Hi All,
I let a property to excellent tenants and I consider myself to be a fair and reasonable landlord.
There was an attempted break in at the weekend and quite a lot of damage was done to the front entrance door. Thankfully the perpetrators were unable to gain access.
The door will have to be replaced at a cost of approximately €800. Who is responsible for paying this charge i.e. the tenant or the landlord?
One part of me says it is the tenant's responsibility as this is beyond normal "wear & tear". They are responsible for the property during the tenancy agreement.
The other part of me fully appreciates that this was not the fault of the tenants - they did nothing wrong and were just unfortunate to be targeted by burglars. I appreciate that this is a large bill for anyone to meet.
I had considered splitting the cost.
I am of the opinion that the tenants think it is not their responsibility as they or their guests did not cause the damage. They are now suggesting that they are going to leave as they do not feel safe. This would be breaking the terms of the tenancy agreement as it is a fixed term lease.
I think it is totally unreasonable for me to pick up the total bill for the damage and have to suffer the costs involved in finding new tenants etc.
What would you do given the circumstances?
I hold a deposit, the property is registered and block insurance is in place, the excess on the insurance is €1000 so there is no point in submitting a claim. It is a good area and a burglary is out of character so there is as much chance of a similar incident happening again here as anywhere else.
Thanks for your comments.
I let a property to excellent tenants and I consider myself to be a fair and reasonable landlord.
There was an attempted break in at the weekend and quite a lot of damage was done to the front entrance door. Thankfully the perpetrators were unable to gain access.
The door will have to be replaced at a cost of approximately €800. Who is responsible for paying this charge i.e. the tenant or the landlord?
One part of me says it is the tenant's responsibility as this is beyond normal "wear & tear". They are responsible for the property during the tenancy agreement.
The other part of me fully appreciates that this was not the fault of the tenants - they did nothing wrong and were just unfortunate to be targeted by burglars. I appreciate that this is a large bill for anyone to meet.
I had considered splitting the cost.
I am of the opinion that the tenants think it is not their responsibility as they or their guests did not cause the damage. They are now suggesting that they are going to leave as they do not feel safe. This would be breaking the terms of the tenancy agreement as it is a fixed term lease.
I think it is totally unreasonable for me to pick up the total bill for the damage and have to suffer the costs involved in finding new tenants etc.
What would you do given the circumstances?
I hold a deposit, the property is registered and block insurance is in place, the excess on the insurance is €1000 so there is no point in submitting a claim. It is a good area and a burglary is out of character so there is as much chance of a similar incident happening again here as anywhere else.
Thanks for your comments.