Landlord deducting from dep 2mro-is it all fair?

mushymoo

I spent 5 hours with one person helping cleaning old house I lived in 3 years 3 months today.

Defrosted freezer, cleaned floors on hands and knees, borrowed good vacuum cleaner to do carpets, cleaned skirting boards, hung original curtains and replaced white faded ones with new netting, bought new wooden loo seat to replace one son broke.

Also re-plastered holes in plaster made by son when he was ill, landlord so far is deducting for broken crumbly tiles on fireplace which son knocked crane against, the broken glass light-shade in hall when I dropped it changing bulb and for chest of drawers which has one drawer with largish break when son slipped off bed and slashed his cheek off side.

Landlord seemed very unhappy today, understandable for one reason as 2 days over notice period and instead of being ready 4 pm was 5.30pm today with still the kitchen to complete, bins to collect outside and my last few bags, Xmas decorations etc. to get.

Landlord stayed in car from 4.15pm outside and was very stern when doing inspection, pulled out furniture etc. I explained the nature of the damage to the landlord and also stressed could not remove last 5/6 black sacks till get a lift tomorrow.

Is some of the damage from deposit wear and tear as not malicious and accidental or do I accept big deductions?

grizzly

I'd say all of those things are your responsibility to replace/pay for damages, as they were broken by you and did not wear down from normal use. You could ask to valuations for their replacement so you don't get ripped off.

mushymoo

that's what i thought, thank you. altho accidental they were all due to my negligiance or accidental.
i was going to see tomorrow how much a similar new lampshade and an ARGOS/similar quality dresser cost. so i know what amt may be deducted.

the tiles were a problem though i have asked both tiling places in my town re tiles and its an ancient fireplace so those tiles do not exist, even the size is wrong, i took photos of the tiles down a few months ago, they do not make those tiles anymore. i was going to offer to get a repair done as the original pieces are mostly intact. a new fireplace for a fingers length between 2 tiles would cost loads, it was crumbling at one end already when i moved in. i hope that will all not cost more than a few hundred.

grizzly

You could post pics of the damage in the DIY forum and ask for tips on tile replacement. You might get some ideas you've not considered.

quietsailor

mushymoo wrote: »

Spent 5hrs with one person helping cleaning old house I lived in 3years 3 months today. Defrosted freezer, cleaned floors on hands and knees, borrowed good vaccum cleaner to do carpets, clened skirting boards, hung original curtains and replaced white faded ones with new netting, bought new wooden loo seat to replace one son broke. Also replastered holes in plaster made by son when he was ill,

landlord so far is deducting for broken crumbly tiles on fireplace which son knocked crane against, the broken glass lightshade in hall when I dropt it changing bulb and for chest of drawers which has one drawer with largish break when son slipped off bed and slashed his cheek off side.

Landlord seemed very unhappy today, understandable for one reason as 2 days over notice period and instead of being ready 4 pm was 5.30pm today with still the kitche to complete, bins to collect outside and my last few bags, Xmas decorations etc. to get. Landlord stayed in car from 4.15pm outside and was very stern when doing inspection, pullled out furniture etc. Explained the nature of the damage to the landlord and also stressed could not remove last 5/6 black sacks till get a lift tomorrow. Is some of the damage from deposit wear and tear as not malicious and accidental or do I accept big deductions?

As a LL I'd be delighted to have you as a tenant . Unfortunately most of what you posted above is your on fault, however it's minor and you should be afforded a chance to repair it - maybe offer the LL 2/31 of the monthly rent as you stayed slightly too long and replace the fittings broken.

What I would argue about is the fireplace tiles. If they were crumbling when you moved in they were not fit for purpose in the first place. I'd argue the point there and try and make the LL see that.

If he/she is really sticking to their guns you have 2 options
1. Accept that the LL will take some of your deposit, tell them you want receipts for everything as your complaining to the PRTB and then make a formal complaint to the PRTB. This will be a long drawn out process

2. What you can do if your good at DIY or has a friend who is, is to get oversized tiles and cut them to size and retile the fireplace - If your careful you can get a tile with a pattern that is similar and replace the same tiles on both sides so it looks like it was deliberate. If a lot are brokenyou might have to retile the lot though. Take videos and photos of the repair job, emphasising how bad the original tiles are and make a fomal complaint to the PRTB.

See how much the LL is talking about keeping for the fireplace retile - if you can't argue them out of holding money that is - It might be cheaper in terms of your time and money just to let them off even though you WILL be in the right to say the re-tile is not your fault.

Victor

Say nothing until the landlord suggests something.

mushymoo wrote: »

replaced white faded ones with new netting

No need to do that.

mushymoo wrote: »

that's what i thought, thank you. altho accidental they were all due to my negligiance or accidental.
i was going to see tomorrow how much a similar new lampshade and an ARGOS/similar quality dresser cost. so i know what amt may be deducted.

If the landlord wants to charge for full replacement, you get the lampshade / dresser.

the tiles were a problem though i have asked both tiling places in my town re tiles and its an ancient fireplace so those tiles do not exist, even the size is wrong, i took photos of the tiles down a few months ago, they do not make those tiles anymore. i was going to offer to get a repair done as the original pieces are mostly intact. a new fireplace for a fingers length between 2 tiles would cost loads, it was crumbling at one end already when i moved in. i hope that will all not cost more than a few hundred.

I can't see how a child's crane should damage a fireplace tile.