Overseas landlord - tenant replaced my fridge without asking

[NewToRenting]

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?

Probably swapped it with a mate or relatives fridge. That, or yours broke and they needed one ASAP and felt they couldn’t mention it was broken for fear of them being blamed for it.

I dont think you can just assume it has been stolen and replaced with another model. It is as likely to have broken and been replaced by tenants as they didn’t realise you would be responsible for replacing it.

If you want to pursue this, then you simply need to ask the agent to ask the tenant about the fridge. Then you have a better chance of knowing what happened than purely by speculating.

It is irrelevant that you struggle to make money on the property or worked hard to buy it. LLs need to operate as businesses and to understand some of the costs that occur along the way and factor them into their business plan and pricing structure. This includes items breaking down, void periods with no rental income and also some slack for things like this, where you might need to buy a new fridge. Even new ones are pretty cheap these days.

As a LL you need to expect some of these costs to occur. The fact you’ve got a replaced fridge that isn’t great, is minor in the scheme of things…..they paid their rent, haven’t wrecked the place etc etc. Non payment and serious damage are fairly frequent and the damage deposit often doesn’t begin to cover it. Yes, you shouldn’t have to face any of these things including a fridge being replaced without you knowing, but you also have to be realistic as a LL and pick your battles. This is a battle which is worth so little in monetary terms, that it’s really best just left and certainly not worth being ‘livid’ over….it’s one of those things and if it makes you livid, how will you respond when inevitably something genuinely serious happens or you find you’re without tenants for 6 months.

I don't think you need to suck it up at all. Surely the recourse is to a) ask the tenants and if the explanation is unsatisfactory b)take the cost of replacing it from their deposit?

I agree it probably broke (either just because they do break or possibly due to poor handling of it) and the tenants were too scared to say and so replaced it. If it broke it would have been your responsibility to replace it, but tenants often don’t know this and live in fear of reporting faults or damage because they worry about their tenancy being ended.

It doesn’t sound like the missing fridge was especially new or top notch. It could be more hassle to take it out, organise to get another and replace it, and then transport the ‘stolen’ one away. Seems unlikely.

Why have this very negative view of the tenants as thieves when they’ve paid their rent on time and been decent tenants. It just seems odd.

So your tenants replaced your scabby old, probably broken, fridge with a scabby old working one. Get over yourself.

As standard practice, you should be taking pictures of the property and contents prior to new tenants moving in - this protects all parties (from your ludicrous claims).

@WombatChocolate
As a LL you need to expect some of these costs to occur. The fact you’ve got a replaced fridge that isn’t great, is minor in the scheme of things…..they paid their rent, haven’t wrecked the place etc etc.

I rent a house out. I replace broken appliances ASAP.

However if the best anyone can expect of a tenant is to not wreck the place and pay rent on time then that's pretty sad.
My tenants love our house, their home.
But the guy did try to pull a fast one on us over a new shower screen.
We said we would replace like for like. He wanted a bigger one which he could get through trade but charge us customer price.
(I checked).
The agent appointed a contractor, it was still cheaper.

Management company need to step up and tell tenant they need to produce the fridge that’s stated on the inventory. Or it gets taken out of their deposit. Not sure why they are making it so difficult

Why have this very negative view of the tenants as thieves when they’ve paid their rent on time and been decent tenants. It just seems odd

Because many landlords think tenants are thieving scum as this thread shows.

Yes they’ve swiped it. But there isn’t much you can do unfortunately as it wasn’t new (so not worth much) and they can argue they’ve replaced like with like.

Letting is crap. We rented out house out when we lived overseas and had stuff like tenants spilling caustic oven cleaner on upstairs wooden floor and complaining we took cost out of their deposit (why the fuck they took a bottle of over cleaner upstairs in the first place I have no idea). Tenants damaging our granite worktop then trying to claim it was “mould” (I have never heard of granite going mouldy, or mould causing long scratch marks). Tenants taking a massive 5x10cm chunk out of the kitchen wall, claiming it was because they were enthusiastic chefs and had hit the wall with a pan, and again were outraged about being charged.

These were all professionals, and the flat is a nice one (we are back in it now). Some people just do not care about their homes.

There isn’t a tenant in their right mind who would take out a working fridge and replace it with a worse one at their own expense if they didn’t have to.

It doesn't matter, write it off and move on.

It's theft! Not sure why so many on here are ok with theft when the victim happens to be a landlord? Bitter renters themselves?

If there's no luck with the letting agents you could contact the thieves yourself and threaten them with the police, hoping that'll get them to cough up? Or try small claims?

Replace the appliance and take the cost from the deposit.

As a LL you need to know what to pursue and what not to bother pursuing.
Too many amateur LLs who claim to be accidental LLs run their property on too tight a shoestring, with mortgages which are barely covered by the rent, and who don’t seem to understand that wear and tear happens and happens at a higher level in rented property than not rented property, and the rent has to cover that wear and tear, rather than it being a damage deposit issue. Carpets, electrical items etc all need replacing fairly regularly, so complaining about a fridge which is several years old being replaced with another old fridge, or marks on an old carpet, which the adjudicator will say we’re due to be replaced purely on the basis of their age, just isn’t worth it.

When a LL gets their property back after a decent length let, they need to expect to spend some money on it. It might be painting throughout (even though it’s only been 3 years since last time) or new kitchen worktops, or new fridge or new shower. Prospective tenants want new or almost new items and the rent they pay means they can expect that. So the rent has to include covering those items and LLs need to not baulk at forking out for those things when required, but to pay up and just see it as another cost of running the business, like all the other costs.

Of course there are damages which shouldn’t happen and which should be pursued. These do happen as reported above. But you need to distinguish between big holes out if the wall or in the floor, or dog chewed skirting boards, and a several year old fridge being replaced with a several year old fridge.

The fact this one small item, has caused such consternation also suggests a non-experienced LL. it is such small-fry as an issue and experienced LLs would barely bat an eyelid over it. They would simply remove it and order another, having the funds set aside for these inevitable costs. Remember the tenants has paid full rent for many months and a proportion of that has to be expected to go on replacement/renovation etc. If the previous fridge had been left, quite likely at tenant changeover, it would have needed replacing anyway.

LLs shouldn’t expect or out up with serious damage or things like removing kitchen. Of course not. But some need a more realistic attitude towards the costs they will incur as a matter of course in running the rental. If they aren’t prepared to pay them or can’t afford to, their business model is wrong.

And I am a successful LL not a bitter tenant.

Have you tried asking the tenants what happened to the old fridge, rather than jumping straight to accusations of theft? I replaced a broken lawnmower in the last place I rented because it was arguably my fault it broke and I didn't see the point in getting into a big debate about it.

If you are renting a place out you need to stop thinking of it as your home which the tenants are keeping in a state of suspended animation for you. It's their home and you're just going to make yourself miserable by expecting otherwise.

Why don’t you ask the ex tenants about it?

Absolutely.
Surely the first port of call in this situation is to simply ASK the tenant what happened to the fridge via the agent. Only they can give an accurate answer, rather than lots on MN who just assume in a very certain way it was stolen. I think the thread shows a lot of prejudice against tenants, based on slim evidence in this case. It also shows a lack of awareness about the costs LLs need to factor into their business and that they aren’t doing a favour to tenants by providing a house, which means providing it and incurring no costs. Rentals do have big wear and tear and low level damage, which has to be funded by rental income.

But Op, if you ask you’re more likely to find out what happened than relying on MN who have no accurate idea. Once you’ve asked and found out, you can then decide if you want to pursue the £50 or whatever it is, or just see this as a cost if the business.

@Ikeeponkeepingon

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?

This. Replacement bits are really expensive.

It isn’t acceptable to replace things that don’t belong to you. But as a landlord you will never be seen as right.

I had a tenant burn a hole in a carpet with an iron. The tenant deposit scheme awarded me the cost of two square feet of carpet.

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

Bit of a fault in your theory...they didn't fancy second hand so took OP's, which was in the property long before they got there and was third or fourth hand?

OP, get a grip. Livid indeed! I imagine you were charging them an outrageous amount in rent anyway, you can afford another fridge if you don't like the one there.

Not the real point of the thread but I think you need to change your agent, they should be chasing up the tenant re the fridge, and why are you paying them a ransom, the standard is 10%

Just googled. They are about £25 each. Some more.

@DustyMaiden

It isn’t acceptable to replace things that don’t belong to you. But as a landlord you will never be seen as right.

I had a tenant burn a hole in a carpet with an iron. The tenant deposit scheme awarded me the cost of two square feet of carpet.

You think you should have been awarded a whole new carpet?!

Oh come on OP, seriously it’s a fucking (5 year old) fridge for God’s sake!

I’m an overseas LL, have properties in France & UK (live in Switzerland). I wouldn’t lose much sleep over this. If they’d gutted the place it’s a different story.

I understand being annoyed with the agent; but they are generally useless and I try to have as little to do with them as possible.

Chill and take it on the chin. It’s part and parcel.