hob for me 17 months ago and it still looks brand new (I cook all the time). Induction hobs are so much safer and they don’t end up with burnt food residue on them. Tenant’s who don’t look after their rental properties give tenants like me a bad name.
It should also be covered by the inventory and attached photographic schedule of condition.

I have a 10-year-old Belling Range Cooker with ceramic top that has 6 rings plus plate warmer and still looks like new after daily use. If looked after properly no problem. I’ve used Hob Brite about once a week from day one which helps to protect it as well and a normal wipe over after use or spillage. Use of correct pans helps and avoid cheap cast iron ones as they will scratch anything.

Reply to the comment left by Crossed_Swords at 14/09/2022 – 12:15Hob was newly installed before tenant moved in. Tenant moved in 2 and half years ago. His girlfriend only for the last 6 months. Tenant admitted he didn’t use flat saucepans, had a cheap pan with a damaged bottom of the pan. This is what caused the issue.

Reply to the comment left by Crossed_Swords at 14/09/2022 – 12:15
Newly installed before tenant moved in, he was there for 2 and half years by himself, and then his girlfriend moved in the last 6 months. He’s admitted that he didn’t use a flat pan, but used his cheap buckled pan

Almost certainly wear and tear (even if not fair, ie excessive wear & tear). If you have a good Check in inventory and an inventory clerk for check out, you may be awarded some compensation, you wont get full cost of replacement as that would constitute betterment, so you’d have to deduct a % according to the estimated life of the hob and the length of time the tenant used it.

As others have mentioned, deposit companies may be able to advise.