Is landlord responsible for the outside deck?

alltacht

Hi everyone,
I have been renting this house for the past two years, due to proposed increases I had to give my (full written and correct timeframe) notice and will be leaving shortly.
I suppose I may be a bit paranoid as my previous landlord illegally retained my deposit, which I got back plus damages after a year (which is time I don't have this time around). That's just conjecture, so back to the point!
It has wooden chairs and a small round wooden table in the back deck. Since I have been here for two years, the wood has rotted through on the table from all the rain and now just the outer metal ring is remaining. On the lease, the table and chairs are included in the inventory. The lease also says I am responsible for keeping the patio area inc. shrubs tidy.
There is a small shed with washing machine etc but it isnt big enough to put the furnture in when raining. The decking has never been treated it seems and is dodgy and actually broken in parts.
So I am wondering is the replacement of the table or the deck something which could be deducted from my deposit?
We also do not have a hoover and I'm not sure how to clean the stairs carpet without one, does he need to provide one for us to clean it properly before we leave? The rest of the floors are wood its just the stairs.
I mean I want to have the place spotless before I go!
I've asked the landlord if he will come out the week before I leave and point out any issues he has, so I have the chance to sort them out myself. Am I entitled to do that?
Thanks for any advice!

odds_on

alltacht wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I have been renting this house for the past two years, ........
Since I have been here for two years, the wood has rotted through on the table from all the rain and now just the outer metal ring is remaining. On the lease, the table and chairs are included in the inventory. The lease also says I am responsible for keeping the patio area inc. shrubs tidy.
The decking has never been treated it seems and is dodgy and actually broken in parts.
So I am wondering is the replacement of the table or the deck something which could be deducted from my deposit?
We also do not have a hoover and I'm not sure how to clean the stairs carpet without one, does he need to provide one for us to clean it properly before we leave? The rest of the floors are wood its just the stairs.
I mean I want to have the place spotless before I go!
I've asked the landlord if he will come out the week before I leave and point out any issues he has, so I have the chance to sort them out myself. Am I entitled to do that?
Thanks for any advice!

As regards the table rotting and the broken decking, have you advised the landlord of this when you first noticed it so that he could take appropriate action?

So, you've been in the house for two years and have not cleaned the stair carpet? Is there ingrained dirt now which may require professional cleaning?

By law, a landlord is not required to provide a vaccum cleaner but most professional landlords do.

It is an excellent idea to get the landlord to do a pre exit inspection at least a week before you leave so that he can point out any issues which require fixing. This allows you time to remedy any matters as once you vacate you have no legal right to return to remedy any matters.

zef

As regards the stairs, a dustpan and brush will do just the same as a vaccuum cleaner.
I'm not sure about your garden furniture - perhaps they should have provided a cover/ space to store it, -but to be honest you could have let the landlord know his decking is deteriorating.

alltacht

Thanks Zef,
I clean the carpet with a brush at the moment but its a sort of awkward shape carpet all full of grooves it wont look properly clean without a good hoovering, maybe I can borrow if a neighbour has one, or sort something out. I asked him for the loan of one and to visit but got no reply, that was last week. I will ring him in the next couple of days.
As regards to the outside decking and table, we text him about it numerous times, starting from when my housemates foot went through the deck just from walking out there one night. He never replied specifically to it. Eventually he came out to look at the washing machine as the shed roof had sort of blown off and leaked rain into the shed and damaged the machine. So passing through the yard he saw the deck and table, he has often been in and out this way and knows the state of the property. He never took any action about it, but I wasn't bothered as the weather hasnt been nice enough to sit out the back anyway.
Thanks again!

duffalosoldier

Does your lease allow for Fair Wear and Tear? If so you could argue this in most of the above cases I would have thought.

murphaph

The decking is not your problem. That's up to landlord to maintain. If I had decking in a property like that and it was rotten through I'd be concerned about litigation should anyone fall through it. Landlord seems a bit scatty at best. The garden furniture could be argued was your responsibility but if no cover was provided then it's hard to see how you could have prevented its deterioration either.