Tenant requiring some advice please
I am a tenant in a private rental and my landlord is a friend of mine. We have lived in our property for 3 years now. I recently employed a cleaner for about a month or so, she came weekly. On her last time here she had arranged to clean the oven whilst I was out of the house.
She had put newspaper down under the oven to catch any drips and when she lifted the paper the cleaning product had gone through and taken a large chunk of varnish off the floor.
The problem I have is that the whole floor in the kitchen diner would need sanding and varnishing in order to match in. The alternative is to strip the area that she damaged, but would take a good amount of time to match in.
The issue I have is that she says she is only liable for that section which she is prepared to pay for, but my landlord doesn’t want it to be odd and wants the whole thing done which would mean we would have to cover the extra ourselves.
I’m not sure where we stand on this so any info or advice would be much appreciated.
Many thanks.
Steph
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The Right to Manage or not?
Member Since February 2011 - Comments: 3453 - Articles: 286
9:33 AM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
Hi Steph,
Have you checked to see if this would be covered on your or the landlords insurance?
I am assuming the cleaner does not have insurance cover?
Member Since April 2014 - Comments: 985 - Articles: 2
10:55 AM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
The landlord can only demand the floor to be made good. A professional restorer may well be able to match the damaged area at a lower cost than a full cut back and refinish. I would seek professional advice in this respect.
Member Since March 2016 - Comments: 43
11:24 AM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
Some might say your landlord is being a teensy bit perfectionist. Floors are a consumable item – it would have worn out at some point anyway.
If the landlord had wanted to be certain of being made 100% whole in the event of everyday mishaps, then he or she should have made that known to all parties (you, the cleaner, the cleaner’s insurance) before anything was signed. Had they done so, those parties might have run a mile! (I would have run, at least).
Member Since March 2017 - Comments: 317
11:47 AM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
The cleaner should have liability insurance on which she can claim, if not very silly, then it is reasonable that she should pay for the repair. A good tradesman would be able to match it in to an acceptable standard at a fraction of a full refurb.
Member Since April 2014 - Comments: 306
12:06 PM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
Always very difficult when renting from a friend. Normally any accidental damage done mid tenancy by a tenant would be noted & as & when the tenant moves out, the cost to make good the damage would be assessed after applying fair wear & tear (depends on type of flooring eg laminate or hardwood flooring and how old/when laid, the condition at start of tenancy, expected lifespan of flooring & the number of inhabitants & finally level of damage). I suggest you ring someone like MyDeposits to get their guidance & whatever they say, your landlord friend can check this out by calling them him/herself. In this way it also distances the two of you if a respected third party is giving the opinion.
Member Since July 2015 - Comments: 38
12:09 PM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Laura Delow at 23/10/2018 – 12:06
Perhaps it should also be mentioned that wooden floors are not suitable in a working kitchen. There would have been no problem with a tiled or vinyl/lino floor.
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 126
1:15 PM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
As it’s a small area, I’d buy a small, fine sanding block to rub it down by hand and a small tin of Ronseal Diamond Varnish to paint over the damage. If it doesn’t match after a couple of coats then try a stained varnish or get a painter in to do the job.
Member Since February 2018 - Comments: 627
8:07 PM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
Reply to the comment left by Martin at 23/10/2018 – 12:09
Tiles crack though and vinyl is prone to cuts, lino, real lino, is tough but pricey, who thought PM was easy?
Member Since June 2014 - Comments: 1562
8:20 PM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
I am a tenant in a private rental and my landlord is a friend of mine.
Then take responsibility, apologise, ask them how much and pay them a fair bit more.
Member Since July 2013 - Comments: 648
9:02 PM, 23rd October 2018, About 7 years ago
Reply to the comment left by moneymanager at 23/10/2018 – 20:07
Go for tiles in my opinion.
Wood is unsuitable for both kitchens and bathrooms.
Vinyl will instantly melt if a hot object is dropped on it.
Tiles tend to crack one or two at a time and the repair is cheap.
But buy a whole box of spare tiles and store them on a shelf just under the roof ridge in a loft if you have a convenient one – preferably on site. 🙂