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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask landlord for new fridge

32 replies

starkadder · 09/03/2014 19:42

Ok, this is very boring, but anyway...

The shelf in the door of our fridge has broken off. The one where you put milk etc. the actual little nodules that it fits over (iykwim) have snapped off so I think it would not be easy to fix.

Otherwise fridge is fine - it's a fridge freezer actually - except inside light has never worked.

We rent so it's out landlord's fridge; not ours.

WIBU to ask him to get us a new one? Seems a bit silly when it does actually work. But.... It's kind of annoying not being able to put stuff in the door. There are 5 of us and it's a struggle to fit everything in there anyway after a big shop.

OP posts:
Earlybird · 09/03/2014 19:44

Did you or someone in your family break the shelf?
Was it like that when you moved in?
How long have you been a tenant, and are you a tenant in good standing?

Musicaltheatremum · 09/03/2014 19:45

You can get new parts for the fridge. My daughters landlord did this.

wowfudge · 09/03/2014 19:46

Just ask him to fix it/ replace and see what happens.

IncognitoIsMyFavouriteWord · 09/03/2014 19:46

Not at all.

As it's his property he is responsible to make sure it's in working order.

However beware that he doesn't claim you have broken it by accident or otherwise.

Also he only has to replace like with like so he might just get you a second hand one.

Original poster
starkadder · 09/03/2014 19:47

Early - it just snapped off when we put the milk in the other day. So, we put the milk in which broke it but we didn't do anything strangely violent!

OP posts:
mercibucket · 09/03/2014 19:48

is the fridge one of the items the landlord provides or was it just left in the property?

who broke the shelf?

why do you want a new one not a replacement shelf?

Earlybird · 09/03/2014 19:50

Do some research about finding a replacement part for the fridge make and model. You can then email him the information. Unless it is exorbitantly expensive, he should be OK with buying a new part for you. But think he might be unhappy at you asking for a new fridge when this one still works just fine.

Original poster
starkadder · 09/03/2014 19:51

A replacement shelf would be fine! Don't care at all about having a new one as, as I said, it works fine. I guess it is up to him to work out if he can get the shelf fixed...

We rent out our own property in London and I am pretty sure if this happened to our tenants then I'd just get them a new one. But when it's the other way round I am not sure..!

OP posts:
lilystem · 09/03/2014 19:52

Depends.

I'm a landlord and I left a fridge in the house but made it clear to the tenants verbally and via a contract that it is a gesture of goodwill and I'm not responsible for resolving.

What does your contract say - are you fully furnished? Also, how long have you been a tenant. I might be inclined to fix it if it was a longstanding good tenant in my house.

Original poster
starkadder · 09/03/2014 19:53

Merci - yes, he provides. We're excellent tenants of course Smile have been here over 3 years and in that time stuff just does break - he had to replace the washing machine quite recently, which is why I feel bad. But it is not our fault!

OP posts:
Original poster
starkadder · 09/03/2014 19:55

Not fully furnished but white goods (washing machine, dishwasher and fridge freezer) included in inventory.

OP posts:
whois · 09/03/2014 20:08

No harm in asking him to fix/replace it.

Oldraver · 09/03/2014 20:10

You probably need a new lamp if the light isnt working

LRDtheFeministDragon · 09/03/2014 20:26

It wouldn't occur to me not to ask and if a LL was funny about something on the inventory, I would be quite fed up TBH.

HadABadDay2014 · 09/03/2014 20:28

It's worth asking.

The freezer doesn't work anyway and now the shelf has broken.

LessMissAbs · 09/03/2014 20:56

Fridge shelves do break and are easily replaced. I wouldn't replace a whole fridge due to one broken shelf!

Your landlord may claim the cost of the replacement from you since it was given to you in full working order.

aquashiv · 09/03/2014 21:09

most of these things are easily broken/replaced. What does your contract say it should be covered?

Original poster
starkadder · 09/03/2014 22:14

Isn't it just normal wear and tear? I think he'd have a bit of a nerve asking us to pay to fix it - that never even entered my head!!

Thanks everyone for all the repliesSmile

OP posts:
BuntyCollocks · 10/03/2014 01:19

We're in the position of being both landlords and tenants, so I'm speaking from experience of both. I'd be trying to fix it myself. I doubt it'll cost much, and as my management agency for the property we own has told me (our tenant is a twat), tenants are expected to treat your home/items as though they are their own, and that involves making small, inexpensive repairs.

So, yes, replacing a bulb in fridge and trying to sort out the milk shelf.

TheDetective · 10/03/2014 01:26

Stark Our fridge did the same thing - the plastic molding just snapped off one day when we put the milk in.

It isn't repairable - it would require a whole new bloody fridge freezer! Anyway, after huffing and puffing over it (because the milk needs to go somewhere, and that somewhere is not lying down ready to leak all over my food!) I discovered there are moldings higher up. So we just moved the milk shelf up a notch higher. I think there was another shelf, which we had to remove so the milk still fit in. But it worked - and is still working.

The light should be replaceable with a bulb.

Speak to the LL and ask them to come out and take a look. It's wear and tear, so not your fault.

holidaysarenice · 10/03/2014 01:59

I bet you put a 3l milk cartoon in! They always break the plastic.

Oriunda · 10/03/2014 07:46

I'm a ll. I'd probably sigh, and source a new shelf but I'd be wondering what size milk bottle you put in there. Anything over 2 litres (especially if a large family) might have caused the shelf to break as shelf may not ha been wide enough (my fridge takes a 1 litre bottle comfortably). I'd suggest you look online yourself to see if you can source the shelf, to save the ll the trouble of having to ask you what model etc the fridge is (I don't know what model fridge is in my flat as the instructions etc are there). If it's a small amount (under £20) I'd replace myself but let ll know and build up goodwill. Over that, let the ll know.

Anything like bulbs etc I'd consider tenants' responsibility for replacing.

LessMissAbs · 10/03/2014 13:09

Breaking things isn't normal wear and tear. Wear and tear is when things wear out, not break. Fridge shelves are relatively fragile and if you thump heavy objects down on top of them, they tend to break. If it makes life so difficult, since you have internet access, have you thought about googling the fridge make and model along with the words "replacement shelf and fittings"?

Oriunda Anything like bulbs etc I'd consider tenants' responsibility for replacing

I agree, but have you ever known a tenant replace a bulb in a fridge?

LRDtheFeministDragon · 10/03/2014 13:50

No, things that break can come under wear and tear. It depends on the condition of the fridge - you cannot expect a tenant magically not to break things that are on their last legs.

I've replaced bulbs in fridges before, but perhaps they were unusually simple ones.

Caitlin17 · 10/03/2014 13:52

The fridge is working. You can't seriously expect a new fridge just because of this.

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