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Original poster

Damage by tenant

137 replies

Babysister · 15/04/2023 16:30

Am I being unreasonable to feel the way the tenant has left my house is unreasonable?

Two years ago I was offered a job in France through a teacher exchange and decided to rent out my house while I was living there. I was not sure of my future plans so put all my belongings and furniture into storage to let my house unfurnished. My dream was to move elsewhere when I retired but my personal circumstances have changed so I decided to move back to my house when the tenant gave notice.

I arrived in the UK last week to collect the keys to my now empty house having got a new job here. I fully expected to need to decorate after a two year let and clean carpets etc but was hoping that would be all. Maybe I was being unrealistic!

All the carpets are stained, there are lots of picture hooks on the walls as well as damage where the tenant has used poly filler to fill in a large hole but not sanded it down, there are sticky hooks on the fireplace which I cannot get off and the blinds ( new two years ago) are badly damaged in two rooms - will need replacing.

However, the main issue is that they have removed fitted wardrobes in the box room and left a real mess behind - missing skirting board, bare walls with uneven plaster and large holes in walls where screws were. I did find the wardrobe and drawers in pieces in the garage, along with some other rubbish like old carpets, only fit for the tip! The carpets were not from my house!

The property agents are going to come and look at the house on Monday to give their opinion but I thought I would ask here if I would be wrong to hold back some of the £1000 deposit to replace the wardrobes and blinds, as well as repair the worst of the damage caused by holes in the walls. I’m not sure some of the carpet stains can be cleaned but I’ll be replacing them soon so am not bothered too much about them.

My plans were to get my things out of storage in a couple of weeks after the decorators have been in but I think it will take longer than that now so I’ll be staying longer in my hotel room than I thought.

I’ve attached a couple of photos to try to show the damage.

Damage by tenant
Damage by tenant
Damage by tenant
Damage by tenant
Damage by tenant
OP posts:
determinedtomakethiswork · 15/04/2023 23:05

I would've thought they would lose all of their deposit.

Original poster
Babysister · 15/04/2023 23:03

NC17 · 15/04/2023 21:42

How long ago did the tenant move out? A 'check out inventory' should have been done ASAP. Now that it's been left and not done, the tenant could argue that they didn't cause the damage...

Tenant moved out yesterday, ( Friday), returned keys at 11 am this morning, I was there by 12 noon.

OP posts:
Cosyblankets · 15/04/2023 23:02

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 15/04/2023 20:22

Hopefully he keeps it that way!

mine was great for the first 7/8 months. Then it went downhill from there

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He's been there almost 3 years

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 15/04/2023 23:02

Babysister · 15/04/2023 22:55

Yes, that’s very annoying and we will take it up with the agents on Monday. The keys were dropped off this morning and I went to the house a couple of hours later so I suppose I could have damaged the blinds and thrown muck over the carpets but I doubt I had enough tile to dismantle wardrobes and drag them outside, knock holes in wall and badly repair them or draw childish pictures on the walls! I am disabled anyway and use a walking stick, not a ninja!

Show quote history

Tbh that’s really not the point.

The agents should have made clear to you not to go in until they’d been in and done the check.

Little things like this can end up being really expensive if you have a tricky tenant who plays games, and it’s these little things that you pay the agents to know and warn you about.

Original poster
Babysister · 15/04/2023 23:01

Whichnumbers · 15/04/2023 20:01

hairdryer and dental floss may work on removing the stick on hooks

Thank you, something to try, my brother could not get them off today although he easily removed command strips from the wall paper in the back room.

OP posts:
Original poster
Babysister · 15/04/2023 22:55

Sourfairy · 15/04/2023 18:18

As the letting agents didn't conduct a check out then I think you could have a real problem here. The tenants could claim that none of that damage existed when they left. Obviously you know otherwise but without a check out inventory and photos by the agent, it can't be proved and the deposit protection service would have to side with the tenant.

Yes, that’s very annoying and we will take it up with the agents on Monday. The keys were dropped off this morning and I went to the house a couple of hours later so I suppose I could have damaged the blinds and thrown muck over the carpets but I doubt I had enough tile to dismantle wardrobes and drag them outside, knock holes in wall and badly repair them or draw childish pictures on the walls! I am disabled anyway and use a walking stick, not a ninja!

OP posts:
YetMoreNewBeginnings · 15/04/2023 22:53

Did your agents take photos when they did the move in inventory?

Original poster
Babysister · 15/04/2023 22:50

VegetablesFightingToReclaimTheAubergieneEmoji · 15/04/2023 18:12

We have those blinds, honestly they are shit. You try and clean them and they bend, so you try and bend them back and they sort of go, but not the same. Then next time you dust them, they fold themselves up again. That’s before you’ve tried to pull them up so you can clean the windows and the whole fucking thing falls down.
Whoever invented them needs shooting.
we rent and when we move I know we are going to have to replace them, despite the fact they are shit and uncleanable, and not particularly user friendly. .

I’ve had the same blinds for 12 years and they are not damaged! They are not cheap and can be cleaned with a damp cloth very easily without bending. The only things wrong with the blinds is that the colour is a bit darker than I thought when I ordered them and I take bad photos! They are not even in a south facing room!

I guess we might just remove them but then the front of the house would be overlooked by people passing by.

OP posts:
Original poster
Babysister · 15/04/2023 22:42

L3ThirtySeven · 15/04/2023 17:57

They’re old, cheap and in a sunny window. The sun damage will have made them brittle. The OP was going to redecorate anyway and TDS will view charging for blinds as old as that as trying to get a redecorate on the back of the tenant.

If you look at the outlet it looks like it was bumped and the plaster board just tore. It’s not been deliberately removed. It looks like it wasn’t installed securely in the first place or perhaps Chinese plasterboard has been used which isn’t the fault of the tenant.

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The blinds were new when the tenant moved in, ie 2 years old. They were not cheap, they are the same type and quality I have in my house which are in perfect condition after 12 years. We had no thoughts about replacing them before the sale. I have no idea how the tenant managed to cause that much damage through wear and tear.

OP posts:
NC17 · 15/04/2023 21:42

How long ago did the tenant move out? A 'check out inventory' should have been done ASAP. Now that it's been left and not done, the tenant could argue that they didn't cause the damage...

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 15/04/2023 20:22

Cosyblankets · 15/04/2023 19:49

I'm a landlord to a recently divorced man and he keeps it immaculate!

Show quote history

Hopefully he keeps it that way!

mine was great for the first 7/8 months. Then it went downhill from there

thaisweetchill · 15/04/2023 20:08

If the property was managed they should have done an inventory before the tenants moved in.

You need to put this on the agents to sort out, that's what you've been paying them for!

I'd get detailed/up close photographs of everything to prove the state of the property before you start putting stuff right, you may need to give them the opportunity to put it right before you start arranging works also.

Whichnumbers · 15/04/2023 20:01

hairdryer and dental floss may work on removing the stick on hooks

Cosyblankets · 15/04/2023 19:49

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 15/04/2023 19:38

I no longer rent to divorced men who have just split from their wives. They usually fall into the horrendous category and I'm can see why they are separated and I'm glad their wives no longer have to put up with them.

Funnily enough the only time I used an agent and (stupidly) let them persuade me to have a “professional” tenant was a recently divorced man with a good job. Most expensive tenant I’ve ever had in terms of repairs and costs to get rid. Also thought rent was something that he could pay “when I get round to it”. Was a nightmare.

There’s a couple of other LLs I know that say the same.

I'm a landlord to a recently divorced man and he keeps it immaculate!

YetMoreNewBeginnings · 15/04/2023 19:38

I no longer rent to divorced men who have just split from their wives. They usually fall into the horrendous category and I'm can see why they are separated and I'm glad their wives no longer have to put up with them.

Funnily enough the only time I used an agent and (stupidly) let them persuade me to have a “professional” tenant was a recently divorced man with a good job. Most expensive tenant I’ve ever had in terms of repairs and costs to get rid. Also thought rent was something that he could pay “when I get round to it”. Was a nightmare.

There’s a couple of other LLs I know that say the same.

Cosyblankets · 15/04/2023 19:35

Babysister · 15/04/2023 16:49

I thought the property company would do a check out inventory but they haven’t although when I spoke to them today. The tenant just dropped off the keys and told them that the house had been cleaned thoroughly!

Luckily I do have photos that were taken to get it advertised and also one of the bedroom with wardrobes dated Feb 2022 at an annual inspection the agents made.

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Landlord here. We had to have date stamped photos when the tenant moved in

Thebigblueballoon · 15/04/2023 19:35

Absolutely not! That damage and the replacements needed are going to cost in excess of a £1000 deposit! I’d be getting ready to take this mucky tenant to small claims court. Feel for you, OP.

EsmeSusanOgg · 15/04/2023 19:35

PrincessofWellies · 15/04/2023 18:19

There is no such thing as an 'accidental landlord'. You rent a property out, that's a decision, you enter into a legally binding contract, there's nothing accidental about that either.

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'Accidental landlord' is a term coined for people who did not want to ge landlords but due to work/ caring responsibilities have to let out their main/ only owned property whilst they live elsewhere for a short period of time.

Lindy2 · 15/04/2023 19:31

xxooxx · 15/04/2023 18:50

@Fernanfrank That will be @Lindy2 who definitely needs to meet our houses!

I've been a landlord for 20 years. I absolutely believe you are great tenants and keep your homes looking lovely. My current tenants are the same and I'm charging a significantly below market rate rent because I'd like them to stay.

I'd say for every 10 tenants 2 or 3 are great, 1 or 2 are horrendous and the rest are OK. They all get referenced and credit checked but that doesn't really help determine how they will be. I no longer rent to divorced men who have just split from their wives. They usually fall into the horrendous category and I'm can see why they are separated and I'm glad their wives no longer have to put up with them.

IDontWantToBeAPie · 15/04/2023 19:27

The hooks and blinds are to be expected. Especially as the blinds look cheap.

But the state of those walls and plugs!!

sandyhappypeople · 15/04/2023 19:06

PrincessofWellies · 15/04/2023 18:19

There is no such thing as an 'accidental landlord'. You rent a property out, that's a decision, you enter into a legally binding contract, there's nothing accidental about that either.

Show quote history

It's just a saying really. All the term means is that you didn't buy a property specifically to rent out, you end up with a property that you can either rent or sell, either through death, inheritance or in my case you meet someone with their own house too and you decide to move in together.

Holliboobies · 15/04/2023 19:06

The wardrobes are a piss take so yes I would be charging to sort that wall out & clear the stuff they left in the garage. The hooks,
carpets and wall I couldn’t be arsed with. You’ll get the hooks off, easier to sand the wall and said you want to replace the carpets anyway. The blinds… quite honestly
OP they’ve done you a favour.

Livelovebehappy · 15/04/2023 19:06

Absolutely keep the entire £1k. Tenants like this contribute to the problem of landlords selling up.

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 15/04/2023 18:56

PrincessofWellies · 15/04/2023 18:19

There is no such thing as an 'accidental landlord'. You rent a property out, that's a decision, you enter into a legally binding contract, there's nothing accidental about that either.

Show quote history

Yawn. It’s just a saying. Calm yourself down.

Crikeyalmighty · 15/04/2023 18:56

@Fernanfrank I agree- we've rented lovely houses for 20 years. My home looks exactly as if it were owner occupied (much better than many) - mind you when viewing places I've been suprised at how 'some' renters don't seem to give a crap about their surroundings- and these are lovely big family houses. I'm sure though if I was viewing to buy the situation would be the same.