What is 'fair' wear and tear?

[privateproperty]

Examples of fair wear and tear include:

• wall linings punctured by fixing devices for pictures, shelving, curtains and door stops etc
• kitchen counters marked or scratched by kitchen implements
• walls accidentally marked by random contact or sunlight.
• cracked window panes due to old warped frames
• paint scratched or chipped
• paint fading and discolouring over time
• worn carpets from day-to-day use
• plaster or brickwork cracks as building settles
• cracked floor or wall tiles resulting from structural movement

[Mike-P-J]

That was a really helpful article. Thanks

[propertydiamond]

That's a tricky one, I think that fair wear and tear would generally involve damages that were evidently accidental, this you can tell by how well the house is looked after.

[woollaston84]

Originally Posted by garethcthomas

Fair wear and tear does NOT include:

1. lack of effort to clean the property at the end of the tenancy
2. scribbling on the walls by the kids (the little dahlings are YOUR responsibility, not mine!)
3. likewise, sticky grubby fingermarks and kiddy/toddler height
4. cockroach infestations that you didn't tell the Landlord about (because YOU caused the infestation!)
5. broken fittings that you didn't tell the Landlord about
6. iron burn marks in the carpet ("oh dear, the iron slipped off of the towel that we were using on the floor to iron our clothes!" WTF! Go buy an ironing board!)
7. missing lightbulbs at the end of the tenancy despite being instructed to go out and buy some so there's light...
8. damp and raging black mould caused by massive condensation caused by a total lack of proper ventilation when cooking and bathing/showering

Tenants should be told that Landlords don't have bottomless pockets full of cash

You mention the mould. We moved into a property with a mould problem (told the landlord immediately on moving in). We ventilated and spent the winter freezing making sure it was well ventilated yet we were charged to have the whole property treated. It was our word against theirs and seemed really unfair.

[Danny@Vision]

We do a lot of work for landlords who repair/replace after an agreement has ended, my advice to landlords would be this,

For goodness sakes do a detailed inventory, and make sure the tenant signs it. Countless times we've gone to properties armed with out of date inventories and had to tell the landlord that its going to be hard to stop any payment.

Make sure the property is spotless beforehand, and make a point of taking photo's of it the day before you have they keys over, I even go as far as advising the landlord to attach photo's to the inventory so the tenants know that you know it was clean when you went it.

Be realistic about what any repairs/damage/cleaning will cost, its pointless saying that to replace a cupboard door its going to cost £200, get a few free quotes before approaching the tenant/agent.

I'd be happy to help anyone who is having issues with deposits.

Danny

[grahamwoody]

I agree Danny, Up front is better. That way there is no arguments. You do still have to have a bit of a thick skin though.
G