Tenant damage – repairs via instalments?

Tenant damage – repairs via instalments?

15:47 PM, 6th February 2023, About A year ago 15

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Hello, My tenant has damaged the panel heater in a bedroom and it is now beyond repair. The quote is just under £700 to fully replace and fit and dispose of the old one.

He has in the past been slow to pay for the call out charge when a contractor was pre-booked (twice) and he failed to be in despite agreeing to the date and time so I know its like getting blood from a stone already.

He has confirmed he can’t get a budgeting loan from DWP (I suggested he apply for one – assume he can’t get one as already got one?) but has offered to pay in ‘reasonable’ installments.

I am loath to get the work booked in and completed until he forwards either all or a substantial amount towards this, given the lack of rush to pay the £48 call charge o/s from last October and only paid in Jan.

I have a feeling if I get the heater replaced there is little incentive for him to pay anything after that. (NB the deposit is only £730)

Any advice as not had this issue before.

Thanks,
Mark


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Comments

Chris H

20:49 PM, 8th February 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by LL Minion at 07/02/2023 - 12:48
No PAT needed in the first year, cheap oil radiator so he cannot call the clowncil in the mean time...

Yvonne Francis

10:22 AM, 11th February 2023, About A year ago

I'm really surprised by this post thinking one can charge the tenants the whole amount for any damages. One should work out the life expectancy of the item and the cost and divide the cost by the number of years you have had the item. Then charge the tenant the number of years you have lost. This to me seems only fair.

TheMaluka

11:15 AM, 11th February 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 11/02/2023 - 10:22An electric heater, properly treated, should last for fifty years. No it is not fair to calculate the life expectancy of an object for which the landlord has to pay full price immediately when it has been damaged by the tenant. I still have a working electric heater (for emergency use) which my parents purchased second hand in the '40's.
The carpets in my house (bedrooms) are more than 40 years old and in perfect condition. Carpets in my rental properties rarely last more than 2 years as the tenants treat them so badly.
I am fed up with tenants being mollycoddled and treated with kid gloves; they must accept responsibility for their actions.

Reluctant Landlord

14:43 PM, 11th February 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Yvonne Francis at 11/02/2023 - 10:22
if the tenant trashed his own heater in his own home then he would have to pay out for another one of what ever value/type he decided to install.
If the tenant trashes a fixed fitting which was bought as a long term item of use, how when it is damaged by the tenant is it unreasonable to get them to replace it? There would be no issue at all if it hadn't been trashed!
As the saying goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it, but for a LL it goes on to say and the if a tenant breaks it then they bloody replace it at the cost of what it would be to replace it.!

Yvonne Francis

15:52 PM, 11th February 2023, About A year ago

Mark did ask for advice and what I said is the official and I think fair way of assessing the liability. Mark does not mention how old the electric panel is or what condition it was in when the tenants first took up the tenancy. Why should Mark get a brand new panel at the tenants' expense if Mark had had many years of service from thei panel.

Calculating the life of an electric panel from one, one's parents purchased in the 40's is not the way things are done. There are official lengths of expected time these items are meant to last although I appreciate finding the length of time for this electric panel may be difficult.

I know it's frustrating to get damage and it's easy to feel really cross. I get really cross but have learnt to calm down. I am mortgage free and in a high rent area. I don't get a lot of damage so I'm probably more willing to pay out for the sake of goodwill than most landlords. It's often difficult to work out if the item was faulty in any way, like pulled out door handles or damaged door hinges. I certainly don't feel I've mollycoddled my tenants. 

If you have tenants who ruin a carpet after two years and you seem very cross, why are you letting to such people?. And if you do then surly carpeting is considered within the rent. I'm rather embarrassed to say but my carpets have lasted and are looking good, for at least the last ten years. 

As for saying the tenant would have to pay in full if he owned the property then that is no argument as the whole deal for renters is the expectation that landlords deal with these issues and charge the tenant fairly. 

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