AIBU to think this is a bit much from my tenants?

[KittyCrackers]

I'm an accidental landlord with a flat I just can't sell, so we've put some absolutely lovely tenants in for a couple of years until the market picks up. They've been brilliant - perfect tenants!

Apart from...

They keep breaking the toilet seats. They've been there 10 months and we've had to put five new seats in already. Apparently one of the couple likes to do a "courtesy flush" while sitting on the loo and this twisting motion is snapping the seats at the screws and down the middle. We've asked them not to do this but I've just had another call that it's broken again - how many broken seats is too many? Do we start charging them for the callouts / seats (we're currently covering this as well as the new seats every time)

I don't want to make them mad as they really are lovely but it's getting a bit much now... or do we just suck it up as an expense of letting the property?

Thanks...

They broke it because of their weird habits. Easily it’s cost you £100 in seats. From now it’s their responsibility.

They cannot reasonably claim normal wear and tear, so their responsibility.

Said as a tenant.

We bought a heavy-duty bed marketed at super-obese people for (a-hem) non-weight related reasons... sound like you need the toilet seat equivalent - this one, perhaps?

www.notjusttaps.co.uk/toilet-seat-special-needs-tecnoplast-unbreakable.html

Marketed as ‘virtually unbreakable’ - buy them one last one and tell them if they manage to break an unbreakable seat, it’s most definitely their problem and not yours!

I wouldn't replace this one. It's their repeated misuse, so it's down to them.

FGS just tell them to buy some air freshener!

We've had other maintenance issues in our rental - all fixed asap - but the loo seat has lasted over 6 years! Your tenants are taking the piss, or poo, as the case may be.

they squat on your seats to do a number 2. it's not about turning around for a flush.

How much are you spending on the seats? It may be that the one you're buying is poor quality - you can buy seats for £2 upwards and some sellers sell poor quality seats at much higher prices.

I bought this British made one 6 months ago for £25. It's plastic but fairly solid. I sit sideways on it to brush the kids' teeth and it often gets twisted as a result of that - I'm conscious of that so make sure I don't twist it too much.

www.plumbase.co.uk/celmac-wirquin-vip-toilet-seat-100010867-4003004

Getting them to replace their own seats will probably be the most effective way to stop them breaking them.

l'm a tenant, l've lived in my house nearly four years and all the toilet seats are still intact! That's ridiculous. l can't imagine my landlord would be amused, nice as he is!

@Mountainsoutofmolehills yes!!! I was so thinking that! Both feet on the seat and away we go, there are signs at work telling people not to do it like that

It's pretty common in other countries

We had the same problem but from a tenants POV. The landlord had used something that dissolved the toilet seat fittings so we asked for a replacement when we moved in. He replaced it with a very cheap seat that broke within a month. The next replacement lasted a few more months and then we paid ourselves for a decent one.

Cheap toilet seats are crap! The plumber told us it was the WC that was the problem as it wasn't standard but I think it was the cheap toilet seats he was using.

We've replaced our toilet seat once in our house and paid for it ourselves even though the original seat was plastic and crap.

That’s really odd - we rent and it wouldn’t even occur to me to report a broken toilet seat to the landlord - especially if it’s my own strange toilet habits that broke it!!

I am very anti landlords generally, having experienced some really awful ones. Even I think that your tenants should pay for new ones themselves, I always replaced things like that at my own expense.

Yep I feel your pain,

I’m a landlord and I don’t know what they do with them, we’ve brought so many and replaced them that we now have a stock of them in the garage, I wouldn’t mind if they were cheap toilet seats but they’re not.

@Mountainsoutofmolehills

yes!!! I was so thinking that! Both feet on the seat and away we go, there are signs at work telling people not to do it like that. It's pretty common in other countries

My flabber is truely gasted! I can't imagine managing to balance on the loo like that!

I’m a Landlord. I’d probably buy the £7 cheapies and suck it up to save hassle. Decent one when they go

The toilet seat in our old house had been in place for 11 years when we moved out. They are taking the piss! Especially if they know full well why the seats are breaking and are continuing to break them. Say no op, it's not your responsibility.

Courtesy flush 🤢. No thanks to bog water splashing up your arse!!

I believe it's known as a Poseidon's Kiss. Grim.

Is it possible to get metal toilet seats? They'd be good, strong and hardwearing and cold on the old buttocks first thing in the morning which may make them regret having broken the others and/or offer to buy replacements themselves and be careful with them.

I wonder if they're MNers? If they need a courtesy flush mid-poo when they use it themselves, I assume they wouldn't dream of ever letting a tradesman do a poo in their facility.

I also wonder if they're from a part of the world where squatting rather than sitting is the norm and are putting their whole weight on the seat. I can't personally fathom how easy that must be, but I suppose your grip and aim must improve with practice.

Can you get motion-activated (not that kind of motion) musical ones that automatically start playing Chubby Checker when the incumbent starts to Do The Twist?

As a renter for almost 30 years I have to say with things like toilet seats I have always replaced myself. Always in a place for more than 2 years and usually we start off with a cheap plastic seat that lasts a year at the most, we then replace with a more expensive seat that lasts much longer

I've never broken a toilet seat before this particular house but in my case for 2 to break in less than half a year makes me believe it's the seat/toilet itself.

If you do replace it, provide the cheapest one you can find.

However I don't think you should be replacing it, especially as you know they are breaking it with their bizarre habit of courtesy flushing.

As a landlord you're supposed to fix things but not necessarily replace. Broken toilet, yes. Broken toilet seat, not necessarily.

Please, please thank your tenants for introducing us all to the "courtesy flush" though

Great tip.... I had this with the children, instead of the better quality toilet seats I said I was only going to get the cheapest note so bought a cheap plastic one from wilko and its been on over a year now! I think it's more pliable?

Replacement fittings available from Wilkos or from ebay?

Any

And they're taking the piss asking for toilet seats when they've broken them, I would be embarrassed to ask!

I've been renting since 2001 and have only broken 1 toilet seat, that was due to a combination of it not sitting properly due to toilet freshener thing, my huge ass falling on it and it being very old and the plastic had become brittle.

I replaced it... I would never dream of asking my landlord to replace it.

No more. Don't replace them.