Rented house advice

When my DD rented out her house while living overseas she was responsible for replacing all the things which were in the house.For that reason they were advised not to leave certain items like tv, m/wave, iron etc. I would think the obvious thing to do is get your ageement out and read it through and then ring the letting agent.

Thanks annsixty, I'll check the agreement .... er, when I can find it

My unfurnished rental houses in the UK include some white goods, such as fridge, freezer, washing machine, cooker and dishwasher. If they simply pack up, it is my responsibility to replace them and the agent informs me if they need replacing. If the tenant has misused them, then the tenant is expected to pay but the agent will organise buying and fitting the replacement.

I am currently renting an unfurnished house abroad where it is not customary to supply any white goods expect a cooker. My landlord has recently bought a new one and arranged for it to be fitted as the old one was really old and inefficient.

I am not quite sure where a microwave falls in the spectrum of landlord-supplied white goods but, I would expect to be liable for a new one, if I had supplied one in the first place and it had failed without any misuse by my tenants.

Was there not an inventory of contents to check and sign when you moved in? Most rental nowadays are very organised and you have to accept responsibility for the contents - and the conditions that you have to comply to. I suspect that over 12 months use of a microwave would be considered fair usage and you would be expected to replace it.

I'd think the landlord should be responsible for replacing any items that they had supplied.
Why not just call the EA and ask them?

My DD is in a rented house, which came with white goods including microwave. The washing machine broke down recently, so the agent arranged for repair. When it proved to be beyond repair, the machine was replaced with a new one, no quibble. I see no reason to think the same will not apply to your MW. On the other hand, if you are in a hurry, new ones are very cheap in the supermarkets, from around £30, and you could take it with you if you move on.

Don't all electrical items in a rental property have to be checked by an electrician and added to the certificate, so a new microwave would have to be 'certified' in some way. Renting is very complicated these days; I had a shock the other day when an electrician told me that if I wanted to rent my house out in the future it would have to be rewired [I had considered renting out my house for a while and renting a property in Cornwall, to 'get it out of my system']

Our house in UK is rented out, unfurnished, and we had to replace the central heating boiler. But husband says other things, such as the electric oven etc, the tenant has to look after. It's in the contract.
And yes, everything has to be safety checked regularly.

We have rented far more houses than I care to remember, in between job moves. On the whole, anything not removable ie an electric shower, a built-in fridge, is down to the owner. Anything else is down to you, but you don't have to replace with a new one, you can go for second hand.

However, I would phone the agents. Some places are far more accommodating than others, although I have had to replace a washing-machine in the past.

I provide inventory services for estate agents for rented properties. In the properties I deal with, if the microwave has been provided as part of the tenancy, the landlord would be responsible for getting it repaired or replaced unless:

a) It was clear that you had misused it or

b) The tenancy agreement specifically says that the microwave is not part of he tenancy and would not be replaced if it breaks down

The latter happens occasionally if a piece of equipment is left by a previous tenant or the landlord for the convenience of the tenants but is not to be considered a part of the tenancy.

First thing to do, as suggested by others, is to phone the agents.

Some things, like light bubs and alarm batteries are considered to be consumables and the tenant is expected to replace these to keep equipment in running order. The equipment itself should be in functioning order for the duration of the tenancy

Exactly Meercat, nowadays any decent tenancy agreement will include such paperwork to be read, signed and kept safe!

Can I ask you landladies if you think a broken loo seat is the tenants responsibility?
DD's broke recently (been there 5 mths) not from misuse and she got DH to replace it.
I would have thought that was fixtures n fittings. Only ask as we had this discussion argument at the time.

If it is clear that this broke in normal use and not because, for example, someone stood up on it (Yes I have come across that!) I would expect that it would be replaced by the Landlord. Things like loo seats do have a finite life span.

Quite often, tenants choose to replace seats because they do not like to use existing seats especially if they look a bit old. If they do change without consent the Landlord would be within their rights to ask for the old one to be replaced! It can be complicated.

ninahenana Strictly speaking, we are landlords. Landladies is the term used for people who have lodgers in their own homes (or run pubs).

ninathenana – sorry, slip of the finger.

How about Landpersons?

apologies absent my attempt at being PC backfired. Thinking about
it, it doesn't sound right.

I live in a rented house. The shower broke 3 weeks later and the landlord arranged for it to be repaired, ditto the catch on the outside electric meter cupboard and they put a new padlock on the back gate ( on security grounds as I live alone) However I was informed before moving in that the dishwasher was broken and would be removed before I moved in and would not be replaced. No other electrical items were there, I bought all new and will take them with me when I leave. These included fridge freezer, washer/dryer and dishwasher and microwave.

However I had a comprehensive tenancy agreement, there was a gas check and certificate given when I took on the tenancy they had the house reprinted from top to bottom and new carpet fitted stairs and bedrooms, downstairs are hard floors. They are very accommodating and fix any problems very quickly eg when there was a problem with the boiler.

I have renewed the tenancy and am very happy with everything. My contract states everything they or myself are responsible for. I have replaced some lampshades etc but have kept them in a cupboard to leave there rather than thrown them away, you cannot get rid of anything you have not bought yourself. I'm also responsible for everyday wear and tear and the upkeep of the garden.

Should read reprinted not reprinted

Repainted for goodness sake iPad is being difficult!