Replacing mattresses

gabsdot40

How often should the landlord replace the mattresses in a rented house?
We've been asked to replace the 18 month old mattress in our rental property.
I've had the same mattress on my own bed for over 10 years so I'm thinking this is a bit much.

Stheno

Why do they want it replaced?

My own mattress is 8 years old and perfectly fine.

seamus

When they're worn out or soiled beyond cleaning.

How long is the classic piece of string question, a fat bloke who spends a lot of time in bed will warp and wreck a mattress in no time at all. A 7 stone nothing marathon runner who sleeps six hours a night might get twenty years out of it.

As a landlord it's kind of up to you to figure out when the mattress needs replacing. Because the tenant would prefer one is not a good enough reason.

emeldc

gabsdot40 wrote: »

How often should the landlord replace the mattresses in a rented house?
We've been asked to replace the 18 month old mattress in our rental property.
I've had the same mattress on my own bed for over 10 years so I'm thinking this is a bit much.

Tell the tenant you will have it removed so that they can buy their own mattress. But tell them they have to take it with them when they leave. If your one is genuinely in good condition they'll probably see sense and put up with it.

Speedwell

I requested that our landlord remove the beds so I could buy new ones of my own, and that was no problem with him. But unless there is something wrong with the beds (smell, wear, soiling, infestation, or they were cheap pieces of **** in the first place quite unlike your twenty-year marvel), then I agree 18 months is much too soon for you to have to bear the entire cost of replacement.

RebekahD

Is it a cheap mattress or a decent one ? I remember when I used to rent a place there was a mattress that I could feel every spring on.
When I told the landlord he was furious, saying he only bought it the year before, and how it cost him a hundred euros !
It was barely thicker than a futon mattress.
He refused to move it when I bought my own,and no where to put it so ended up with a very high bed !

Immaculata

I would say it's fair to replace mattresses every eight to ten years. I would replace my own mattress every ten years, or longer. I would probably replace my tenants' mattress every eight years, because the different sleeping position patterns of different successive tenants would probably wear it out a bit quicker.

I agree with you, OP, it is a bit much.

Dr_Kolossus

Wow. I'm a landlord. I replace the mattress for every new tenant. However only had 2 sets tenants ever. 4 year, and current ones here a year but indicate they want to stay indefinitely.

Guess if you have tenants changing every year, it could get expensive.

4ensic15

It is all about the quality. A family member of mine bought some mattresses for a house with you light female students in it. He had to replace them after 9 months as they were knackered. He bought semi-orthopedic mattresses which lasted more than 10 years. In general, if someone is complaining, there is something wrong. The mattress is most likely of poor quality and the tenant wouldn't have complaint unless they noticed something wrong. It is not something to scrimp about. Buy a decent mattress or face having a pissed off tenant who will cause you a lot of trouble.

Pawwed Rig

4ensic15 wrote: »

the tenant wouldn't have complaint unless they noticed something wrong. It is not something to scrimp about. Buy a decent mattress or face having a pissed off tenant who will cause you a lot of trouble.

While I was renting I carried my bed and mattress through every property as there is no way any landlord would give me a mattress as good as the one I have. Nor would I expect them to after seeing the state of mattresses after my own tenants moved out.
If my tenant wants a high spec item they can buy it and use iy themselves.

borderlinemeath

Was the mattress new at the start of the current tenancy? If it was then I wouldn't be replacing it, unless there was a severe fault such as springs popping out - but who's to say the tenant didn't cause that?

We replace mattresses with every new tenancy, that way there's never an issue with old or soiled ones. We get the standard sprung mattress from IKEA, cheap and cheerful and never had a complaint about them, they've been in some tenancies for at least 4 or 5 years now.

http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/mattresses/mattresses-toppers/hafslo-sprung-mattress-firm-beige-art-00258052/

Speedwell

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Was the mattress new at the start of the current tenancy? If it was then I wouldn't be replacing it, unless there was a severe fault such as springs popping out - but who's to say the tenant didn't cause that?

We replace mattresses with every new tenancy, that way there's never an issue with old or soiled ones. We get the standard sprung mattress from IKEA, cheap and cheerful and never had a complaint about them, they've been in some tenancies for at least 4 or 5 years now.

http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/products/mattresses/mattresses-toppers/hafslo-sprung-mattress-firm-beige-art-00258052/

I'd be satisfied with that. New, clean, sturdy mattress, yay Too bad it costs as much as the mattress itself to ship it to Sligo, so perhaps not a good option for landlords in the Northwest.

If I had a van I'd probably start a shipping co-op to collect orders from Dublin and bring them here. Or maybe the co-op itself could invest in a suitable vehicle. Hmmm.

jlm29

Speedwell wrote: »

I'd be satisfied with that. New, clean, sturdy mattress, yay Too bad it costs as much as the mattress itself to ship it to Sligo, so perhaps not a good option for landlords in the Northwest.

If I had a van I'd probably start a shipping co-op to collect orders from Dublin and bring them here. Or maybe the co-op itself could invest in a suitable vehicle. Hmmm.

I live in Munster and came across a crowd on Facebook doing just that- collecting stuff in ikea and delivering it to people's homes. Fantastic idea! I'm sure it's only a matter of time before there's a van in every town doing the same thing

borderlinemeath

Speedwell wrote: »

I'd be satisfied with that. New, clean, sturdy mattress, yay Too bad it costs as much as the mattress itself to ship it to Sligo, so perhaps not a good option for landlords in the Northwest.

If I had a van I'd probably start a shipping co-op to collect orders from Dublin and bring them here. Or maybe the co-op itself could invest in a suitable vehicle. Hmmm.

Yep, loads of man with van services do collections from Ikea, good thing about most of their mattresses too is that they're roll packed for ease of transportation.

Graham

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Yep, loads of man with van services do collections from Ikea, good thing about most of their mattresses too is that they're roll packed for ease of transportation.

€120 flat fee delivery to Sligo using the in-house Ikea delivery service. Not great if you're only buying a single mattress but if you're getting a few bulky items it's hard to beat.

newacc2015

IMO there is no point buying expensive mattresses for tenants. They soil them pretty regularly, even if you ask them to use mattress protectors. I see why tenants give out about bad mattresses. But I don't see why a landlord should spend €200-300 on something that may have to be dumped within 1/2 years.

IMO if a tenant wants a quality, clean mattress. They should buy if themselves. My parents are landlords and the amount of mattresses student go through are insane. I remember 5 out of 6 new mattress were soiled one year and had to be replaced

Tenants dont see why landlords buy cheap mattresses. I know landlord who will pay 50% more for german appliances, as they last for ever. But still buy €80 mattresses as there is a high risk of them being destroyed by the tenants

McGrath5

OP would you not buy yourself a new quality mattress?

That way you can take it with you when you move on, and you know exactly who has slept on it.

Graham

McGrath5 wrote: »

OP would you not buy yourself a new quality mattress?

I get the impression the OP is the landlord.

McGrath5

Graham wrote: »

I get the impression the OP is the landlord.

Oh, my mistake :P

Butters1979

Are LL's eve obliged to provide mattresses? Would it depend on the lease?
OP, did they say why they want a new one. If it's damaged or soiled fair enough, but if they're just little princesses then they can buy their own.

Speedwell

Butters1979 wrote: »

Are LL's eve obliged to provide mattresses? Would it depend on the lease?
OP, did they say why they want a new one. If it's damaged or soiled fair enough, but if they're just little princesses then they can buy their own.

If you prefer to sleep on a mattress at home that has only been slept in by you, you are a "little princess". Good news for the used mattress industry, eh?

(Full disclosure: I am a "little princess" and I prefer to buy my own mattress rather than be forced to sleep in the previous tenant's soiled mess. And I check the mattress in hotels as well. So far no bedbugs.)

Butters1979

Speedwell wrote: »

If you prefer to sleep on a mattress at home that has only been slept in by you, you are a "little princess". Good news for the used mattress industry, eh?

(Full disclosure: I am a "little princess" and I prefer to buy my own mattress rather than be forced to sleep in the previous tenant's soiled mess. And I check the mattress in hotels as well. So far no bedbugs.)

The used mattress industry?

Are all mattresses from previous tenants automatically soiled? I don't think I've soiled a mattress since I was about 5 years old.

Speedwell

Butters1979 wrote: »

The used mattress industry?

Are all mattresses from previous tenants automatically soiled? I don't think I've soiled a mattress since I was about 5 years old.

There's no used mattress industry? Gosh, if used mattresses are always so desirable and in such good condition, surely there's a used mattress industry. For landlords, if for nobody else.

I wish you were the tenant who lived in this house before us, then. All of the beds in the place were soiled with a large splotch in the most suspect location, even the double bed, on both sides yet.

borderlinemeath

Butters1979 wrote: »

The used mattress industry?

Are all mattresses from previous tenants automatically soiled? I don't think I've soiled a mattress since I was about 5 years old.

Mattresses are filthy yokes. Full of dead skin cells and dust mites. You sweat a lot into a mattress. I'm no clean freak but you spend a great deal of time sleeping semi clothed with only a sheet between you and a lot of bacteria. I've cleaned up after a lot of dirty tenants to know I wouldn't like to sleep on the same thing they did.

Graham

borderlinemeath wrote: »

Mattresses are filthy yokes. Full of dead skin cells and dust mites. You sweat a lot into a mattress. I'm no clean freak but you spend a great deal of time sleeping semi clothed with only a sheet between you and a lot of bacteria. I've cleaned up after a lot of dirty tenants to know I wouldn't like to sleep on the same thing they did.

Do you sleep in a bio-hazard suit when you're on holiday or take your own mattress?

borderlinemeath

Graham wrote: »

Do you sleep in a bio-hazard suit when you're on holiday or take your own mattress?

I'm a landlord, not a fussy tenant by the way.

I can sleep on a hotel mattress for a week or so, once it hasn't got bedbugs. Like I said, I'm not a clean freak. It's one thing spending a small amount of time on a hotel mattress, quite another to sleep every night on a cheap, badly sprung, barely covered, second hand mattress.

As I've stated, I've cleaned up after plenty of dirty tenants, who don't have housekeeping cleaning up after them every day, so an accumulation of dirt, skin cells, sweat, dust mites, stains, cigarette burns and smells in a mattress is not exactly what you would get in a hotel.

Hollister11

I have just replaced mine after using it for a decade. Only reason i'm replacing is i have just got a bigger bed.

MarkAnthony

Replace them every 8 years (capital allowances), if they need replacing sooner because of them being soiled it would come out of the tenant's deposit (proportionally).

Pawwed Rig

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Replace them every 8 years (capital allowances), if they need replacing sooner because of them being soiled it would come out of the tenant's deposit (proportionally).

Lower end mattresses would not last even close to 8 years. High end might last 20 years.

MarkAnthony

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Lower end mattresses would not last even close to 8 years. High end might last 20 years.

Obviously it goes without saying my tenants get the very middle the middle money can buy.

Speedwell

Jeez, I don't even buy myself the high-end mattresses... just cheap and sturdy. Then I buy myself a nice thick 3-inch memory foam pad for on top. A mattress salesman friend once told me that was more or less equivalent to a high-end mattress anyway, and you can't replace a built-in pillow-top if "something happens". I even bought a 2-inch memory foam pad for my mother-in-law's hard-as-a-coffin-lid spare bed so I could get some sleep in it. You can find them for a reasonable amount of money if you hunt around (Ikea often has mattress toppers that are nice), and they can be taken from place to place if you are a short-term renter. Don't know why I didn't think of that before.

Monife

newacc2015 wrote: »

IMO there is no point buying expensive mattresses for tenants. They soil them pretty regularly, even if you ask them to use mattress protectors. I see why tenants give out about bad mattresses. But I don't see why a landlord should spend €200-300 on something that may have to be dumped within 1/2 years.

€200-300... you consider this expensive? No wonder the quality of furnishings in rentals are abysmal these days. I spent €1,500 on my bed and mattress, best money I ever spent after years of sleeping on cr*ppy beds in rented properties which resulted in chronic back pain!

Pretty sweeping generalisation there too about tenants continuously soiling mattresses which is really unfair imo, I would always use a mattress protector (on my own or the landlord's bed). You make out all tenants are complete knackers!

Pawwed Rig

Monife wrote: »

€200-300... you consider this expensive? No wonder the quality of furnishings in rentals are abysmal these days. I spent €1,500 on my bed and mattress, best money I ever spent after years of sleeping on cr*ppy beds in rented properties which resulted in chronic back pain!

Question is would you pay €1,500 for a bed and mattress for a tenant?

Pawwed Rig

Monife wrote: »

No wonder the quality of furnishings in rentals are abysmal these days

Monife wrote: »

Pretty sweeping generalisation there too!

Speedwell

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Question is would you pay €1,500 for a bed and mattress for a tenant?

Well, I would never pay that much on myself, because it's a complete waste of money. But if you buy cheap nasty stuff for the same money that would pay for affordable decent stuff, then you will have to come to terms with the fact that people are going to notice.

Monife

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Ha, ya got me there.... But I would bet money that there are a higher percentage of rentals with cr*p furnishings than there are knacker-y tenants

No, I wouldn't spend €1,500 on a bed for a tenant, but I would buy a decent bed/mattress with a good warranty and would provide a new mattress protector with each new tenancy. It's a false economy buying low quality items when you have to continually replace them!

Monife

Speedwell wrote: »

Well, I would never pay that much on myself, because it's a complete waste of money. But if you buy cheap nasty stuff for the same money that would pay for affordable decent stuff, then you will have to come to terms with the fact that people are going to notice.

Complete waste of money? Are you serious? It's one of the most important investments you could make in yourself. You sleep for more hours in a day than you do anything else and good, quality sleep can make a major difference in your life.

Speedwell

Monife wrote: »

Complete waste of money? Are you serious? It's one of the most important investments you could make in yourself. You sleep for more hours in a day than you do anything else and good, quality sleep can make a major difference in your life.

Thanks, but I'm not in the market for a new mattress set at the moment. I don't intend to overpay for what is essentially a mid-range mattress with a memory foam pad on top.

yqtwqxqm

The apartment I just moved out of came with no mattress.
When I viewed it there were a couple of people who complained about this, but they still tried to get the apartment.
I have always brought my own mattress with me so didnt mind. I was delighted in fact.
I think the other viewers annoyed the LL with their complaining even though they still tried to gazump me, but it turned out good for me anyway.
I like having my own mattress that hasnt been used by others before me.

newacc2015

Monife wrote: »

€200-300... you consider this expensive? No wonder the quality of furnishings in rentals are abysmal these days. I spent €1,500 on my bed and mattress, best money I ever spent after years of sleeping on cr*ppy beds in rented properties which resulted in chronic back pain!

Pretty sweeping generalisation there too about tenants continuously soiling mattresses which is really unfair imo, I would always use a mattress protector (on my own or the landlord's bed). You make out all tenants are complete knackers!

Can I ask how many properties have you let to students? You dont really have an idea of how students actually treat rental properties. You can ask a student to use mattress protectors, but they rarely do. I know plenty of landlords who dump around 20-30% of mattresses every year. Do you serious expect a landlord to spend around €1,500 on a mattress and a bed he will probably replace in 3 years? BTW since when has quality equalled a high price. IKEA sells mattresses for €250 with a 20 year guarantee that would beat any €800 mattress in Arnotts

When you know the industry like I do ( I know dozens of landlords who have let to tens of thousands of tenants collectively for the last 50 years). My "sweeping generalisations" are based on my experiences and experiences of my friends in this industry. How much do you know about this industry and how most tenants actually are? It is well and good to think tenants will look after nice things. Some do, but a lot do. Considering a landlord has very little means of recovering damaged property ie the PRTB is too difficult to use for small amounts of damage say €1500. There is no way he is going to risk putting expensive furniture in his property

Monife

newacc2015 wrote: »

Can I ask how many properties have you let to students? You dont really have an idea of how students actually treat rental properties. You can ask a student to use mattress protectors, but they rarely do. I know plenty of landlords who dump around 20-30% of mattresses every year. Do you serious expect a landlord to spend around €1,500 on a mattress and a bed he will probably replace in 3 years? BTW since when has quality equalled a high price. IKEA sells mattresses for €250 with a 20 year guarantee that would beat any €800 mattress in Arnotts

Don't rent to students then. Plenty of professional couples or families looking to rent. Oh, I forgot, landlords make more money off students by renting rooms out separately at extortionate prices that you would never get if you rented the whole house to a couple/family. And, I never suggested paying €1,500 for a mattress and bed, that is what I paid for one for myself. But if I was a landlord, I wouldn't buy a mattress for €80, that is just cheap and nasty and you will have to throw it out in less than a year.

newacc2015 wrote: »

When you know the industry like I do ( I know dozens of landlords who have let to tens of thousands of tenants collectively for the last 50 years). My "sweeping generalisations" are based on my experiences and experiences of my friends in this industry. How much do you know about this industry and how most tenants actually are? It is well and good to think tenants will look after nice things. Some do, but a lot do. Considering a landlord has very little means of recovering damaged property ie the PRTB is too difficult to use for small amounts of damage say €1500. There is no way he is going to risk putting expensive furniture in his property

You have the security deposit to fall back on if furniture is damaged.

My experiences (of myself, friends and people I know that rent) is that the majority of tenants are good tenants and really look after the place and do things the landlord should be doing like giving the place a lick of paint after a number of years etc.

You're obviously renting to the wrong people.

borderlinemeath

Monife wrote: »

Don't rent to students then. Plenty of professional couples or families looking to rent. Oh, I forgot, landlords make more money off students by renting rooms out separately at extortionate prices that you would never get if you rented the whole house to a couple/family.

Right now, no landlord in their right mind would let to students over professionals. Back in 09/10, it might have been the only tenant you could get, there were that many properties for tenants to choose from.

And, I never suggested paying €1,500 for a mattress and bed, that is what I paid for one for myself. But if I was a landlord, I wouldn't buy a mattress for €80, that is just cheap and nasty and you will have to throw it out in less than a year.

But you're not a landlord. Honestly, if you were on the other side of the fence, with people thinking it's their entitlement to treat landlords furnishings like dirt because they pay the rent, you might see things differently.

You have the security deposit to fall back on if furniture is damaged.

It's becoming a lot more common for landlords to charge multiple months rent, ie 2 or 3 months, because it doesn't go far at all. The type of tenant that would leave stained mattresses behind them, are the same type that try to not pay the last months rent so you're at a loss before you take breakages into account.

My experiences (of myself, friends and people I know that rent) is that the majority of tenants are good tenants and really look after the place and do things the landlord should be doing like giving the place a lick of paint after a number of years etc.

You're obviously renting to the wrong people.

The majority of tenants are good. But there's a lot that aren't so good, and there's a portion that are hell on earth to deal with.

So far between myself and my husband we have had to deal with:

A rat infestation caused by build up of rubbish when tenant refused to buy bin tags.
Holes in walls and doors after a tenancy that was "managed" by a letting agent.
Every stick of furniture and soft furnishing had to be skipped after a 3 year tenancy to a family. If the furniture wasn't broken, it was drawn on with pens/paint. Children are ultra destructive and landlords are meant to suck it up. Oh and they stole the tumble dryer when they left.
A house set on fire due to a raging drunk having a row with his wife. Perfectly normal and capable of holding down a job to pay rent when sober, yet he was arrested twice while drunk for his behaviour.
House let to family friends of ours. Again a mountain of bags of rubbish left in the back garden at the end of the tenancy. End of friendship, no deposit because they were "friends".
The tenant that refused to put oil heating into the system, used nothing but a super ser heater and started screaming blue murder when the bedrooms got mould in corners and claimed it was making herself and her daughter ill. Got the council in for an inspection who told her she needed to heat and ventilate the house using the heating system provided, and throw out the super ser death trap heater. :rolleyes:

And we're lucky. We've never had to deal with a squatting tenant that won't leave and can accrue tens of thousands in unpaid rent and damage. We personally know people that have been unlucky enough to be in that situation.

None of the tenancies have been students. Some have been RA tenants. Some have been professionals. Even some friends. But there's plenty of problem tenants out there masquerading as great tenants with great references and plenty of money to pay the deposit so it's not so obvious as just "letting to the wrong people"

athtrasna

Please remember the thread is about replacing mattresses!