Our tenants have broken their bed

[TrickyD]

It is one of those ones which have a lot of slats each resting on a little ledge. The ledge came off so the slat fell.
Is this something that the tenants should normally pay to get fixed?
No doubt, despite it being a very small job, any handyman would charge around £60.
Unfortunately the property is 96 miles from our home, else DH would pop over equipped with hammer and nails.
They are nice tenants, so we will probably pay, but what normally happens when breakages like this happen?

Are you providing the bed?
If yes then it is your responsibility to fix. If no, then the responsibility lies with them. It's very simple.

If you provide the bed then you need to pay for someone to fix it

If you provided it, you should pay. Irrespective of how nice they are and the fact that they'll probably pay anyway.

You pay. That’s normal wear and tear.

They obviously want you to sort it otherwise they would just do it themselves and not even mention it.

Oh, Ok.
Somehow I imagined if tenants broke stuff which came with a furnished let, they sorted it.
I was clearly wrong.

If you're having a handyman fix it, have them add some slats and screw all of the slats to the frame while they are there.

Is it wear and tear or damage? How old is the bedframe?

I think it depends whether or not it is normal wear and tear. How did they say that it broke>

What does the tenancy agreement say? My nephew had to pay for anything they broke

If they were trampolining on it then they pay. As a landlord you are responsible for wear and tear to foxy tires and fittings you provide, so if it broke during normal use you pay

If they were trampolining on it then you might have a point about damage. If they were just sleeping/shagging on it it's on you.

No, which is why it’s a consideration not to let as furnished. The more you provide, the more that can break/liable that you are personally liable for.

Good thinking. Aquamarine .
I don’t suppose anyone knows a handyman in Norwich do they?
No doubt the agents would sort it, at vast expense.

Our tenant broke a glass garden table that we had left at the property. The agent told them it was their responsibility to replace - which they did before they moved out.

@TrickyD no I don't but if you find a decent one could you DM me the details because I also rent out a place in Norwich but I'm 1000 miles away!!

Please! Obviously!

Would they be able to repair it themselves? It’s a fairly minor thing and they are expected to keep the house in decent condition.There has to be a balance or they could break whatever they like with.

Why? They won't be taking the bed with them. You should have researched this before becoming a landlord perhaps? Unless you think they deliberately damaged it then it's wear and tear and of course should be repaired by the landlord. This is quite a bizzare post!

Depends if they broke it or it was going to break anyway. If they weren't mistreating it then you should pay. If they were jumping on the bed then they should pay

That’s fair wear and tear, which you have to pay for; unlike BigSister’s* glass table, which was accidental damage and they had to pay for.

How old is the bed? If less than 2 years, you could make a case that it should have lasted longer / ill treatment or shoddy workmanship.

However, for a very minor expense like this, it's worth replacing it in order to keep good relations with the tenants, so long as they pay rent and are generally respectful of the property.

I don’t think it is a particularly bizarre post Plussizejumpsuit.
We have several times had deductions made from tenants’ deposits for breakages when they left. I can’t see that breaking something mid-term makes them less responsible.

SBTLove, they are academics and don’t seem very practical.

GreenLeafTurnip, yes of course I will.

How old is the bed frame?

Well it depends if they broke it or it broke?

If they were jumping on it, they pay or repair it. If it just breaks its up to you. Same as at the end of tenancy? Ive never actually been charged for something breaking during tenancy out of my deposit as the odd thing that has broken was fair wear and tear