Ima break this down for your money-grabbing husband.
They have:
*Replaced all carpets
Which is the LL's responibility to do, approx 5-10 yearly
*Decorated the rooms (one is wallpapered in Peppa Pig, the other is Zoo themed, so it’s not neutral decor).
Unless you said to them 'yes you can replace the wallpaper but you need to return it to the original wallpaper before you move out' in writing, you don't have a leg to stand on
*Re-decorated the hallway, stairway and landing in a neutral colour way
I'm not surprised. He handed an old person's house over to a young family without caring about their surroundings. You're exceptionally lucky they stayed for 13 years.
*Fenced off the yard (it was an open yard when they moved in).
He should have done that.
DH reasons for deductions:
*The wallpaper and paint is scuffed in quite a few places around the house (the wallpaper the tenants added).
Wallpaper that you did not ask to be returned to neutral upon their departure. The deposit won't care that it's Peppa Pig unless you have that in writing.
*Theres a cracked patio slate in the yard.
There are half dozen patio slabs cracked around my house; I've been here for 2 years. It's because it hasn't stopped raining since winter 2022 and both the ground and house are moving.
Nonetheless, unless you can prove they maliciously had a one-ton weight dropped on it, it comes under wear and tear.
*There’s a crack in part of the pipework under the utility sink (the tenant said this was present when they moved in but as they rarely used the utility sink, it wasn’t a problem. They did say it has widened over time and will now leak slightly if it is used).
Thy haven't used the utility sink because they know you weren't going to get that fixed. Pipework is your responsibility. There's a leak in my upstairs bathroom my LL doesn't care about, so I don't either. Eventually it will bring the ceiling down. Then she will deal with it. And then she'll complain about how all tenants are the same, despite the fact I've had a steady stream of workmen through these doors since we moved in fixing all the crap she couldn't be bothered to maintain.
*A fence panel needs to be replaced (this was the tenants fence) .
Once a tenant has secured a property via their own means, it's literally your responsibility to keep that property secure. That means fences.
*There are weeds growing through the patio in the yard.
I get one foot weeds spring up through my patio slabs within a week; again, it's the relentless rain, and the fact that my LL is too much of a cheapskate to put weed membrane down before getting the slabs laid.
We just returned from 8 days away and I was terrified the grass was going to be half a foot high because this happens over and over again with our violently fluctuating whether.
Unless you have concrete evidence of good quality weed membrane being under that patio, I suggest you let this one slide.
*The flooring joints have weakened and there are now sizeable gaps in the flooring (basic laminate).
Again, that will be considered wear and tear, but also to add, we have sizeable gaps between our very, very expensive faux wood flooring after two years, and again, it's because both the ground and the house are moving.
By your husband's logic I should be paying probably in the region of 7k to get it replaced before I move out, should I?
Houses move and people inside of houses move things. And you've already called it 'basic' which means it's way worse than mine.
*The entire home needs redecorating.
Oh, do give over.
On a personal note I find it abhorrent that your husband has evicted a pregnant tenant to move a relative in whilst he redecorates around them, getting ready to sell it next year. He has a very dodgy moral compass and I would be seriously considering the future of my relationship with a person like this.
People who live hundreds of miles away should get Managing Agents. Has he:
Had an annual gas boiler service and given them the cert
Had the gutters cleaned yearly, chimneys swept yearly
Had emptying and maintenance of any septic tank every 6-12 months per manufacturers instructions, if applicable
Had the electrics tested every five years and given the tenant the certificate
Had the central heating system maintained every five years
?
Because those are just some of his responsibilities under law, which I very much doubt he's bothered with.
We are planning to move a relative in to the home temporarily before we sell next year
Please don't do this.