To find this unfair? Letter from landord

[Strawberrylacesx03]

Hello,

It has not been a great thing to have on a Friday and I feel disheartened by it.

Our landlords have sent a letter basically complaining about the house we are renting.

There list of issues are as follows:

• Mold in bedrooms, claiming they did not have mold before. We have struggled with mold the whole time we have lived here. We were told by an electrician who updated the extractor fan in the bathroom and the plumber that it was because the bathroom is in the middle of the house with no window. I have never completely been able to erase the bathroom mold and we do get it in the corner of the bedrooms. The landlord has disputed this and said they 'know' it is because we do not open the windows (this is not true, they are always open).
• Scuffs on the paintwork on the stair banister - I acknowledge this happened when we first moved in as furniture was being transferred in and out of the property.
• Stains on the front room carpet - this is due to a pipe bursting around a year ago that they are fully aware of. The room was soaked and I did what I could, it has left behind some ugly black marks in areas.
• They instilled a wooden sink cabinet - this has splintered at the top. I am unsure what I can do about this? I am not sure how you would prevent water going over it, the bathroom is tiny it is directly attached to the bath/shower. The plumber also advised them that everything in the bathroom was old and needed renovating as did the sink in the kitchen but they refused and said they did not have that kind of money.
• The wrap they used in the kitchen on the cupboards and drawers was very cheap and ill done - it began peeling away within a year of us being here. They have complained that I have tried to cover it up with new wrap (it looked horrible).

I just feel like a lot of this stuff I do not want to take blame for as I feel it could bite me further down the line if I take on the acceptance?

It has just left me feeling a little out of sorts, I have two young children and am now thinking we are going to potentially have problems with the landlord.

We have not been problem tenants in any way either, rent always on time, quiet and respectful to the neighbours etc. these complaints have come rather out of nowhere.

What happened with the burst pipe? Was it the weather or just old pipes? If it was the weather can they claim you didn't maintain the right temperature in the winter?

No it was an old pipe, my child has a condition that requires the house to be a certain temperature anyway (I never have it less than 22 degrees) and I get DLA for him which eases a bit of the cost of this (ouch).

The plumber has told the landlords that the bathroom and kitchen really could do with an update/renovation as it is all old, leaky and rusted. They told him they didn't have that kind of money.

Like I said, I don't want to get into a big back and forth with my landlord or start a war, I am genuinely just a bit baffled as to where this has all come from, especially the things that they were already aware of (ie the old pipe bursting and water damage to the carpet)

Write back disputing every point you don't agree with politely but firmly. Be specific and mention the proof you have. With the mould, you need to get on top of that. A dehumidifier as mentioned has been brilliant for us.

It's normal in Scandinavia year round in my experience.

You say you have a dehumidifier - what humidity does it say that there is in the house?

Because the PP is right - perhaps it's never entirely dried out from the pipe leak?

Dehumidifiers are brilliant, but they won't fix underlying issues. We got a dehumidifier when we lived in a basement flat and struggled with mold... the letting agents just kept bombarding us with leaflets about ventilation and patronising us. I kept telling the agents that the walls (two in particular) were literally wet to the touch despite everything we were doing. Eventually there was found to be a slow leak from mains water outside the flat as well as a tanking issue. Unfortunately because we were tenants, the blame was purely on us until solidly proven otherwise. Absolutely infuriating (in hindsight, I should have asked for compensation for furniture and other items that were ruined through not listening to us properly).

I do too. The bathroom window remains open. The bedroom window is opened for 30 minutes or so each morning whatever the weather. Having lived in period properties I know the importance of heating and ventilation to keep properties mould free. The type the OP describes in the corner of bedrooms is indicative of condensation due to inadequate ventilation. Sometimes it is purely because the airflow doesn't reach them which is where a dehumidifier does kick in .

I'm actually not sure, it just has speed settings and a 30 L collection capacity

And how fast does it fill its tank?

For example, I have a little one - when it's in a properly damp room, it fills up its 2l tank 3-4 times per day.

If the room is pretty dry, then it can run 24 hours without filling its tank.

I am confused about the windows situation, I would be pretty annoyed if my tenants organised replacement windows independently whilst I was away for 6 weeks, this is something I could easily resolve remotely.

They might not match or be a ridiculous price.

What actually happened?

Locks can be retrofitted to any windows irrespective of age, defective locks wouldn't mean replacement windows.

Absolutely not for your first paragraph. All I would expect is to have to fight for it through the deposit scheme. I wouldn't be writing it off that quickly.

It’s impossible to leave the house exactly as it was when they moved in. Normal wear and tear is to be expected, not damage, obviously!

Why did you replace the windows at your own expense? Tenants don’t normally do this!

Me. My mum is also German. Windows open for half an hour every morning.

That said, OP should dispute, dispute, dispute. Landlord is taking the piss.

to clear up about the windows - I did not do it out of my own pocket. The landlords were away and suggested we rectified it in the meantime 'if we were that concerned' ie. to get the locks replaced so we could pull them shut and lock them. We were told by multiple places that the locks and therefore the holes that were in the old frames were not made anymore and the frames and therefore windows would need to be replaced. The windows were incredibly old, I did not demand the windows were changed, I just wanted them to shut and lock.

The landlords obviously did their own investigating when they got back and clearly concluded/were told the same thing as the windows/frames were replaced.

We moved my daughter in with us whilst they were away and had to just put up with it until then.

I have just had an email saying if we want to remain the property then it is not unreasonable for them to want the house in the same condition it was let to us in.

I feel like they want us to leave as I am not sure I can live like that

I understand if we are putting holes through the door but I am not sure I can live with two young children in a situation where they are expecting the same level as the inventory at the beginning of the rental, I am not sure how I can reasonably make sure there is no general wear and tear, i feel very stressed now

@Strawberrylacesx03 do you mean they came and looked around the inside of your home??? had they made an appointment giving you notice that they were going to be doing that??

No, they did say they were going to be fixing the fence in the garden though so I guess they have just gone round

They can't expect no general wear or tear, especially when their own tradespeople didn't fully rectify issues (ie. the carpet)

Do you rent through an agent? If so, I'd consider talking to them about it (although this is highly dependent on how good the agent is.

https://www.tenancydepositscheme.com/asktds-what-is-fair-wear-and-tear-in-a-rental-property/?campaignid=21291426154&adgroupid=&adid=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAkc28BhB0EiwAM001TTtXG3Cf54F3maTIOlJURG_02_sT1gPfxnlSHUX_hh-05an_p5tiuRoCUi4QAvD_BwE

The mould is a difficult one, because proving/discovering that it's an existing issue vs. you not airing the house properly makes it more complicated.

In a previous rental, I reported multiple times that the house was damp and water was running down the bathroom walls, and they sent trades people round multiple times and tried to blame me. Eventually they found out that the cold water tank in the loft was leaking (but only when it refilled - which is why when people just poked their head up into the loft it wasn't obvious)

You need to do everything you can to rectify the mold - opening windows, running the dehumidifier, not drying clothes in the house - and if the house is still damp (consider getting a moisture meter) then keep reporting that.

You are likely to have to pay something towards the kitchen cupboards if you've re-wrapped them poorly - when a tenant painted the kitchen worktop because they'd stained it, I got 50% of the cost of it (because the kitchen was 5 years old)

They can’t come in your house without prior notice. Accessing the outside does not constitute notice to enter the inside of your home.
I would dispute every point in writing as you have here and state that the house will be returned to them as found with the exception of the points raised and acceptable wear and tear

Thank you - I don't mind rectifying anything that is necessary but we are still living here and they are asking for the property back to the standard it was at inventory and using things that are not our fault.

I have told them they will have the house back in the condition (as much as possible baring wear and tear) that we started renting it in

If you say a rough location there are independent Facebook groups that can help. I know in the South east they're are a few. Just double check you are getting accurate up to date lawful information. I know some places don't always give out correct advice