Letting agency wanting apartment painted

brennra

Hi All,

I am moving out of my apartment and the property agency said over the weekend that one of the walls in a bedroom needs to be repainted (there was white tac on the walls and there were some small marks).

We asked them what color the wall is (all walls in the apartment are painted the same), but they said they have no idea.

They have come back today to say that now the whole room and the kitchen need to be repainted in the same color but they cant tell us the color. There are small marks on the wall, wear and tear which is to be expected after a year living in an apartment.

If we dont have it done by tomorrow night then it will be taken out of the deposit.

They have no intention of cleaning the apartment before the new tenants move in.

Is this something they can get away with? Surely as a property management company they would know what color they painted, especially as the whole apartment is painted this same color and it was only redecorated last year before we moved in.

All in all the apartment is in amazing condition except for small marks on the wall

Any help woud be much appreciated.

Brennra

ted1

White Tac shoudln't by put on walls in rented places, the marks it creates would not be counted as standard wear and tear.

when I was renting we would always wash the walls down with sugar soap before we left, it does a great job and the wall will be like new. with regards the the tac marks, find a colour thats close enough and get a sample jar and just touch it up.

this should do the job.

brennra

Yeah it was white tac that isnt meant to stain but it did.
I got sugar soap over the weekend but the smallest big of water takes the paint off the walls. It doesnt seem like it was the best paint that they used!

The marks in the kitchen are from wear and tear but weve been told we need to paint there too.

ted1

is it taking random pieces of paint off? or just wear the tac has already removed the paint. if si then gently sand the edges, the touch up with paint then use sugar soap.

how long where you in the apartment for, I expect to paint the house between every tenancy, (expect the average tenancy to be 3 years)

brennra

we were in it a year.
when trying to wash the walls with the sugar soap the paint is coming off it.

Should the agency know the color of the paint or would we also have to repaint the entire kitchen due to the small marks by the bin?

djimi

brennra wrote: »

Should the agency know the color of the paint

Not necessarily. Unless they took note of it or had a tin left over I doubt they remember the exact shade that they used a year ago, in one of probably several properties that they look after.

brennra wrote: »

would we also have to repaint the entire kitchen due to the small marks by the bin?

It depends on how much damage you have actually caused. A certain amount of wear and tear is acceptable, but after only a year I dont think its unreasonable for the agent to expect not to have to go repainting walls again. If its only a few small scuffs that can be cleaned then you should be alright. If the damage is significant enough that it requires a repaint then so be it.

If you feel that they are acting unfairly then you would be well advised to get your camera out and take as many photos of every room, wall, door, floor etc as you possibly can. If you wish to dispute the deduction with the PRTB you are going to need to have as much evidence as possible to back up your claim.

D3PO

seems harsh OP but the agency are perfectly entitled to expect the walls to be repainted if you have damaged them and white tac is not normal wear and tear.

as for the suggestion of patching it up that wouldn't be enough. Repainting a small patch will be easy to see on the wall so the whole wall will need repainting.

So yes you would have to paint the whole wall. Next time before you decide to hang something on a wall in a rented house / apartment seek written permission from the agent / LL.

the_syco

Scrape some paint off the wall, and bring it to somewhere like Woodies or BnQ, and get them to give you the paint type.

Get a roller. The amount that you'd use on a wall with the paintbrush, you'll use for the entire 4 walls with a roller. It also does a better finish. Have a small brush for around switch fittings, and the edges of doors, etc. The roller will also enable you to do the job within a few minutes

KindOfIrish

brennra wrote: »

Hi All,

If we dont have it done by tomorrow night then it will be taken out of the deposit.

They have no intention of cleaning the apartment before the new tenants move in.

That's why I never pay last month rent. It is the same old story with almost all letting agents. They want money for nothing.

djimi

KindOfIrish wrote: »

That's why I never pay last month rent. It is the same old story with almost all letting agents. They want money for nothing.

Read the thread properly. The damage was caused and the deduction is justified.

Using your deposit as last months rent and leaving the landlord out of pocket for damage that you caused is every bit as bad as a landlord who fabricates a reason to keep some/all of your deposit. They both amount to exactly the same thing.

StillWaters

You might get away with painting one wall only. As suggested bring a scraping of the paint, or a good quality photo in natural daylight to a DIY store and they should be able to march it.

PhilMcGee

Touching up spots with fresh paint will look even worse than the tac stains.
Simple rule of thumb is never ever stick or hang anything on the walls. Ive seen places where people have hung a picture on the wall and after a year there is a shadow of the picture left when it is taken down. That requires repainting too.
Better off not doing it.

If you are repainting dont get any specs of paint on the ceiling or fittings or you will be repainting and cleaning them too.

You might end up making the situation worse for yourself unless you are handy at painting.

sandy_c

I bought this stuff in homestore and more -

http://www.jmldirect.com/uk/doktor-power/doktor-power-magic-eraser/invt/d03me30100000001/

It's great for getting marks off painted surfaces. Just dampen it and the lightly rub over the mark. It got rid of the blackish marks that you get from radiators and the pencil like marks when you scrap something off a painted surface.

Might be worth a shot, we got a way without painting a room with it.

foggy_lad

brennra wrote: »

we were in it a year.
when trying to wash the walls with the sugar soap the paint is coming off it.

Should the agency know the color of the paint or would we also have to repaint the entire kitchen due to the small marks by the bin?

It sounds like the agents are trying to get ye to cover the cost of the painting from your deposit.

If the paint washes off the walls then it is not freshly painted last year and some marks are acceptable from normal wear and tear.

foggy_lad

PhilMcGee wrote: »

I've seen places where people have hung a picture on the wall and after a year there is a shadow of the picture left when it is taken down. That requires repainting too.
Better off not doing it.

Nonsense. This is covered under normal wear and tear.

PhilMcGee

foggy_lad wrote: »

Nonsense. This is covered under normal wear and tear.

I think you are a bit confused here.
No its not covered under normal wear and tear. Ask the PRTB instead of assuming. If you did not get permission to hang anything on the walls then dont. If you do hang things on the walls and leave marks then that is not normal wear and tear.

foggy_lad wrote: »

It sounds like the agents are trying to get ye to cover the cost of the painting from your deposit.

If the paint washes off the walls then it is not freshly painted last year and some marks are acceptable from normal wear and tear.

You are making that up too.
Ask the PRTB about that then too.
OP puts sticky tac on walls and leaves marks. OP tries to clean it and scrapes off the paint. Not normal wear and tear either. Just a case of someone trying to remedy a mistake and making it worse. We've all done it.

All thats going on here is that the landlord wants the walls back in the same condition they gave them to the client in. Not with missing paint or with marks on the paint, so that the next tenant can have the same nice walls.


And the OP is just trying to get them back at the least cost to themselves and made a mistake in trying to get the marks off without repainting.
There is nothing sinister in any of it that I can see.

D3PO

foggy_lad wrote: »

Nonsense. This is covered under normal wear and tear.

No it isn't. If your going to come on here try and post accurately please. If you have no permission to put up something on the wall damage done by doing so is not wear and tear.

Most well written leases will prohibit changes to the accommodation like this without consent from the landlord or agency. If you have no permission to hang something on the wall and you do then any marks as a result are tenant damage.

A tenant has no right to impact the décor of a rented house or apartment without permission and if they do they are libel to put right any damage done.

ted1

foggy_lad wrote: »

Nonsense. This is covered under normal wear and tear.

Normally occurs where people are smoking in the place and might be agaiinest the lease

valleyoftheunos

OP Sugarsoap shouldn't make the paint come off the walls, if the apartment wasn't painted properly or defective paint used before you moved in you aren't obliged to repaint the apartment.

D3PO

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

OP Sugarsoap shouldn't make the paint come off the walls, if the apartment wasn't painted properly or defective paint used before you moved in you aren't obliged to repaint the apartment.

1) Show me where it says that your not obliged to repaint if the pain comes off the wall from using sugar soap.

2) Show me how you would prove in a PRTB dispute this is how the paint came off the wall

3) Show me how you would prove defective paint was used in a PRTB dispute.

You cant as your talking rubbish.

The walls were in a particular condition, the OP changed this condition by putting something on the wall they had no permission to. That is not wear and tear that is damage caused by unauthorized action on the OP's behalf.

The OP is therefore libel to put it right or for a portion of their deposit to be used to do so.

valleyoftheunos

D3PO wrote: »

1) Show me where it says that your not obliged to repaint if the pain comes off the wall from using sugar soap.

2) Show me how you would prove in a PRTB dispute this is how the paint came off the wall

3) Show me how you would prove defective paint was used in a PRTB dispute.

You cant as your talking rubbish.

The walls were in a particular condition, the OP changed this condition by putting something on the wall they had no permission to. That is not wear and tear that is damage caused by unauthorized action on the OP's behalf.

The OP is therefore libel to put it right or for a portion of their deposit to be used to do so.

Easy fella, no need for the aggressive attitude.

We are told that the apartment was painted 12 months ago, a paint job in a rented apartment should last three to four years, it shouldn't require painting for wear and tear after 12 months. Sugarsoap should not cause paint to come off a wall, certainly not within 12 months, thus if it is causing the paint to flake off (as the OP indicated) I would consider that to be indicative of a defect in either the paint, the way the paint was put on or the wall to which it was put on. If it is any of those things the OP should not have to paint the apartment. If the paint was otherwise fine and the OP had caused the damage knocking furniture off the wall or something then fine, paint it but there is an indication that something is not right here.

Whats more in the event of a dispute the OP doesn't have to prove anything, if the Landlord wants to retain part of the deposit its up to the Landlord to satisfy the PRTB that the deductions are justified and that includes negativing any defence put forward by the tenant, eg, "the paint is clearly defective. it's simply falling off the walls."

D3PO

The OP is at fault there is no way you can argue otherwise.

Weather the paint has come off the wall or not is irrelevant. The wall was marked by the unauthorized action from the OP and that action means the OP is libel to put it right.

Are you a paint expert ? Do you know what kind of chemical reaction the oils in tac causes on paint ?

You leave bird crap on your car for too long and it will take paint off the spot where it was. Sure that must mean the paint job on the car was defective right .... ?

D3PO

just to add the Blue Tack website itself backs up the LL here. Straight from the horses mouth so to speak.

How do I remove faint stains from the walls?

Citrus based stain remover is the best. If the walls have been painted sometime ago, they can become porous which will suck the oil out of Blu Tack. In this instance, you will need to clean with Sugar Soap and generally repaint the surface.

valleyoftheunos

D3PO wrote: »

The OP is at fault there is no way you can argue otherwise.

Weather the paint has come off the wall or not is irrelevant. The wall was marked by the unauthorized action from the OP and that action means the OP is libel to put it right.

Are you a paint expert ? Do you know what kind of chemical reaction the oils in tac causes on paint ?

You leave bird crap on your car for too long and it will take paint off the spot where it was. Sure that must mean the paint job on the car was defective right .... ?

Sorry I wasn't talking about the White Tak but rather the kitchen.

Incidentally you don't know any more about the OP's scenario than I do, considering that I find your certainty remarkable.

D3PO

valleyoftheunos wrote: »

Sorry I wasn't talking about the White Tak but rather the kitchen.

Incidentally you don't know any more about the OP's scenario than I do, considering that I find your certainty remarkable.

what I know is

they used white tack on the walls without authorisation

they marked the wall as a result

they are responsible for returning the wall to its former condition.

That allows me be certain that they are responsible.

Going off topic to discuss the merits of the paint on so on doesn't change that. This is not normal wear and tear therefore the OP is responsible. I can be certain of that.

valleyoftheunos

D3PO wrote: »

what I know is

they used white tack on the walls without authorisation

they marked the wall as a result

they are responsible for returning the wall to its former condition.

That allows me be certain that they are responsible.

Going off topic to discuss the merits of the paint on so on doesn't change that. This is not normal wear and tear therefore the OP is responsible. I can be certain of that.

I wasn't off topic, the OP mentioned the Kitchen in a subsequent post.

Grandpa Hassan

The OP put stuff on the wall. That alone is sufficient to find against them if it went to PTRB