Tenant damaged wood laminate floor

mikemac2 · 03-09-2021 8:14am #1

And I am that tenant :(

Renting in a house share for 3.5 years. I have a small kitchenette and an internal stairs upstairs to a loft.

Due to windows being left open water got in and I was away. Some of the floor (wood laminate) by one window is warped and bulged and there are cracks/gaps. Some are less damaged but there are ridges where the moisture is. And 60-70% of the floor is perfect

I told the landlady but she needs to see for herself and we will inspect. From internet research maybe the entire floor will have to be replaced as though most is fine maybe they won’t match up.

How big is the area? I’ve no idea, from hotel rooms I’ve stayed and they say on the website I’d say 20 - 25 square metres? It’s a loft

Is this a job stretching into thousands and thousands of euro? I expect to be given my marching orders, deserved :(

sydthebeat · 03-09-2021 8:19am

You can get laminate flooring for cheap these days, around €8 per sq m.

I'd expect it was cheap stuff that was put down originally too, in the expectancy of something like this happening

Fitting will be the big cost, as labour is dear.

Maybe 2 days work in it if its a regular shape, so let's say €300 for the flooring and about €500 for he fitting

ohnohedidnt · 03-09-2021 8:25am

You can get away with just doing one area and using a transition piece in a logical place like a doorway maybe?

Either way, it's an easy enough DIY for a couple of hundred. I did about 30sqm in my house for 800 professionally fitted.

Did upstairs myself for a a couple of hundred per room.

Tails142 · 03-09-2021 8:31am

As said, laminate is cheap, the majority of cost will be on getting someone to do it if not DIYing.

Hardest part is doing the trim/edges right, adjusting skirting and architraves. If you're replacing existing though this is already done so is an easier job.

cruizer101 · 03-09-2021 8:36am

It can be cheap enough but can also cost a decent enough amount.

You don't want to end up overpaying, replacing a cheap laminate with expensive one at the same time you are at fault and will have to cover it.

What was the condition of the laminate anyway, is it new/old, was it good quality or cheap, generally the cheaper stuff will be smooth more expensive will have texture, maybe beveled edges, will be thicker.

dennyk · 04-09-2021 11:43am

How long has it been since the water intrusion? It it was recent, get yourself a dehumidifier and run it for a couple weeks to dry the place out good and proper. It's likely that the floor will settle back down once the moisture is gone, if none of the boards have split or cracked and the joints haven't completely split apart. It may not be necessary to replace the flooring in the end.

maestroamado · 04-09-2021 11:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058207143/tenant-damaged-wood-laminate-floor

House/property insurance that's why we pay it... don't go blaming as these things happen....

Deagol · 04-09-2021 11:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117845700#Comment_117845700

It's laminate! It won't go back - it's basically cardboard underneath the plastic top layer. Once it's expanded the glue binder will be never be able to 'readsorb' the particulate matter.

Dav010 · 04-09-2021 2:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117845710#Comment_117845710

Policies usually have excesses and premiums go up when a claim is made, why would the LL pay when it was clearly the result of the tenants actions?

maestroamado · 04-09-2021 3:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117846142#Comment_117846142

Because we get insurance for these instances, i do agree that there needs to be a compromise in regard to excess etc....

Just to add i have property let and if there was an accident i would be prepared to be involved, deliberate damage would be completely different...

blade1 · 04-09-2021 3:51pm

Are you handy yourself?

I put down this floor myself last week.

Took around 4 hours.

I've never put a floor down before.

Was getting a professional to do it but he was busy for a while so I got impatient and done it myself.

I did buy a mitre saw though.

Room is 20m square and cost €320 for good quality flooring,underlay,new skirting boards and door saddles.

I also put up that stone cladding on the wall.

Well happy I tackled it myself.

I'd love to be putting flooring down everyday as I really enjoyed doing it.

maestroamado · 04-09-2021 4:02pm

are you free next saturday...

blade1 · 04-09-2021 4:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117846437#Comment_117846437

😁Not sure I like the use of the word "free" in that sentence 😂

Markcheese · 04-09-2021 4:54pm

Is the damaged piece of floor to one side or right in the middle ?

You may be able to match up what's there , and just replace a " patch ", a lot of the paterns / shades are pretty generic - just make sure to use the same thickness - and style of tongue and groove ..

JimmyVik · 06-09-2021 10:47am

If its laminate and water got into it its finished.

The whole floor will have to be taken out.

I think it will cost you.

€15 - €20 per sq m for new laminate and underlay (Dont go near anything any cheaper. Its muck and will take longer to put down anyway so you will pay that way for going for the cheaper stuff)

About half a days labour to remove whats there and prepare for the new floor. (might have to pay for a skip too if the fitters dont take the old stuff away with them).

No more than a day to put new floor down and clean up for 2 people.

I think for a 20sq m floor probably €800 - €1000 depending on how much the labour is.

And whatever you do, dont get Des Kelly to fit it :)

06-09-2021 11:35am

Some of the prices you lot are posting are off the charts! You can get decent laminate for 9.99 just look in hardware stores aswell as wood flooring shops. And the labour costs you’re posting…. 😮

If you’re any way comfortable with DIY then it is a job you can do yourself.

First off, ask the landlord whether they still have some boards of the existing laminate and if they do, happy days! You’re only going to need to take off the skirting for that area (number the skirting and the wall it came off the same) and handle the corner edges with care. Get hold of a few masonry nails, a hammer, measuring tape, pencil, handsaw and electric saw. Take note of the gap between the board nearest the wall and the wall itself as this gap allows for expansion but also note the thickness of your skirting as this hides said gap. Lift the damaged board by rocking up and down gently and it will come loose. Also note what direction the new board slots back in before cutting (don’t want to cut the wrong side). And hoover the area you’ve just lifted to get rid of any debris.

If you end up replacing the entire floor then the first thing to note is where to lay the first full boards as most rooms are not completely square. So take off the skirting (don’t forget to number the wall and skirting it came off the same and take care of those edges!) and see where in the room has narrower boards .

awec · 06-09-2021 11:52am

It's worth pointing out that even if you damaged it, you should not be forking out the full cost of a brand new floor, especially not if the stuff that was there was cheap stuff that's been down for a while.

06-09-2021 12:28pm

I wonder how much the Landlord has had to spend on the property in the 3.5 years you were there. Possibly nothing.

I certainly don't think you should be paying for a new floor or losing deposit because a floor got wet.

06-09-2021 12:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117853120#Comment_117853120

A floor should last a lot longer than 3.5 years and the OP has told us that they damaged it. I get that they didn’t do it on purpose but it’s not a normal wear and tear issue so shouldn’t be up to the landlord to bear the full cost.

Because a floor should last more than 3.5 years, I’d perhaps try and come to an agreement with the landlord to share the cost as the floor should still be in good condition after the tenant leaves. But the tenant is responsible for its current condition.

JimmyVik · 06-09-2021 1:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117853186#Comment_117853186

As the floor man for my extended family, I can tell you I will not be working with that €9.99 crap you get in woodies or B&Q :)

Im just looking at a laminate floor here that I put about 15 years ago.

Its still exactly the same as the day it went down. Plenty more years in it yet.

OP if you are handy yourself at least it wont cost you the labour at least.

But your landlord will probably want it replaced to be as it was before, so you might be looking at professionals.

And dont mind anyone who tells you that putting down a laminate floor is easy.

It only gets easy after you've done about 10 of them. Putting the pieces together is the easy part. Nothing easy about door jams and skirtings.

Especially if you have caulk and paint on the skirtings. Once you pull those off, you may put that back the way you got it too.

At the end of the day its probably best to come to an agreement with your landlord as to who to get to do the work. You both check the work when its finished. And you pay the person who did the work.

I cant see your landlord giving you your marching orders for what amounts to a one off mistake that anyone could make.

cruizer101 · 06-09-2021 1:53pm

A lot depends on what is there currently, if it is cheap stuff I wouldn't be upgrading it for landlord.

Also as Jimmy says the finish matters, whilst laminate can be easy a lot of people don't finish it great around doors skirting etc, its possible whats there isn't finished great either in which case you could do yourself handy enough.

See if LL has any of the old stuff, chances of them having enough to cover whats damaged is slim enough but if you can see the brand and get the same stuff you could look at just replacing the damaged part.

mikemac2 · 12-09-2021 5:03pm

OP here and thanks for all replies

I inspected with landlady and came to an agreement.

A friend of a friend does floors/carpets,etc for a living and I will pay 380 for materials and a mates rate for labour. This isn't an amateur job, he does floors all the time. There will be a proper invoice at the end

After this myself and the landlady will inspect again. I started this thread figuring I owed thousands and thousands. Thanks again for all replies, it's been an education

Wanderer78 · 12-09-2021 5:13pm

fair play, at least you owned up, im sure it ll work out fine, best of luck

ghoulfinger · 12-09-2021 5:50pm

I am a landlord, have good tenants for years. I badly damaged the laminate on the floor in my own apartment where I live, I just live with it and hope nobody looks too much at the floor. The fact you’ve owned up could go a long way towards how your landlord might take it. It really depends on how it might overall impact a future rental or sale. My own tenants have been there long term l, they keep the place extremely well, but I would tend in the long run to forgive signs of “living”, especially if they had owned up to a mistake that caused a tad extra wear and tear.

Because windows were left open, landlord’s insurance won’t pay, and in any case insurance companies are particularly sticky about covering water ingress. In my own place, in practical terms it simply isn’t covered because it happens too often. As other posters say, it’s the labour that’s most costly. It may possibly be that the landlord takes an opportunity for upgrading flooring anyway as an investment, and might ask for a small contribution as they would be doing it sooner than intended. Quality flooring can be a good long term investment. Were I to have the energy to withstand the hassle to have my own place redone, I’d go ahead with it. Not in the humour for it atm though!

Tenant damaged wood laminate floor

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