Ask tenant to replace cooker she's ruined?

[MacarenaMacarena]

4 years ago tenant moved into my flat. I provided a new cooker for her. It's now not working. On closer inspection, she has used it a lot (fair!) but never cleaned it (disappointing), damage from her treatment of it is what has damaged it.
She needs another one.
But I don't really think this is reasonable wear and tear - more neglect and abuse.
Reasonable inspections and checks have been carried out regularly, compulsive gas safety checks have been done.
If she moved out tomorrow I could deduct at least part of the replacement cost from her deposit, but as she's staying, what would be a fair way forward?

If your tenants are in the house for typically 8+ years then statistically each tenant is probably going to have some white goods break, not because tenants don't look after them but because white goods typically don't last as long / much longer than 8 years anyway.

Yeah fucking tenants too mean to but their own possessions. Bloody landlord should be buying their clothes too imo😂

You’re nuts. It’s an item used daily, possibly multiple times. Of course it’s going to break eventually and since it’s been four years, the time has simply come to replace it. This happens in all homes, she hasn’t broken it.

Because fat splashes over the inside of the oven, then the congealed fat eventually stops the fan working, so it stops working totally. It’s not difficult swiping an oven out after use.

When I left my rented property it was much much better than I found it. Lady who did the inventory of wear & tear was amazed. Had a lovely chat with her and she says it's like the Landlords these days are happy to take their rents but want the place left as if no one has ever lived there!

Unless it’s a very cheap cooker it should last more than 4 years. Cleaning white goods is basic care and maintenance and will be indicated in the instruction manuals and (likely) the tenancy agreement.

whether you charge your tenant for it depends on a lot of factors but as others have said, you need to up your inspections so this doesn’t happen again.

Fellow Landlord here- replace it and don't make a fuss.

If you think she doesn't treat white goods well then get a second hand one off gumtree or a very basic model.

When she moves out you can upgrade if you want to, but you won't have to worry in the meantime.

4 years isn't new, things aren't as good quality as they used to be.

Lol perhaps the poor tenants ought to buy their own property if it’s so hard to move belongings. I can’t believe people think poor tenants don’t want to be lugging white goods around. What do you think real grown up adults who own and move do? I’m surprised the bloody landlords don’t go round daily and wipe the arses of their totally useless tenants ffs!

You won’t get away with deciding anting that from the deposit so just replace it

If she replaces the cooker, it will be her property and the inventory will have to be adjusted to show the cooker is the tenants.

What a revolting attitude.

People who privately rent are likely to have to move many more times than home owners, it's not about being a 'real grown up adult' it's about having to shell out hundreds for removals around every 4 years based on average tenancy lengths in the UK, and often not by choice, it will be because the landlord is selling up or just fancies turfing you out and reposting with a much higher rent. Tenants are obviously going to take into account wether or not they are going to have to buy several very large and difficult to move possessions when choosing where to rent.

She's paid the rent for four years and apart from the cooker I assume has fairly respected the property. Let it go op. Moving forwards, up the criteria for inspections to include the oven or arrange for the oven to be cleaned by a contractor annually.

Appliances can break down earlier than expected. Gives Miele oven a hard Paddington stare.

What a repellent, hateful post.

Nail on the head. So many landlords don't understand "fair wear and tear" nor that things need replacing/updating.

Part of the rent for a partly furnished home needs to be set aside as a provision for replacing/repairing the white goods/furniture, etc. That's why the rental prices for furnished/part furnished are higher than for unfurnished.

I'd say for a furnished let, it's to be expected that one item will need replacing each year - that way, over a period of, say 10 years, most white goods/sofa/bed, etc will have been replaced.

It's a bonus for a landlord if they've got away with not having to replace anything one year.

This.

We don't buy higher end brands/expensive white goods for our rental flat as we expect to have to replace stuff more often than we do in our own property. Tho that said we don't usually go for the cheapest option either as we do want it to be nice for the tenants, and to maximise the chances of it lasting.

Even if the tennant was moving out you'd be unlikely to be OK to deduct a new oven from the deposit. You'd be able to charge for cleaning if she hadn't done it to a reasonable standard, and if you had evidence that she'd broken it (and it's not just wear and tear), you might have an argument for claiming some cost towards replacement but would need to make allowance for the fact that a brand new oven is an upgrade over a 4 year old one, so it's unlikely that you'd be able to claim the full cost. In my experience the threshold for it being considered reasonable wear and tear is onerous- I'd think a 4 year old oven would really but classed as "just one of those things". It'd be different if she'd taken a hammer to the glass door of an oven with clear intent to destroy it.

We take these things as a "suck it up" scenario which is part of the territory/responsibility of owning someone's home and charging them rent.

Surely the logical answer is 'get it mended'? She doesn't need a new one, just one that actually works.

No but they are built to last longer than 4 years! We had the same oven for 9 years and only replaced it because we were having a new kitchen and it didn't fit.

It’s annoying but it’s on you to replace. A lot of tenants just don’t care about looking after rental properties.

Do you have insurance for it? If its only been 4 years it could be something simple as a fuse which absolutely doesn't mean the whole thing needs replacing. It's tricky with white goods really as fair wear and tear is hard to nail down and prove.

I am an accommodation provider. Things don't last. You should replace it. You can't deduct money from the deposit if you can't prove she broke it. I doubt she did, its wear and tear and down to you. Agree to get a cheap new one if she doesn't take care of kitchen appliances.

I would do anything to keep a reliable long term tenant, personally. The cost and hassle of a changeover is enormous so every year she stays she is saving you money. Unless she has form for trashing stuff, I would just let this go and replace, but really emphasise that her tenancy agreement requires her to keep it clean and in good order - give her a couple of tins of Mr Muscle for good measure.

I just looked on Ebay and saw a Rangemaster cooker ending in an hour for £80, and other recognised brands for under £40.

Don't be mean, buy a new oven

I speak as a landlord

What exactly is wrong with it?
And nothing lasts long these days.
I'm surprised my Hotpoint cooker lasted 7 years TBH. And I did keep it clean.

Get it mended, or if it needs replacing get one with a decent warranty next time.

Bonkers landlord mentality to think that someone shouldn't be using their own oven "a lot". You have an obligation to provide "facilities for preparation and cooking of food", so you just have to suck it up I'm afraid. Wait til you find out how often she's using her shower, not to mention the toilet.

Op said cooker, why is everyone assuming it's the oven part?
If cookers are not cleaned, as in the hob part, it can cause issuesand breakage too.

While I agree that you should just put cheap one in, if you have in contract you provide white goods, every thread like this remknds me why UK will never have different, better security, systems in renting because neither sidecould get over their responsibilities like in countries that are often mentioned on MN as examples.....