Venetian blinds - wand broken on first day? Who is responsible?

- blinds were working/ tested on the outgoing inspection report
- 1st day tenant says the wand from the venetian blinds had fell off (detached from control unit) and would like it fixed.
- photos sent to show how flimsy the control mechanism was - (ie. stuck on by little ? hook).

I am suggesting this is tenant damage however tenant said is to be considered wear and tear and it was broken first time on use.

Thoughts?

It would probably cost <20 to send a new unit and replace myself, however at the point of fighting this on a matter of principle... and/ or move the tenant out after the lease expiry.

 

If it’s flimsy, obviously wear and tear

 

Can’t you just rehook it in? Which part is broken - the part on the wand or the part on the blind?

 

It's a hook not a closed loop (the other side is a loop generally). Tenant should be hooking it back onto the control.

What next, they've run out of toilet paper on the roll and need someone to change the roll?

 

my apologies, i can see how this type of thing could be viewed in many angles.

Its essentially a screw type hook into the control unit, the screw is what has snapped off in two. (the screw is not replaceable - need the control unit which gives you new wand attachment)

I guess it has been there for 4yrs+ and first day of new tenant it comes 'off' - thus a little hesitant to call it to wear & tear..

 

Do you mean one of these, when you refer to the ‘control unit’?

If that part has broken, it’s probably due to age/fair wear and tear.

 

You cannot blame the brand new tenants for any damage that happened due to fair wear and tear, or plain brittle plastic, in the four years before they arrived at your property. Just fix it. It's plastic, not stainless steel.

Well, unless you have photographic evidence and a written, legally witnessed confession that they wrenched it so hard that it tore off.

 

Hardly seems getting worked up about principles over a $20 fitting and also getting off to a bad start with the new tenants..
The old tenents may even have bodged it up just to keep it working.

 

^ thanks all for your input.

 

Correlation does not equal causation.
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As people have posted above, maybe the old tenants actually broke it and managed to temp repair it well enough to pass inspection.

Perhaps it was just ready to break from age and wear and the new tenants just got unlucky.

Not worth arguing when you don’t have any solid proof that negligence specifically caused the problem

 

If you are going to fight something on a matter of principle possibly worth waiting for something more significant. Very early to tell if this is worth not renewing a lease over only 1 week into the tenancy.

- Luke