Tenant is dirty and careless, do we need to keep doing repairs?

Reply to the comment left by Hamish McBloggs at 22/02/2023 – 17:53
Learn how to row a boat.
Take it to the water, the Big Water if poss.
Get in, point away from the shore, row, row, row, persevere.
After a while you’ll catch the rhythm and get to like it.
Persevere.

Reply to the comment left by Beaver at 22/02/2023 – 18:14
Did you ask for athe inspection report?

Reply to the comment left by Blodwyn at 22/02/2023 – 18:18
I get seasick

Reply to the comment left by Hamish McBloggs at 23/02/2023 – 11:36
I got the inspection report (I get it routinely). But the inspection report had the smashed sink down as a recommended repair; no mention of the fact that the tenant should pay for that. But I do at least have an audit trail that says when the damage to the sink was picked up and what the damage was. The damage could not possibly have been caused by normal use; the sink must have been hit with a heavy object of some kind. And I was wondering how other landlords deal with that kind of damage. How do you deal with getting the tenant to pay; getting the tenants’ own insurance to pay; not looking as though you are in effect trying to send an invoice that is prohibited under the regulations; not pressurising the tenant to leave etc.

Reply to the comment left by Beaver at 23/02/2023 – 11:41
Got photos of the damaged sink? Send back to tenant asking for a response within 2 days.

If no response or say not their problem – remind them aware this is not ‘reasonable wear and tear’ and tenant damage is down to tenant to make good and they are in breach of their tenant responsibilities AND have reported it at the time. Negligent in both.

Give them a further 7 days to call someone out to get it repaired themselves. Tell them to contract their insurance (if they have any) .

If they fail to do this then issue a S21/S8. You are under no obligation to replace anything a tenant damages even if it is what is deemed as fixture and fitting IF they caused the damage.

Reply to the comment left by Hamish McBloggs at 22/02/2023 – 17:53
I often say I have 2 biological kids but spend more time raising 28 socially ‘adopted’ ones.

Reply to the comment left by Hamish McBloggs at 23/02/2023 – 11:37
Oh, dear!
Grow wings?

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 23/02/2023 – 16:29
So, on “…IF they caused the damage.”

I hadn’t instructed any workmen to work on the property. I hadn’t been in there working. So it wasn’t caused by me, the landlord, or anybody working on my behalf.

The inspection report listed the broken sink as a recommended repair. The picture of the broken sink showed that it had been hit by a heavy/hard object. The inspection report stated that the tenant did not know how it happened. But these tenants have children and there is a great deal of ongoing small bits of damage.

So I just documented the fact that it was carelessness/negligence by the tenant and said that was not something I was obliged to repair. And I was wondering how other landlords dealt with that kind of thing.

Reply to the comment left by Blodwyn at 23/02/2023 – 17:38
… heights

The tenant pays for it. Depending on diplomatic/negotiating skills and the nature of the individuals ,,, S21 / S8.
If they won’t pay for it and there is all round awareness of a hazard presumably LL’s become immediately responsible for the safety and well being of the tenant … and must fix it immediately then wrangle over money/s21/s8 later ?
Perhaps not in this case but broken ceramic is potentially pretty nasty stuff.
If something is damaged between scheduled inspections and is left unreported by the tenant to a conscientious LL, and there is serious injury or worse resulting …
I can imagine having records over months of arguments regarding a mattress on the floor and mould. I know that this is not good, potentially fatal if it’s the wrong sort of mould. If I don’t force change do I become responsible for a self-inflicted slow decline in someone’s health due to my inaction?
I can’t imagine having any records for yesterday’s damaged wiring of an item that doesn’t form part of the regular inspection and is not mine.
Even if I have ‘legal cover’, what happens to me?. HSE on it, LA on it, newspapers on it, interviews under caution, glaring holes in my record keeping discovered, courts … ?

I’d have to buy a suit.