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Original poster

Overseas landlord - tenant replaced my fridge without asking

88 replies

NewToRenting · 23/08/2021 16:21

Hi everyone. My tenants moved out recently and the check out report had a completely different brand of fridge listed, which has some cracks/ chips and some drawers missing.
Admittedly my old fridge had been in the property for a while, but no reported issues or cracks or missing parts.
The estate agents who manage the property say unless I can prove my original fridge was brand new, all they can claim from the tenant's deposit is the cost for replacing the missing drawers.
I am absolutely livid. Surely that's not right? I agree that the original fridge was not brand new. However, I have no way of ascertaining how old the replacement fridge was. Theoretically the estate agent is telling me that the tenant could have sold my 5 year old fridge,and replaced it with a 20 year old relic off ebay and pocketed the profit before leaving my property?
Not sure what I should do?

OP posts:
Teenangels · 23/08/2021 16:28

So the tenant replaced a fridge freezer that could have broken and you are complaining.....
Has this tenant left without paying full rent? How long have you been renting out the property to these tenants

Farwest · 23/08/2021 16:33

Fairly obvious that your fridge did not break - the tenants would have asked you to replace it.

I suspect your management company are wrong.

PeonyTime · 23/08/2021 16:33

If that's the only issue, forget it and move on.
You cant be too attached to stuff in a house you've rented out.
There is a (functioning?) fridge there. Rent the house out again, and replace the thing when it breaks, or you've moved back and cant face looking at it.

Theunamedcat · 23/08/2021 16:37

Five year old fridges are selling for about fifty quid max if your lucky

Smartiepants79 · 23/08/2021 16:40

I doubt they made a lot of money on a five year old second hand fridge. You generally can’t give them away!
In the grand scheme of being a landlord I suspect this is a minor issue.

CremeEggThief · 23/08/2021 16:41

Jesus wept. Livid over this? Get over yourself.

Aquamarine1029 · 23/08/2021 16:41

Do you not know exactly how old your fridge was? I would assume yours had broken and they needed a replacement and didn't want to bother dealing with your management company.

mafted · 23/08/2021 16:42

I am absolutely livid. Surely that's not right? I agree that the original fridge was not brand new. However, I have no way of ascertaining how old the replacement fridge was. Theoretically the estate agent is telling me that the tenant could have sold my 5 year old fridge,and replaced it with a 20 year old relic off ebay and pocketed the profit before leaving my property?
I highly doubt there would be much profit from an old fridge unless it was a very high end brand. We couldn't even get £30 for our two year old one when we moved.

How have the EA been in communicating with you?
When my sister was renting she replaced a broken washing machine herself after six months of hounding the agent to contact the Landlord about it. When it was queried when she moved out and the EA claimed not to have had any messages despite my sister having all the emails.

MurielSpriggs · 23/08/2021 16:42

Forget it! There's a fridge there. I think you may not be cut out to be a landlord ...

MurielSpriggs · 23/08/2021 16:44

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Yummmg · 23/08/2021 16:44

Livid? Seriously

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 23/08/2021 16:44

Probably won't help you this time but don't you have a detailed inventory?
I would have thought one would list significant items by brand and model e.g. Fridge/freezer, washing machine, television etc.

havesomefun · 23/08/2021 16:45

Did you not have an inventory when your tenant moved in which photographed the fridge?

You can get a second hand fridge for £50. It’s not the end of the world. I don’t think I’d be livid.

Livid would be stripping the house bear or smashing windows or doors.

Ikeeponkeepingon · 23/08/2021 16:45

The cost of replacing the drawers might be more than the cost of a new fridge if it is that old. I couldn't get too excited about this one if I am honest, especially if tenant has been in a while. Did you not have a proper inventory with photos when they moved in?

IveGotASongThatllGetOnYNerves · 23/08/2021 16:45

Not much you can do tbh, if you can't prove the age, make, model etc of the fridge and therefore prove its not the same one.

Like the agency said, best you can get is something for the fact the drawer's broken.

Unless you can prove its a different machine, can you?

alislim · 23/08/2021 16:50

Probably, like most bloody landlords, just thought they'd replace it themselves without getting into battle with some landlord who already sounds reluctant to put their hand in their pocket.
I was there a few years back. Going back and forth gets tiresome.

ChevreChase · 23/08/2021 16:53

Rather than selling it, isn't the most likely scenario that the tenants have moved to a fridge-less property, and, because they didn't want to have to buy a new fridge for themselves, nor fancied a second-hand one, took yours. Then bought you a used one to 'replace' it.

I would be pissed off by this. As a long term tenant, I appreciate decent appliances rather than the cheapest items possible.

There must be a photo somewhere, and inventory, the manual? Your email might have an invoice lingering from when you bought it. It's theft, I think you should pursue it.

MurielSpriggs · 23/08/2021 16:56

@ChevreChase

Rather than selling it, isn't the most likely scenario that the tenants have moved to a fridge-less property, and, because they didn't want to have to buy a new fridge for themselves, nor fancied a second-hand one, took yours. Then bought you a used one to 'replace' it.

I would be pissed off by this. As a long term tenant, I appreciate decent appliances rather than the cheapest items possible.

There must be a photo somewhere, and inventory, the manual? Your email might have an invoice lingering from when you bought it. It's theft, I think you should pursue it.

You're more bonkers than the OP Grin
ChevreChase · 23/08/2021 16:56

It's unlikely to have broken, as it would have been your responsibility to replace any white good that was in place when the tenancy began. There's no reason why they would have chosen to incur that cost themselves when it was not their obligation to.

burnoutbabe · 23/08/2021 16:57

i think you can claim more than just new drawers - but you'd need to know the old fridge brand and the new one.

Are they the same size? if it was a lot smaller, that would be an issue wouldn;t it? if one was a nice silver to match other appliances and new one a bashed white, thats also quite a difference.

ChevreChase · 23/08/2021 17:02

MurielSpriggsI'm not bonkers! I have rented three properties in the last decade: no fridge, ancient fridge, no fridge. So the fridge freezer travels the country with us. I think it's really likely that the tenants took it, rather than pay hundreds for a new one. I would bet my Bosch on it.

LIZS · 23/08/2021 17:05

As an overseas ll you need to accept that you cannot control every detail. The fridge you left was not new, this replacement fridge is not new. Is this your first tenancy or could it have happened previously unnoticed. What is your "loss"? A brand new one would not necessarily be expensive and you would be confident in it, and replacement drawers can be and it may yet break down. If this is the only issue let it go.

lannistunut · 23/08/2021 17:11

How much is a fridge? You have to learn what to worry about and what to let go when renting.

Maybe it broke, maybe something else happened. yes they should have said - but some homes get completely trashed, this is really not worth losing sleep over IMO.

DespairingHomeowner · 23/08/2021 17:13

Agree that second hand white goods are worth very little

Hopefully this works, if not you can replace with working second hand for very little. I'd be suspecting agent has got the brand wrong vs any more exciting explanation!

WTFisNext · 23/08/2021 17:15

Currently locking horns with our old landlord who doesn't believe that 15 years continuous tenancy should result in any wear and tear so can't say I'm terribly in favour of landlords at the moment however...

If you've appointed lettings agents to wholly manage a property on your behalf then surely this is on them? The original inventory should list make/model of appliances as should the check out one, mine certainly does for old property and new. If they've failed to capture the correct detail surely they share liability with the outgoing tenant.

Unfortunately for you the onus is still for you to prove the original appliance model & make - but if only 5 years old there's a chance you'll have an email receipt hidden in your email account somewhere.

You need to step up your record keeping a bit really, letting agents are perfectly happy taking money for nothing and will always take the path of least resistance. They'll know that without proof your tenant would win a dispute with the deposit people so you need impeccable records to make sure you aren't out of pocket when it's not your fault.