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?

Sounds like you bought your tenant a crap oven that couldn't withstand daily use. It's on you to replace it, not her. She's not paying you rent for nothing, sort it out!

I don't believe that four years' worth of grease (or even one years' worth - would slip past an inspection.

And I don't believe that an otherwise satisfactory tenant wouldn't wipe the hob down and would allow that much to build up. If she was doing that, the rest f the place would also be minging.

Thank you all for the various comments and ideas.
In answer to some -

• my inspections have been more like chats and visits, a lesson to all landlords perhaps to be more careful indeed - but when I see the carpets, for example, rapidly deteriorating because she likes wearing outdoor shoes, it's not my place to ask her not to. Nor to ask her to change the way her dogs make the carpets smell. It will, however, make me much more careful in the future who I rent to.
• I have foolishly not raised the rent in 4 years, those saying the tenant is paying for a service are indeed correct - and the rent needs to more accurately reflect the genuine ongoing costs involved - taking on a single tenant on minimum wage was a risk I was willing to take to help her out - my own costs have gone up, it's a compassionate gesture I simply can't afford - not at 25% below market value. But she won't recognise that and actually she shouldn't have to... It's my problem to deal with, but one I will seek to avoid when finding my next tenant.
• of course I'll replace the oven, though if the tenant offers to buy one, she'll of course own it and can do what she likes with it when she leaves. My current budget will be for a basic, new one rather than a medium range like the current one, with a request that it will be cleaned occasionally. No worries! Many thanks to all who participated in the discussion.

Yes good you are replacing it but if you buy a cheap one it will probably only last a few years and please do not buy a second hand one as that will not stand the test of time and may not be safe. Years ago rented many places and landlords got their rent and yet did not want to replace broken white goods and also wear and tear of a property is to be expected so when a tenant moves out you then paint, get carpets cleaned etc for the new tenant as so many times I left my old rental spotless, cleaner than when I moved in but yet had to then go and clean the new rental, and I mean a deep clean of toilets etc, it was exhausting but still landlords try to keep deposit saying walls are marked, yes but they are supposed to paint them every few years and that is part of wear and tear. Sick of landlords and their greed and not implying this just at yourself. If you have a tenant who pays rent on time and is long term keep her as it is hard to find a good tenant. Just tell her to clean the bloody cooker every so often but if it is a cheaper fairy standard cooker they do not last like the ones that were produced years ago.

You can tell who are the landlords on here, most do not give a damn about their tenants and just price gouging for the highest possible rents but yet do not want to spend a penny on the property.

Absolutely none of that is relevant to the oven

Yes it is as it shows that many landlords do not want to replace goods and god forbid you walk on the carpet. You must be a landlord. There is tenants rights and if a landlord refused to replace white goods in a reasonable time the tenant has rights and can take it further also. A bit of respect on both sides goes a long way and not all about money. A long term tenant is invaluable.

The oven in our rental flat was absolutely pristine when we re-let it last year - previous tenants had been there for 10 years - the whole kitchen looked like new.
But the oven still wasn’t working - we had to get someone in to fix it.
So I doubt it’s down to lack of cleaning.
I hardly ever clean my own ancient oven, but touch wood it’s still working.

I have a hob/oven (gas oven, electric oven) that my late grandmother bought, probably around 1985. Its been in use most of the time since, in different households. Not sure what I am trying to say... 4 years is too short for a cooker to stop working in my view. Difficult to tell without proffesional inspection why it stopped working. It could well be because of negligence if left dirty, but also something else could have gone wrong and could be repaired. Not sure what the repair-service situation is where you are (I would have my father look at it and likely fix it).

I’m a landlord and just factor in these kind of things, the rent is set appropriately. He the same done to an oven, grease so far down the gas openings it was hard to clean they actually broken the ignition.
blood up walls, broken doors. Damp from absolutely stupid things. Long term of this is all you have you are lucky!

Cookers and the likes are much less hardy now. They are made with cheap components and are much more flimsy. Nobody is getting 30 years out of the average appliance anymore.

So you finally reappear but still don’t explain how not cleaning an oven can break it?

But you have dropped this gem:

but when I see the carpets, for example, rapidly deteriorating because she likes wearing outdoor shoes,

What kind of cheap crap did you put down?

I have always lived in “shoes on” houses, with just normal carpets, and never had them wear out.

“rapidly deteriorating” my arse 🤣

I don’t think your being unreasonable to suggest she takes care of the oven. But if you buy cheap appliances expect to be replacing them regularly!
if she’s a good tenant replace it, but if she moves out next tenant don’t supply white goods!

This attitude towards tenants is why people end up despising landlords in general. Anyone who's been renting long enough has likely dealt with one or more of these types.

If the carpets are rapidly deteriorating it's not because the tenant's wearing outdoor shoes, it's because they were cheap shite in the first place.

Get the oven checked by an appliance engineer. It could need a new fuse, a battery for the ignition if it's gas, or a new heating element. None of which are particularly expensive. You don't sound as though you know much about household maintenance tbh.

Ironically broke an oven by cleaning it. Fortunately it was just the element, so a cheap and easy fix.

An oven (presume it' a cooker with a hob as well) should last for more than 4 years. I've had mine for over 20 years. Gas oven, gas hob.

It can only be broken @MacarenaMacarena if the burner (is it gas?) is blocked with food and won't ignite. Have you had a service engineer out to check / repair? If it's electric the element might have gone.

Has anyone looked at it for you?

We have had 20 years' use out of washing machines and dishwashers. They are Miele and usually you get what you pay for.

Also@MacarenaMacarena It sounds as if you yourself could do with advice on letting a property. All rents have gone up in 4 years. Maybe you need to be more picky with a tenant and exclude pets.

The heating element in our Bosch oven has gone twice in 15 years, but it's easily replaced.

While looking for instructions I discovered that fan elements are inherently likely to wear out https://www.ukwhitegoods.co.uk/help/fix-it-yourself/ovens-hobs-a-cookers/2717-why-fan-oven-elements-fail-a-replacement-notes

If you replace the whole oven, perhaps go for a non fan version.

How much rent have you had in 4 years and how much have you spent maintaining the property?

Have you cleaned the guttering, provided an external window clean, maintained all the window and door locks - yes they should be done yearly.

a gas safety check is not a bonus for her - it is something that has to be done by law.

during that 4 years have you done any maintenance?

owning a property and renting it out is not and should not be that every single penny she pays is your profit

Surprised with some of the answers. A hob should definitely last more than 4 years. We moved in our house with a hob with life experience and replaced it after 8 years. So 10-15 years.

I’d get a second hand for the tenant and not fuss about it.

Btw if an oven was to last 10 years it would have a 10 year guarantee I assume it doesn’t.

ovens to not break from not cleaning them and yes she is entitled to use it daily

We rarely clean our oven and it works absolutely fine,10 yrs on.

Sounds like it was a rubbish oven.

Agreed. LL too

Sounds like you have filled the house with lots of cheap crap, carpets, white goods etc…. Your explanation is not relevant, it just paints a negative view of us landlords, again. I bet you think the tenant should be paying for their own safety compliance checks as well?

God forbid a tenant uses her oven daily 😱😂 Just because you might zap a microwave lasagne for your dinners most of the time. You can’t imply the oven has broken…. Just because of its intended use and the fact the tenant does actually use the appliance. Pretty sure landlords just deal with this kind of thing without much thought. My old landlord… she would actually ask me if there was anything that could do with being done or purchased because she wanted to offset her tax! 😂 A huge expense is when something structurally goes wrong with the property, not buying a poxy oven.