Hello
I have complied with my demanding tenant’s requests (re-clean carpets, replace washing machine) when he moved in six weeks ago. Now he wrote to request the two double mattresses are replaced, as they found them uncomfortable. The mattresses are not new, as noted on the inventory. Do I have to replace them, or ask the tenant get his own?
Thank you.
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They might not “like” the replacements! No you don’t have to replace.
You could advise they are welcome to replace with at least same quality, which must remain when they leave.
Or is there room to store yours instead?
Presumably the carpets did actually need cleaning again and the washing machine was faulty?
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Thank you for the reply.
The carpets have been professionally cleaned, but I asked the same company to repeat the exercise.
The tenant said the washing machine was not working, but was unable to provide a fault code, so I had it replaced.
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Why didnt you pop around and test the washing machine yourself?
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I do feel you are being played, as I wrote before.
Why did you not send out an engineer to repair to the machine? At least then you would have known if they were wasting your time, or not, and if it was a real fault.
If it were my own machine I would seek repair before replacement.
I thus do the same for the tenants.
You have set precedent of behaviour.
You don’t have to replace the mattress just because he feels they are uncomfortable. That is subjective.
Also they have been in tenancy several weeks. If they were uncomfortable would they not have been on day one?
I agree with Marc they can replace but store yours so yours is not damaged and they can return at the end of tenancy . Make sure that is all documented.
Like I wrote before, you do what you are legally required to do not what the tenants want .
At this rate you will be significantly out of pocket.
I was like you the first time it happened to me. The next time I took legal advice before putting out unnecessary fires.
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Never take a tenants word for it, always inspect/assess in person or through a tradesperson/agent/trusted friend before actioning work.
Or get them on FaceTime as I do sometimes when diagnosing or helping with certain issues.
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Thank you for that.
The tenant sent me photos of the mattress, they are similar to the ones on the inventory, which states the condition of the mattress. If he signed the inventory as accepted at the start of the tenancy, is he subsequently entitled to demand changes?
Not really.
Photographs don’t record comfort.
I would just not respond to this correspondence.
My gut feeling is that, the moment you say no you will poke the hornets nest.
If you want to respond do as Marc suggested.
If it was me I would just not respond to unnecessary messages. You end up wasting your life responding to them. The more you respond the more they send.
I guarantee this they will want the whole house replacing before they leave.
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er… no. Letting property is a business. In business you minimise expenses. Testing the washing machine yourself could have revealed that there was nothing wrong with it.
Do you provide instruction manuals for all appliances?
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Adriana, I had the same experience, emails, calls, like a hotel service. T wanted me to put a bathroom curtain pole screwed to the wall (tiles), I refused !!! I had a tension rod bright new to hold a plastic curtain in the bathroom and T damaged it. I made T to paid for it and have it installed, took 3 months but eventually the curtain rod was fitted. Another one was about the water in the basin in the bathroom basin taking too long to empty. I checked it in front of T and all OK, the design is making the water release to be slower. So refused to change it !!!
My approach was, these two issues do not put T at risk, healthy wise, it is cosmetic. Furthermore, T viewed the property twice…So what you see is what you get…
About your mattress, I would not buy a new one, as long as the mattress is strong enough and not damaged and holds a human body to be positioned horizontally, the bed is in good shape. May be your T has a back problem, then T can buy their own mattress. Hope that helps.
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Seriously, if you can’t handle these queries you shouldn’t be a landlord
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