Body & Soul0 min ago
Broken Appliance - Landlords Responsibility?
Hi, not sure if this is the correct section for my question, but hopefully someone will be able to help.
I had my oven on last night and after about ten minutes of it being on, all the electrics in the house tripped.
I flicked the trip switch and it all came back on, but the oven will no longer heat up - despite it switching on ok, and the grill working fine.
I sent my landlord a text this morning to advise him of this, and he's just called and said it's not his responsibility.
He said the cooker was only there because it came with the kitchen when they put it in, and normally the tenant would have to supply their own, so it's down to me to pay for it to either be fixed or replaced.
I've checked my tenancy and it says nothing about kitchen appliances, but surely this can't be right?
I had my oven on last night and after about ten minutes of it being on, all the electrics in the house tripped.
I flicked the trip switch and it all came back on, but the oven will no longer heat up - despite it switching on ok, and the grill working fine.
I sent my landlord a text this morning to advise him of this, and he's just called and said it's not his responsibility.
He said the cooker was only there because it came with the kitchen when they put it in, and normally the tenant would have to supply their own, so it's down to me to pay for it to either be fixed or replaced.
I've checked my tenancy and it says nothing about kitchen appliances, but surely this can't be right?
Answers
Most Councils have a Housing Advice section that will give advice even to private tenants.
17:06 Wed 23rd Jul 2014
The tail end of that landlordlawblog sums it up well
--
It is MUCH better in a landlord and tenant situation to resolve things in an amicable, fair and sensible manner between yourselves, rather than to start looking up the law and citing statutes.
If this is necessary then it probably means the the landlord / tenant relationship bas broken down and you may want to think of moving on.
If you can of course …
--
Are there any awkward terms in the tenancy agreement for early termination? Is the landlord the type to find excuses to hang on to the deposit?
It's a bit mean on the next tenant - I mean, who takes the time to check the oven works when inspecting a new flat - but what else can you do?
--
It is MUCH better in a landlord and tenant situation to resolve things in an amicable, fair and sensible manner between yourselves, rather than to start looking up the law and citing statutes.
If this is necessary then it probably means the the landlord / tenant relationship bas broken down and you may want to think of moving on.
If you can of course …
--
Are there any awkward terms in the tenancy agreement for early termination? Is the landlord the type to find excuses to hang on to the deposit?
It's a bit mean on the next tenant - I mean, who takes the time to check the oven works when inspecting a new flat - but what else can you do?
-- answer removed --
Thinking about it, the safety of the entire property depends on the products installed into it and most landlords can expect that, after taking a
month's deposit and a month's rent in advance, most tenants will be too skint to buy anything more than the cheap'n'cheerful, fire-hazard brand (no such thing as s/h gas appliances, either). Gambling with their own asset, that would be.
Plus the massive moving-in outlay of new appliances would deter all except the mythical entity - "person who rents but is able/allowed to take their previous rental's white goods with them when they move home".
Basically, rental agreements are clear cut - furnished or unfurnished and should have terms which resolve any ambiguities so the tenant knows exatly what they're letting themselves in for, right at the outset. This kind of disagreement shouldn't even have a chance to arise.
Short answer: I concur with other replies - it's his to fix. 'Fair wear and tear' and component replacement costs should be set out in the rent agreement. Does he get you to replace the lightbulbs too?
month's deposit and a month's rent in advance, most tenants will be too skint to buy anything more than the cheap'n'cheerful, fire-hazard brand (no such thing as s/h gas appliances, either). Gambling with their own asset, that would be.
Plus the massive moving-in outlay of new appliances would deter all except the mythical entity - "person who rents but is able/allowed to take their previous rental's white goods with them when they move home".
Basically, rental agreements are clear cut - furnished or unfurnished and should have terms which resolve any ambiguities so the tenant knows exatly what they're letting themselves in for, right at the outset. This kind of disagreement shouldn't even have a chance to arise.
Short answer: I concur with other replies - it's his to fix. 'Fair wear and tear' and component replacement costs should be set out in the rent agreement. Does he get you to replace the lightbulbs too?
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