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?

Luzon, tempting idea but not really fair on the tenants. I think it will be very easy to fix.
I usually let agents get on with any problems, but it is quicker and better for these tenants if I sort it rather than go through the agent’s maintenance department.

Well, yeah, you are. I know you're trying to be amusing but that's the reality.
Thanks thecognoscenti, that’s my favourite post so far.

As someone said above usually if the tenants broke something they pay. If it is wear and tear the landlord pays.

The problem is it is not always clear which is why I ;paid £400 to repair the fairly new toilet and shower which I am pretty sure was not wear and tear as it was just simpler, albeit expensive when the tenants probably broke it.

Oh OP do not you know all landlords are evil in MN?

They probably also think the landlord should pay for lightbulbs

@TinyTear

Oh OP do not you know all landlords are evil in MN?

They probably also think the landlord should pay for lightbulbs

Sure hive mind here 😂 despite other landlords including me telling the op it’s wear and tear. What hyperbole... 🙄

@TrickyD

Luzon, tempting idea but not really fair on the tenants. I think it will be very easy to fix. I usually let agents get on with any problems, but it is quicker and better for these tenants if I sort it rather than go through the agent’s maintenance department.

Well, yeah, you are. I know you're trying to be amusing but that's the reality.
Thanks thecognoscenti, that’s my favourite post so far.

You're welcome. I suppose it's easier than working for a living.

"I am pretty sure was not wear and tear as it was just simpler, albeit expensive when the tenants probably broke it."

How (AND WHY?) would anyone break their own toilet and shower?

Not read the whole thread but wow! How nasty are some posters?!

I’m guessing those telling you you ‘should have read up before becoming a landlord’, have not and never will be landlords.

People can be so bitter! FWIW OP - and again I’ve not read the full thread - it’s always best to consider your liability to pay, these tenants sound nice but many can trash houses and it’s not a landlord’s role to fix reckless damage.

thecogno how do you know what the OP has or hasn’t worked for? Bitter much?! You’re also allowed to purchase a buy to let property - opportunity is there for you too.

You're welcome. I suppose it's easier than working for a living.

What a strange remark.

Yes, being retired after 40 years working in the public and voluntary sectors is a pleasant change.

OP their remark is uninformed, naive and bitter. Better leaving them to their own pious world.

If they were jumping on it, they pay or repair it. If it just breaks its up to you

The problem with this is that tenants will rarely tell you they mistreated furniture.
The other thing is many landlords (and I’m not assuming the OP did) furnish using cheaper furniture which increases the likelihood of it breaking. The tenants can’t pay to replace every Argos flat pack item.

OP Your agent should deal with this. That is what you are paying them a percentage for. They should not be contacting you directly.
If you want to do it yourself, it is easier to find a handyman and give his/her number to the tenants to arrange it themselves and you reimburse them when they send you a receipt. Otherwise it is difficult to arrange times when you won’t be there yourself to let them in.

If you want to do it yourself, it is easier to find a handyman and give his/her number to the tenants to arrange it themselves and you reimburse them when they send you a receipt. Otherwise it is difficult to arrange times when you won’t be there yourself to let them in.

Thanks, Along.yes, that is exactly what we are doing. Suits the tenants and suits us as we are 96 miles away.

Would you like me to take one for team tricky by making myself look even worse than you are? although that's hard you capitalist wanker

DH and I once broke a (decorative metal type) landlord's bedstead by having a high jump competition in our bedroom using the Folsby Flop technique.

We replaced it. I didn't really want to pay for an item that was quite old when we moved in and that we would have to leave behind, but stupidity has a price and we learnt a good lesson only buy divan beds

😆😁😄

Broke the slats in my bed several weeks after I bought it. This was due to a knot in the wood that created a weak spot. Frankly these beds are not for the long term.

Maybe offer the tenants an amount top spend and allow them to top up if they want a different bed.

Then you have the dilemma of who gets the bed when the tenants move out. If they’ve part paid for it then it’s part theirs.

That kind of damage is NOT fair wear and tear unless the bed is say over 5 yrs old. They broke it they fix it, lightbulbs should be replaced by them as well

On the other hand it might be worth cultivating a relationship with a local maintenance team to deal with these issues.

That kind of damage is NOT fair wear and tear

You’ve no idea. You haven’t seen the damage. You can possibly say.

unless the bed is say over 5 yrs old.

It’s 6 years old and has had previous occupants.

They broke it they fix it, lightbulbs should be replaced by them as well

Who mentioned lightbulbs?

Depends why it's broken I guess.

Normal wear and tear, or faulty bed - landlord

Inappropriate use, negligence or deliberate range - tenant

when tenants broke something

Did the tenants break it or did the bed break?

There's a big difference to the tenants breaking the bed by jumping up and down on it, for example, to the bed breaking due to being older, not well put together, being a cheap bed, general wear and tear, etc.

@BigSister2020

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.

not the same.

Slatted beds do do this, as they get old the the frame distorts a bit. or they were cheap to start with and collapse.
Now they may have broken it by jumping on it, then it would be up to them to replace, but you are never going to prove that.
Wear and tear you replace, accidental damage, they replace.

Other examples:
broken crockery - they replace
crockery which is scratched and looking old, - you replace.
carpet looking dirty and worn, - you clean/replace
carpet had a bottle of pruple shampoo spilt on it, - they replace /claim on their insurance.

All items have an expected life span. Once past that, you can’t insist a tenant (or ex tenant) pays to replace it, even if they were misusing it, so it doesn’t really matter how it was damaged. A cheapish slatted bed at 6 years old has probably just reached the end of its life span. Even if it was expected to last 10 years and they damaged it, you’d only be able to claim 40% of the cost of an equivalent bed from them (ie the remaining life span). Probably not worth the hassle.

Blimey, OP - some people want to take the bed and beat you with the slats 😱
You forgot the standard code that many on MN hate landlords by default -good or bad.

Yes, what a vile bunch of angry tenants on the attack!

Clearly RTFT goes completely over their heads. They’re not interested in the facts of the matter, slats vs frame, and some obviously lack thinking skills.

Carry on chaps!

swimlyn, not only the lack of thinking skills, but rather more concerning, the inability to read.

It is a very nice bed, in fact the whole house was featured in a magazine when DH was living there part time.

Haha 😂 hilarious 🤣