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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

£92 curtains… taking the piss

106 replies

kindereggxo · 14/07/2022 23:13

Hi all,

My sister has returned home from her student accommodation halls recently. She handed in her keys and received the email this morning confirming her departure and about her deposit…

She was charged £92 for bloody replacement CURTAINS Shock

That is almost her entire deposit gone. Before coming home she spent nearly two full days deep cleaning her room and the kitchen. She’s pissed off and upset to say the least and has to ‘top up’ the deposit since she’s staying in the same accommodation next year.

AIBU to think this takes the piss? She’s a clean and respectful students and i fully believe her when she said she left everything in perfect order. Seems so unfair and grabby from these accommodation companies!! Also £92? What the hell are these curtains made of?

OP posts:
Original poster
kindereggxo · 15/07/2022 00:03

Madmaxxy · 15/07/2022 00:00

Regardless of the perceived cost of curtains, obviously if she genuinely hadn't damaged the curtains she'd be taking it up with them instead of having you post about it on here....

I’m looking for opinions and have appreciated the advice so far but thanks for your concern Wink

OP posts:
Amipreg1 · 15/07/2022 00:07

Charlize43 · 14/07/2022 23:53

£92 is very cheap for curtain.

Unless the window is massive or something there is absolutely no need to spend that amount on them. Have they not heard of argos/ikea or similar!?

GCHeretic · 15/07/2022 00:09

Amipreg1 · 15/07/2022 00:07

Unless the window is massive or something there is absolutely no need to spend that amount on them. Have they not heard of argos/ikea or similar!?

Show quote history

Do they include the fitting in the price and disposal of the old ones?

The replacement cost will include both.

Bunty55 · 15/07/2022 00:10

Well it's definitely a lesson learned. Next time take photos of everything in case it happens again !

Charlize43 · 15/07/2022 00:20

Amipreg1 · 15/07/2022 00:07

Unless the window is massive or something there is absolutely no need to spend that amount on them. Have they not heard of argos/ikea or similar!?

Show quote history

They'll be very basic. £92 won't even get you a decent pencil pleat or detachable thermal lining.

They also won't be natural fibre but synthetic... probably Polyester (quelle horreur). Something stiff and awkward looking. Ghastly.

WinterMusings · 15/07/2022 00:25

Charlize43 · 15/07/2022 00:20

They'll be very basic. £92 won't even get you a decent pencil pleat or detachable thermal lining.

They also won't be natural fibre but synthetic... probably Polyester (quelle horreur). Something stiff and awkward looking. Ghastly.

Show quote history

Yes, how dreadful, student room in halls, having basic window coverings.

horiffic.

Luckingfovely · 15/07/2022 00:36

Well, you've only got the half the story, so nobody on here can possibly help you; and curtains cost what they cost, and £92 is well at the lower end of the spectrum.

Obvious question, which has been asked, but you chose not to answer it: what was the damage and what is the evidence?

They either a) have evidence and therefore are in the right, or b) are making it up and are beyond dodgy.

Either way, you need to look at the evidence and the contract - specifically what constitutes damage and what proof is considered acceptable legally - instead of moaning on here and snapping back at people who question you Hmm

Luckingfovely · 15/07/2022 00:40

*and also - if it took her two full days to clean her room - was she bathing in mud in her room every day? Hosting wild sex parties? Skinning animals and sacrificing them over sage flames to a vengeful goddess?

The size of an average student halls does not take two days to clean unless you've been doing something really bad in it.

I think you might not know your sister as well as you thought you did! Wink

byejacques · 15/07/2022 00:43

if it took her 2 days to clean a halls flat then she’s not quite as clean as you think she is!

Original poster
kindereggxo · 15/07/2022 00:52

Luckingfovely · 15/07/2022 00:36

Well, you've only got the half the story, so nobody on here can possibly help you; and curtains cost what they cost, and £92 is well at the lower end of the spectrum.

Obvious question, which has been asked, but you chose not to answer it: what was the damage and what is the evidence?

They either a) have evidence and therefore are in the right, or b) are making it up and are beyond dodgy.

Either way, you need to look at the evidence and the contract - specifically what constitutes damage and what proof is considered acceptable legally - instead of moaning on here and snapping back at people who question you Hmm

Eh? i’m not snapping at anyone. But i have a distaste of users who gatekeep and think they have a say what can and cannot be posted on here 🙄 if my ‘moaning’ and post bother you that much, don’t read it ffs. You’re wasting as much time responding as me apparently writing it!

Thanks all for the other replies. She’s going through and looking at the contract now

OP posts:
Nipplestoyou · 15/07/2022 00:52

If she's got any sense she would have taken a video of the pristine room and kitchen as she left it.
Perhaps they have got the rooms muddled up and are charging for someone else's curtains in the flat.

Original poster
kindereggxo · 15/07/2022 00:53

All of you talking about it taking two days to clean… we’re talking a kitchen which hosted 8 teenagers for a year. Can you please not derail the thread with your assumptions Confused

OP posts:
Luckingfovely · 15/07/2022 01:00

And yet still - no comment on what damage was actually done to the curtains Wink

byejacques · 15/07/2022 01:13

kindereggxo · 15/07/2022 00:53

All of you talking about it taking two days to clean… we’re talking a kitchen which hosted 8 teenagers for a year. Can you please not derail the thread with your assumptions Confused

a kitchen and the rest of the areas your sister used would not take 2 days to clean if it was as well cared for you as claim! even if it was filthy 2 days is ridiculous but that’s beside the point I suppose

Original poster
kindereggxo · 15/07/2022 01:17

Luckingfovely · 15/07/2022 01:00

And yet still - no comment on what damage was actually done to the curtains Wink

Read the thread, i already said there was no damage.

OP posts:
Original poster
kindereggxo · 15/07/2022 01:18

byejacques · 15/07/2022 01:13

a kitchen and the rest of the areas your sister used would not take 2 days to clean if it was as well cared for you as claim! even if it was filthy 2 days is ridiculous but that’s beside the point I suppose

Show quote history

Do you actually have anything else to say than coming back to the thread and making digs? Clearly you’re such a clean, perfect person yourself.

OP posts:
Wafflesnsniffles · 15/07/2022 01:28

"£92 is dirt cheap for curtains" "you wont get them thermal lined for that"
PMSL on what planet is that then!!! MN totally not living in the real world once again.

Ive just bought a beautiful pair of a sort of brushed velvety fabric curtains for my dinning room. 72 inches long 46" wide. Thermal lined. £55 For the pair. Gorgeous quality and I imagine Ill have them for at least 10 years. I absolutely love them.

Even the full height 92" ones at 46" (which is perfectly wide enough I should think for standard student halls windows if full height) are only £65 Or about the same price if wanting wider but shorter.

Wafflesnsniffles · 15/07/2022 01:33

kindereggxo - sorry this has happened. I would definitely get her to appeal it. Seems to me she did a great job of cleaning. Landlords usually try to chance it if they can in my experience - assuming that most tenants wont want to bother with the hassle of chasing to get the money back.

It can be done. My landlord tried to get about £500 of my £750 deposit back. In the event the appeals process decided he should only have £80!

rahjama · 15/07/2022 01:33

To anyone questioning the amount of time or effort it took to clean the kitchen has clearly never lived with a teenager, let alone 8.

Every time I've visited my DS in his shared accommodation, also has 8 in, I've spent as least time as possible in the actual apartment.

Wafflesnsniffles · 15/07/2022 01:55

Also...........Id love to meet all these students some of you are commenting about who will appreciate pencil pleats, detachable linings, non synthetic fabrics.

Fgs its curtains for a student bedroom!

TooManyPJs · 15/07/2022 02:06

Did she take pictures? I got my DS to take pictures of everything when he arrived and then again when he left. They tried to charge him for something (can't remember what now) and we challenged it with evidence and they had to back down.

Apparently they tried charging most people for something "unfairly" (sure some of it was fair but based on our experience they were chancers).

rushrushflat · 15/07/2022 04:13

Usually students will have communal areas, so the curtains may well be from one of those areas and so the cost is shared amongst everyone living there if they cannot identify and individual. You will always find all the replacement costs in the accomodation hand book when you move in, so it should not be much of a surprise.

But I also very much doubt you have all the facts, better off contacting the accomodation rather than posting on here, but then again you have been pretty vague with all the facts so far.

darkdaysareover · 15/07/2022 07:30

They're just trying their luck. Do not allow them to do it as they will have gotten away with this with many other students.

Shakeitshakeitbaby · 15/07/2022 07:38

Is the deposit held in a deposit protection scheme? If so definitely dispute it.

TempName01 · 15/07/2022 07:44

What did they SAY the damage is?

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