…Or is my landlord?

[Saffie980]

Hello, I need a sense check please.

I’ve just moved out of a house and a company has conducted a check-out review and noted a large crack on the cistern lid. I accidentally caused the damaged, so understand that there will be some deduction of my deposit. The toilet and flush all still work absolutely fine.

The landlord wants to claim £220 for the cracked cistern lid. I think that’s steep.

Am I being unreasonable? I’m no cistern expert so I can accept if I am being unreasonable!

Of course it's too much. You can buy a whole new toilet for less. Dispute the amount.

You can dispute the cost with the tenancy protection scheme if you think it’s excessive. Maybe ask the landlord for a copy of the quote which shows the cost and get your own quote.

When DP broke the cistern lid on a toilet, I glued it together with Araldite. It was fine - we replaced the toilet about 2 years later as part of a bathroom refurb, which was always the plan.

Maybe they can't get a replacement and need to buy a new toilet, id clarify. You could have fixed it yourself for less before leaving I'd imagine.

Where could you buy just a lid though?

I recently had a new toilet installed, the toilet plus installation was 400, so I can semi understand the cost they've given.

Just had a quick look and cister lids seem to be about £80-100

Plus the time for a plumber to go and get it, bring it the the place and fit it sounds about right to me

It depends. We had a broken lid too but as the item wasn't made any longer a replacement toilet was needed . If this is the case , with fitting, the amount seems reasonable . As previous poster said ask for a copy of quote ( ask for two quotes ) for the repair.

If he’s just replacing the lid he will need a certain type and if he has to pay someone to sort it out then it seems fair you pay as you admittedly caused the damage.

I’ve had a look online and a replacement would cost about £50. Offer to replace it.

Dispute the amount, you will win because tenants nearly always do, but I think the charge is fair. The entire toilet might need replacing if they can’t just replace the lid and someone will need to be paid to do the work. Plumbers aren’t cheap.

You had the option of replacing it yourself if you think it can be done cheaper.

I don’t think it sounds wildly excessive, especially when you factor in the time for someone to come and fit it (which I would imagine is straightforward). Also, is it just the lid - when I tried to find a replacement toilet seat for a square toilet it was virtually impossible to get like for like. They might be pulling out the whole toilet.

I don't think it sounds excessive with plumber to fix it and cost of the part

I really wish I had replaced it myself. I requested a quote from a plumber and it was £90 for the part, and £50 + delivery for the lid which he sourced on eBay.

I absolutely think it’s right that I pay for the damage that I caused, but don’t want to be overcharged.

Then counterclaim with your quote

I guess if you include the plumber installing it...but even then a whole new toilet would be around that price. Our cistern lid broke due to water pushing through, so we needed a whole new toilet as they didn't make that system separately anymore. It was very old.
If anything gets a quote and see if it's cheaper. I bet it will be. And if it's genuinely just the lid then it should only cost about fifty quid! And you wouldn't need a plumber. Just Google the serial number of the cistern/toilet.

It doesn’t sound like you would be being over charged though.

What part does it need?

You said part and lid would be £140 plus delivery, but what about the plumbers payment?

Price inc labour doesn’t sound unreasonable I’m afraid.

Sorry, I’m not being very clear here. The plumber said £90 for his call out charge, and £50 for the cistern lid. To my untrained eye, the only part required is the cistern lid.

That's a bit of a drip feed, pun intended.

You decided not to replace at 150 and are now disputing 220. The difference is not extortionate considering different plumbers charge different rates.

With the extra information, it seems a bit of a pointless post.

I got the quote today to see if the landlord’s quote is reasonable. I was advised to do this by the letting agent. I have not instructed the plumber to do the work. Definitely not a pointless post as the issue is currently unresolved.

There is a £80 difference between quotes, which makes a big difference to me.

Why would you even need a plumber to place a cistern lid on top of a toilet. Totally excessive unless he can't find the exact size and needs to replace the toilet in which case he'd need a plumber.

Are you saynig the landlord should do it themselves? In that case shouldn't they be compensated for their time and effort?

The flush button in the lid needs to be disconnected and then reconnected - probably a simple job but if I were the landlord I'd want a professional to do it rather than risk causing more damage myself

This can be repaired extremely easily with a kit for about £15. That would be a fair deduction in my view, especially if you lived there a reasonably long time, then the odd minor accident would be reasonable wear and tear IMO.

THe way the tenancy deposit scheme looks at what is fair is like this:

The landlord buys a carpet for £1000 and the life expectancy is 10 years. If you damage the carpet when it is 2 years old, you would be expected to pay £800 for the replacement. Damage it at 9 years old and its only £100 you are expected to pay. It doesn't matter how long you personally have lived there.

Do you know how new the toilet is?

Oh that’s interesting, thanks for sharing. Unfortunately I don’t know how it is.