Rental property Wear & Tear
Discussion
Helloooooooooo
We've been in a rented unfurnished house for at least 8 yrs (earliest tenancy agg I can find is from 2002) renewing the agreement every 12 months. At no point has the landlord re-decorated or given us any inclination he would like to do it. We are going to be moving out in about 6 weeks and was wondering what kind of things would be seen as acceptable wear and tear for 8 years living? The house is in good nick and we have replaced 2 carpets (small rooms) ourselves as the old ones were s
te so it's not like we haven't cared for the place at all but we have obviously put things on walls etc so there will be some filler when these are removed like tv brackets etc.
Any advice appreciated.
Thanks
We've been in a rented unfurnished house for at least 8 yrs (earliest tenancy agg I can find is from 2002) renewing the agreement every 12 months. At no point has the landlord re-decorated or given us any inclination he would like to do it. We are going to be moving out in about 6 weeks and was wondering what kind of things would be seen as acceptable wear and tear for 8 years living? The house is in good nick and we have replaced 2 carpets (small rooms) ourselves as the old ones were s
te so it's not like we haven't cared for the place at all but we have obviously put things on walls etc so there will be some filler when these are removed like tv brackets etc.Any advice appreciated.
Thanks
Personally I would be happy to move in as it is now, maybe a lick of paint on the walls but I don't feel we should do this as I think this as I'm sure it's the landlords responsibility. We have already decorated a couple of rooms by painting and papering over the time we've been there so personally I think it is in better nick now than when we moved in apart from the brackets on the wall.
eybic said:
Yeah I'm 99% certain we do, should it be in the same condition we moved in? Surely some delapidations are expected in 8 yrs with no redecorating from the landlord?
Obviously after 8 years it cannot be the same! Assuming it's furnished, your LL will be claiming a 10% allowance against tax for "fair" wear and tear so it's not like he'll expect it to be exactly the same. Obviously things wear out but breakages will need paying for if there are any.Speaking as a decent landlord, if it were my property and my tenants had been in for 8 years and paid rent on time, every time i wouldnt charge anything.
SO LONG as the place is left clean and there are no outstanding breakages/leaks/damage.
A quick carpet clean with vax or similar and maybe a touch up of any very bad areas of paintwork should be enough.
In my experience, i redecorate internal walls after every 3-4 years and as the previous poster has explained, us landlords can write-off a limited amount of wear and tear, so a little "useage" is to be expected.
SO LONG as the place is left clean and there are no outstanding breakages/leaks/damage.
A quick carpet clean with vax or similar and maybe a touch up of any very bad areas of paintwork should be enough.
In my experience, i redecorate internal walls after every 3-4 years and as the previous poster has explained, us landlords can write-off a limited amount of wear and tear, so a little "useage" is to be expected.
garyhun said:
eybic said:
Yeah I'm 99% certain we do, should it be in the same condition we moved in? Surely some delapidations are expected in 8 yrs with no redecorating from the landlord?
Obviously after 8 years it cannot be the same! Assuming it's furnished, your LL will be claiming a 10% allowance against tax for "fair" wear and tear so it's not like he'll expect it to be exactly the same. Obviously things wear out but breakages will need paying for if there are any.eybic said:
I'm expecting "it" to be tried on, luckily our deposit is in one of those protection schemes so in theory if he is being unreasonable, they should be able to help.
Wear & Tear is possibly the main reason for disputes in the refund of the tenants Deposit, and to reduce the pressure on Small Claim Courts, why the Tenancy Deposit Protection Schemes were introduced by the last government.8 years tenancy allows for a lot leverage for the tenant, and I am certain if the landlord becomes unreasonable, the Deposit Protection Scheme holding the Deposit, will side towards the tenant.
As for redecorating, many of the drafted standard Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreements I have seen, from both agents and a few landlords, have been so, so heavy, that if they wanted to, they could try to impose carpet cleaning, repainting, decorating, garden care etc. etc. Many of these clauses I believe are totally unreasonable, but unfortunately tenants at the outset of the tenancy do not always want to pick up on these things.
Wings said:
garyhun said:
eybic said:
Yeah I'm 99% certain we do, should it be in the same condition we moved in? Surely some delapidations are expected in 8 yrs with no redecorating from the landlord?
Obviously after 8 years it cannot be the same! Assuming it's furnished, your LL will be claiming a 10% allowance against tax for "fair" wear and tear so it's not like he'll expect it to be exactly the same. Obviously things wear out but breakages will need paying for if there are any.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff