Who should pay? Tenant or landlord

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Windy here yesterday, not a storm but enough to be noisy and see the trees really moving around.

Tennant opened a fairly high up flat window while cooking.
Window blew open hard, hinges are bent and now it can’t be closed properly.
Window is about 2 metres, opens from the bottom, upvc and otherwise has no issues.

Honestly I think things like this are just part of being a landlord. The tenant didn’t deliberately break the window or act in a way that you’d expect would break it. If your friend can’t swallow costs like this then maybe being a landlord isn’t for them.

edit: apologies I misunderstood and thought you knew the landlord, not the tenant

It will be covered by the buildings insurance. The rent should contain an amount to cover wear tear and acts of stupidity by the tenant. If the amount needed to cover "acts of stupidity" gets too high, then that's when you up the rent or lose the tenant.

Landlord. It's not unreasonable to open a window during cooking. Stormy weather isn't uncommon in the Uk

It’s only £160 to replace hinges, I’m guessing below insurance amounts. The window is otherwise fine. There’s no cheeky request to claim a replacement or anything. So far just a text

It is a landlord responsibility to keep the structure and security of the building intact. The landlord should only try to claim the cost back from the tenant if they can clearly demonstrate tenant has been negligent or not acted in a 'tenant like manner'.

So they've got condensation and have presumably been told by the landlord to open windows...they open a window and they're negligent 😂

I'm so glad I'm not a tenant anymore.

Landlord.

Landlord simples.

Tenant should pay absolutely under the proviso there is a working extractor fan.

Landlord.

most people like to have the windows open whilst cooking because it lets the steam/smell out abit better than an extractor fan. So it’s normal conditions.

Things break - and landlords have to fix them.

There are loads of fans 😂
I reckon their land Lord lost it. It’s like the tropics half the time with washing on the radiators. Hate popping in, it hits you

That! Sounds like the landlord wants it both ways.

This. There is no need to open a window when cooking, that is what the hood extractor fan is for. The damage occurred due to tenant negligence so they should replace the window.

Washing on the radiators is also negligence. This tenant needs a crash course in how to live in a cold, damp country.

What if the tenant simply wanted some fresh air? Is that not allowed because there is some wind (in Britain(!))
Should landlords across the country be boarding up Kitchen windows because they pose a potential risk to the landlords pocket?

Most windows have a handle that you can hold on to or a latch to secure the window so it doesn’t bang open all the way. It’s a bit more than “some wind” if the wind has blown a window so forcefully the hinges have bent.

Landlord

What does the tenancy agreement say on repair?

Landlord. Things break, it's a bit silly but not bad enough to class as negligence IMO.

I wonder if this is a "straw that broke the camel's back" thing and the LL is trying to recover the money this time after paying out on other issues. So asking more because of the history than about this one thing in isolation. Not sure it's the right one to pick though, especially as they'll be shooting themselves in the foot re ventilation.

I haven’t seen it

Landlord. Windows are supposed to be opened and its damage to the structure, so LL's asset to be repaired.

Yeah landlord

Another landlord here (also been a tenant for many years), who would pay for the repairs via insurance if poss, but also be very wary if these tenants had a history of negligence to the property for which I, as landlord, had to pay the price.

I think that’s probably correct. Their landlord has repaired a lot on a flat that’s recently fitted out within the last few years from the bits I’ve been told

Jogged my memory for example. The whole bathroom basin was repaired. A tap broke, that happens, but her husband ‘fixed’ it with some building glue or fixate. Dunno what, huge pile of orange hard stuff. Sink was smashed out to repair the tap