Beyond wear and tear

Discussion in 'Property Management' started by Frosty123, 20th Mar, 2016.

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  1. Frosty123

    Frosty123 Well-Known Member

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    Hi all,

    I've had a property leased out to tenants for around 2 years. I've been asked to repair the frame/jamb of the front door. Apparently the wood is completely split and I've recieved a quote for $500 to repair it.
    Just curious if this is considered normal wear and tear, or damage that the tenants should be paying for.

    Regards

    Frosty
     
  2. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    They might have needed it for fire wood. I'd check the heating first, then sort the door ;)
     
  3. Rich2011

    Rich2011 Well-Known Member

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    I had brand new carpet installed before commencing a new lease, during the six month inspection I noticed the carpet throughout the whole house had dirty foot prints walked in from the garage where there was a lot of oily car parts etc, more like a mechanics workshop than a household garage... The agent said it was fair wear and tear...! Didn't renew the lease and the agent got the sack pronto... BTW the agent was Gordon Hay realestate Deception Bay, strongly recommend not to use them to manage your property, totally incompetent and consistent liars.............
     
    FirstTimeBuyer and bob shovel like this.
  4. D.T.

    D.T. Specialist Property Manager Business Member

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    Hi Frosty

    If you can prove that the tenant either negligently or deliberately caused the damage then you can pass the repair bill onto them.

    "but it was fine when they moved in" is not sufficient.
     
  5. Xenia

    Xenia Well-Known Member

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    Frosty did they report a door jam?

    If they did and it was not fixed and they forced the door open then The landlord could be seen as being liable.

    If they did not report it and forced the door to open or close and the Wood split as a result you may have grounds for charging the tenants. However this is not black-and-white I would actually as a landlord pay the $500 bill to get it repaired so that you are not liable for any maintenance breeches and then fight out who is responsible for the payment later.

    How did the wood split? That would be my big question

    We once had a tenant who reported that a shelf in the walk in wardrobe had fallen down and he would like it replaced.

    Upon inspection I noticed that not only did the shelf all down but part of the wall where he was fastened to have been ripped off. It didn't look like a matter of screws becoming loose over a period of time it was very suspicious that something heavy have been put on the shelf weighing down and causing it to rip out from the wall. We had the wall and the shelf repaired and successfully charged the entire bill to the tenant. Only because the damage reasonably looked like it had been caused by the tenant.

    Similarly drain blockages where the plumber reports that it is due to hair or bottle tops or something that the tenants have caused tenants wear the entire plumbing bill.

    Find out how it split and you can put a case together from there or not
     
  6. Xenia

    Xenia Well-Known Member

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    Dirty footprints on any age carpet if it was clean to begin with is a tenant liability for sure
     
  7. Frosty123

    Frosty123 Well-Known Member

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    Hi D.T.,
    How could this be proven? I understand something like a hole in the wall or a smashed window is clearly the tenants fault.
    I take it then, that you're saying my chances of proving this are slim to none, and will hence beat my cost to repair?

    Thanks
     
  8. D.T.

    D.T. Specialist Property Manager Business Member

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    Either by posing the right questions to the tenants or getting the post-job report from the tradesman on the cause.
     
  9. Frosty123

    Frosty123 Well-Known Member

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    Hi Xenia,

    Thanks for that. I'll have the property manager ask the tenants this.

    Frosty
     
  10. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    Has the pm had a look? Or have the tenants to send a photo.
    Being a front door there's a s chance it could be rotten and just general maintenance
     
  11. Rich2011

    Rich2011 Well-Known Member

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    Agreed 100%. But telling that to Gordon Hay is like beating your head against a brick wall. I should have reported them to the relevant authority. They are dead set hopeless.
     
  12. Sonamic

    Sonamic Well-Known Member

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    Be careful with the name and shame.
     
  13. Lil Skater

    Lil Skater Well-Known Member

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    As above, depends how it happened.

    If it's split along any of the screws I'd say wear and tear.
     
  14. WestOz

    WestOz Well-Known Member

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    OP is vague, could be many things including age/lack of maint on a "timber" frame, has dried out/split, door may have got kicked in splitting the frame during a B&E, could be many things not caused by the tenant, but perhaps letting the owner know "hey dude, this is becoming a security issue, how about maintaining this place, where paying our rent"
     
  15. MyPropertyPro

    MyPropertyPro REBAA Buyer's Agents Sutherland Shire & Surrounds Business Member

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    Hi Frosty

    Also agree with all the above posts. A qualified tradesman will usually be able to ascertain how damage is caused and yes if deemed from excessive force for example (and no break in reported) then yes tenant damage. I'm not sure where your property is situated however legislation in QLD states that tenants must report all maintenance/damage required as soon as noticed- my point is that if it started as a small crack a while ago for example and was not reported by tenant or picked up at a routine inspection by the agent then this could possibly be a breach as the cost to repair is greater now due to nobody reporting the issue. However, again that is hard to prove but generally with wear and tear you do notice over time that something is deteriorating, and that should always be passed on to landlords.