New mattress!!

deebee08 · 06-01-2014 3:01pm #1

Need some advice!! I bought a brand new mattress for my tennants at the beginning of last month and they are now saying that it's not suitable as it's hurting their back.
As far as I can tell, I've provided them with a new mattress so there is nothing wrong with it, they just don't like it. Any advice as to how to proceed with them over this??

djimi · 06-01-2014 3:03pm

Did you buy the cheapest mattress you could find, or have they some special requirements for a mattress that should have been brought to your attention and addressed?

D3PO · 06-01-2014 3:03pm

yep you tell them if they are unhappy with it to go buy there own. If its only a month old its not a wear issue its a comfort one and that's not a LL's problem.

foggy_lad · 06-01-2014 3:04pm

deebee08 wrote: »

Need some advice!! I bought a brand new mattress for my tennants at the beginning of last month and they are now saying that it's not suitable as it's hurting their back.
As far as I can tell, I've provided them with a new mattress so there is nothing wrong with it, they just don't like it. Any advice as to how to proceed with them over this??

Tell them that if the mattress you provided is not suitable they are entitled to buy their own at their own expense, you have fulfilled your obligation!

Citizenpain · 06-01-2014 3:04pm

Is it a reasonable quality mattress? would you sleep on it yourself - If yes let them replace at their own expense

djimi · 06-01-2014 3:10pm

D3PO wrote: »

yep you tell them if they are unhappy with it to go buy there own. If its only a month old its not a wear issue its a comfort one and that's not a LL's problem.

It depends on what the mattress is. If the OP has gone out and bought the cheapest mattress that they could find and its like sleeping on a bag of straw then I think the tenants have a right to complain tbh.

If the landlord doesnt want to provide a decent mattress that they themselves would be happy to sleep on then be up front and say so.

Im not suggesting that this is the case of course...

Pawwed Rig · 06-01-2014 3:11pm

Citizenpain wrote: »

Is it a reasonable quality mattress? would you sleep on it yourself - If yes let them replace at their own expense

It doesn't matter whether the OP would sleep on it themselves. A mattress sold in Ireland has to meet certain standards. The cheapest one is deemed suitable for anyone to sleep on as it meets these standards. Now I certainly wouldn't sleep on a cheap mattress as I value my back and a good nights sleep too much which is why the day I moved into my apartment the landlords mattress went into storage.
Would I spend €1,000+ on a mattress for one of my tenants in a rented house? Not a hope.

Citizenpain · 06-01-2014 3:13pm

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether the OP would sleep on it themselves. A mattress sold in Ireland has to meet certain standards. The cheapest one is deemed suitable for anyone to sleep on as it meets these standards. Now I certainly wouldn't sleep on a cheap mattress as I value my back and a good nights sleep too much which is why the day I moved into my apartment the landlords mattress went into storage.
Would I spend €1,000+ on a mattress for one of my tenants in a rented house? Not a hope.

Fair enough - I didnt realise that there were minimum standards -- matresses in ours would be €200 - €300 and decent enough - I'm not sugesting paying €1,000s

deebee08 · 06-01-2014 3:14pm

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether the OP would sleep on it themselves. A mattress sold in Ireland has to meet certain standards. The cheapest one is deemed suitable for anyone to sleep on as it meets these standards. Now I certainly wouldn't sleep on a cheap mattress as I value my back and a good nights sleep too much which is why the day I moved into my apartment the landlords mattress went into storage.
Would I spend €1,000+ on a mattress for one of my tenants in a rented house? Not a hope.

That's what I reckoned myself. I rent myself and I certainly wouldn't expect my LL to replace a new mattress just because I didn't like it. I'd prob just ask them if they could store it and buy a new one myself, either that or buy myself a good quality mattress topper that's mine to bring with me when I leave.

djimi · 06-01-2014 3:17pm

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

It doesn't matter whether the OP would sleep on it themselves. A mattress sold in Ireland has to meet certain standards. The cheapest one is deemed suitable for anyone to sleep on as it meets these standards. Now I certainly wouldn't sleep on a cheap mattress as I value my back and a good nights sleep too much which is why the day I moved into my apartment the landlords mattress went into storage.
Would I spend €1,000+ on a mattress for one of my tenants in a rented house? Not a hope.

So you wouldnt sleep on a bottom range mattress because you dont want to hurt your back and value a good nights sleep, but you think that its okay for a tenant to sleep on something like this?

Like I said, if a landlord doesnt want to provide a decent mattress then be up front with the tenant and tell them in advance that they are only going to spend the bare minimum. Dont arrive at the house with some heap of garbage and expect that the tenant will be okay with it.

Pawwed Rig · 06-01-2014 3:20pm

Personally I have my own bed and mattress that I bring with me wherever I am renting. I provide the storage myself for the LL's stuff so there is never really an issue. Asking the LL to store something might be trickier though as they are under no obligation to do so.
I would recommend everyone to buy a decent mattress. People pay thousands on their car which they spend max a couple of hours in the day sitting in whereas they scrimp on a mattress where they spend a third of their life. Mine was €1,500 but has lasted 10 years already and is still more comfortable than any hotels I stay in.

Plus in rented accommodation you have no idea who or what has been in the bed before you.

D3PO · 06-01-2014 3:22pm

djimi wrote: »

It depends on what the mattress is. If the OP has gone out and bought the cheapest mattress that they could find and its like sleeping on a bag of straw then I think the tenants have a right to complain tbh.

...

Makes no difference. IF the mattress is sold in this country it meets the standards for sale and is therefore perfectly fine for use.

The LL has no obligation to get anything more luxurious for a tenant. If they want something better that's for them to buy themselves.

Pawwed Rig · 06-01-2014 3:28pm

djimi wrote: »

So you wouldnt sleep on a bottom range mattress because you dont want to hurt your back and value a good nights sleep, but you think that its okay for a tenant to sleep on something like this?

The tenant can sleep on whatever they like but the LL has provided what is deemed adequate by Irish standards.
I wouldn't buy a tenant a mattress of the quality of my own. Same as I wouldn't buy them a TV of the quality of my own or surround sound system or a collection of DVDs. These are things you work hard for and are luxuries to reward you for your hard work. The tenant can have these things if they want but I'm not going to buy it for them.

That said I wouldn't buy the cheapest mattress for a tenant anyway as they do not last any length of time. So I usually get a decent enough one. As they say you buy cheap you buy twice.

djimi · 06-01-2014 3:37pm

Im not talking about buying luxurious or spending in excess of €1000. I simply mean not buying the absolute cheapest available, when a small outlay more will get something that will not only last longer but will be of an entirely more satisfactory quality to sleep on.

Or at the very least inform the tenant in advance that you will be buying the cheapest, and let them make up their own mind rather than have them expecting something of half decent quality.

Mrs OBumble · 06-01-2014 4:43pm

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

I wouldn't buy a tenant a mattress of the quality of my own. Same as I wouldn't buy them a TV of the quality of my own or surround sound system or a collection of DVDs. These are things you work hard for and are luxuries to reward you for your hard work

Yet another reason why it would be better if most rental accommodation was unfurnished.

As it stands, tenants are stuck with whatever cheap cr*p landlords buy them, as most have no reasonable way to put the landlord's property in storage.

OP - in fairness, is there any chance that the new matress you bought could be faulty? It's a manufactured item, after all, sometimes these things happen.

deebee08 · 06-01-2014 5:04pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Yet another reason why it would be better if most rental accommodation was unfurnished.

As it stands, tenants are stuck with whatever cheap cr*p landlords buy them, as most have no reasonable way to put the landlord's property in storage.

OP - in fairness, is there any chance that the new matress you bought could be faulty? It's a manufactured item, after all, sometimes these things happen.

They've had it a month now, surely it would have shown up as being faulty by now?
To be honest, I'm not sure if they're just trying to see what they can get out of me. I rent myself so it's not like I'm being the big bad landlord here. The mattress I replaced was only a year and a half old and while I didn't pay big money for it, I made sure when buying it that it was a decent quality supportive mattress and previous tennants had no issue with it. Also, I had to replace the electric hob for new tennants as 2 rings weren't working (which is fine) and they were looking for a gas hob to be installed instead. Told them no way as they're a lot more expensive.

D3PO · 06-01-2014 5:17pm

djimi wrote: »

Im not talking about buying luxurious or spending in excess of €1000. I simply mean not buying the absolute cheapest available, .

LL's are trying to make money on their investment. If they think buying the cheapest is the best way to do that then I don't think anybody can argue with their approach.

Personally I wouldn't do it but that doesn't man there is an issue with them doing it. Ultimately if the tenant isn't happy they can go buy their own.

godtabh · 06-01-2014 5:31pm

djimi wrote: »

Im not talking about buying luxurious or spending in excess of €1000. I simply mean not buying the absolute cheapest available, when a small outlay more will get something that will not only last longer but will be of an entirely more satisfactory quality to sleep on.

Or at the very least inform the tenant in advance that you will be buying the cheapest, and let them make up their own mind rather than have them expecting something of half decent quality.

thats arbitrary. If it meets the standards it doesn't need to do anything less.

The Gride · 07-01-2014 8:27pm

The house next door to my brother was up for rent over a year ago. The letting agent took a deposit from a young couple on conditions that there would be some beds and furniture put in. The agent agreed but then the landlord put rubbish stuff in. The couple came back and asked for their €600 deposit back. It's over a year now and the house is still vacant. The landlord is down about 8k over a spend of less than 1k. There is so much choice out there in certain parts of the country that tenants will not take crap stuff and rightly so. If These are good tenants then give them a better mattress or you could loose much more than what ye are arguing over. You will get a good enough mattress for €200 or €250 If you look in the right places.

ABajaninCork · 07-01-2014 9:02pm

My friend's Nan always told me. 'Always buy a good bed and a good pair of shoes. If you're not in one, you're in the other!'.

Very true, and I've always tried to follow that advice. When we moved into our rented accommodation, the landlord did put in new mattresses. One was so hard, we woke up with bruises. The other was like sleeping on straw.

Luckily, we were given a bed as a wedding present, so we asked the LL if he could let us move the bed in. He agreed, so win win!

If I were the OP, I'd be investing in a new mattress and ask the LL to collect/store his. If the budget doesn't stretch, then buy a decent mattress topper which'll be easier to lift and shift too.

deebee08 · 07-01-2014 9:18pm

ABajaninCork wrote: »

My friend's Nan always told me. 'Always buy a good bed and a good pair of shoes. If you're not in one, you're in the other!'.

Very true, and I've always tried to follow that advice. When we moved into our rented accommodation, the landlord did put in new mattresses. One was so hard, we woke up with bruises. The other was like sleeping on straw.

Luckily, we were given a bed as a wedding present, so we asked the LL if he could let us move the bed in. He agreed, so win win!

If I were the OP, I'd be investing in a new mattress and ask the LL to collect/store his. If the budget doesn't stretch, then buy a decent mattress topper which'll be easier to lift and shift too.

Em, I'm the OP and I AM the landlord!! I've suggested they buy themselves a new one that better suits them and I'll remove the new one that's there already.

The Gride · 07-01-2014 9:23pm

Do you mind me asking what type you supplied to them and the cost ?

murphaph · 07-01-2014 9:26pm

djimi wrote: »

So you wouldnt sleep on a bottom range mattress because you dont want to hurt your back and value a good nights sleep, but you think that its okay for a tenant to sleep on something like this?

Like I said, if a landlord doesnt want to provide a decent mattress then be up front with the tenant and tell them in advance that they are only going to spend the bare minimum. Dont arrive at the house with some heap of garbage and expect that the tenant will be okay with it.

Sorry but I spent a good bit of time recently researching mattresses to help my back and a huge number of people with back trouble report that expensive orthopedic mattresses aggravated their back problems whilst mid range mattresses worked a charm. There simply is no perfect mattress for everyone. They are an extremely individual item. Heck, the wife tenant might find the mattress uncomfortable and the husband tenant find it great...what should the landlord do then??

Tenants should buy their own bed & mattresses and take them with them like in most civilised countries. Sleeping on a used mattress is disgusting but so long as Irish tenants want their landlords to provide everything then that's what they can expect.

ABajaninCork · 07-01-2014 9:28pm

deebee08 wrote: »

Em, I'm the OP and I AM the landlord!! I've suggested they buy themselves a new one that better suits them and I'll remove the new one that's there already.

Fair enough...

syklops · 07-01-2014 9:33pm

Im curious what prompted the OP to buy the new mattress?

The Gride · 07-01-2014 9:40pm

murphaph wrote: »

Sorry but I spent a good bit of time recently researching mattresses to help my back and a huge number of people with back trouble report that expensive orthopedic mattresses aggravated their back problems whilst mid range mattresses worked a charm. There simply is no perfect mattress for everyone. They are an extremely individual item. Heck, the wife tenant might find the mattress uncomfortable and the husband tenant find it great...what should the landlord do then??

Tenants should buy their own bed & mattresses and take them with them like in most civilised countries. Sleeping on a used mattress is disgusting but so long as Irish tenants want their landlords to provide everything then that's what they can expect.

When you stay in a hotel you have no idea of the history of what you are sleeping on.

Perhaps if both parties had of spoken in advance of purchase then the landlord could have indicated how much they were prepared to pay for a mattress, let the tenants search around for something at the budget that they were happy with or add some extra money to the budget themselves.

deebee08 · 07-01-2014 9:56pm

syklops wrote: »

Im curious what prompted the OP to buy the new mattress?

They asked for one, said the existing one hurt their back, which was a decent orthopaedic one that I bought less than 2 years ago for previous tennants.

syklops · 07-01-2014 10:04pm

deebee08 wrote: »

They asked for one, said the existing one hurt their back, which was a decent orthopaedic one that I bought less than 2 years ago for previous tennants.

So the 'old' one hurt their back, now the new one hurts their back. You can't win with some people.

The Gride · 07-01-2014 10:20pm

syklops wrote: »

So the 'old' one hurt their back, now the new one hurts their back. You can't win with some people.

But if they are been genuine then you run the risk of losing your tenant. How long have you rented to them/ how well do you know them ? Are they complaining about other things also ?

ScottStorm · 07-01-2014 10:24pm

syklops wrote: »

So the 'old' one hurt their back, now the new one hurts their back. You can't win with some people.

Hmm, Perhaps they have a bad back?

deebee08 · 07-01-2014 10:30pm

The Gride wrote: »

But if they are been genuine then you run the risk of losing your tenant. How long have you rented to them/ how well do you know them ? Are they complaining about other things also ?

They only moved in end of Nov. Had to get a new electric hob for them too as two rings weren't working which is fair enough but they wanted a gas one instead which would have cost a fortune so I told them I'd only replace it with a new electric one. I'm making a huge loss on my house as it is so any spending is coming out of my own pocket. It's not an investment property, I bought it as my principal residence but due to various reasons had to move out.

New mattress!!

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