kesm Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Hi all. Tenant moved in and wanted a new sofa and mattress cause the existing ones looked dirty. Bought her the new mattress and offered to professionally clean the existing sofa. She denied so I offered to buy a new one. She is fine with that but she is not happy with keeping the existing one in the flat as well. We are talking about a two seater one. I have nowhere to store the existing one and I am not willing to pay for storage.I said that I will either clean the existing sofa professionally or buy her a new one and she will also keep the existing one. She is not happy with that since she wants a new one and she wants me to remove the existing one.What do I do? Can she sue me for providing dirty furniture? To be fair the sofa is stained but it has been cleaned and vacuumed and I offered to get a professional to clean it. Any assistance would be great please.thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melboy Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 One of the problems of providing fully furnished lettings is that you have to provide modern clean furniture for tenants. None of this is now a tax deductable cost by HMRC to the landlord anymore so you need to be aware of this fact. Your tenant took the flat as it was viewed and the flat's condition, including furniture was accepted . You have responded to her request and you are going to have the sofa professionally cleaned and that should be that. You are now entering the phase where the tenant is making unreasonable demands and you should make it perfectly clear that this is as far as you go. Having said that if you are renting a high end flat with a high end rental income then you may have to absorb this sofa problem and the cost to keep the peace but I do mean only a high end rental income. I stopped providing furnished accommodation 15 years ago and I would never go back to it either. Far too much hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Whilst the initial cost of furnishings are not tax deductable, the cost of a replacement sofa or the cost of cleaning of the same is tax deductible. So technically, if you keep the original sofa in the property along with the new one, the cost is not tax deductable because it is an addition not a replacement. Personally I'd tell the tenant to go whistle and wave goodbye after 6 months. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kesm Posted November 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Thanks! She said that when she saw the flat there was a cover on the sofa and she could not see the stains. The previous tenant said he never used a cover! So she is lying in essence. Can she claim that it is unhygienic and that she lives in an unhealthy environment? She said it smells bad, but I went there last week and there was no smell but stains on the sofa which I was aware of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 I think you are getting far to involved. 1. You really shouldn't let property with dirty mattresses or dirty anything. 2. Presumably you have a detailed inventory signed by landlord and tenant showing the condition of the contents ? 3. The condition of the furnishings should reflect the type of property, level of rent, type of tenant etc. Provided it has fire labels it meets legal requirements, end of. This may just be the tip of the iceberg and this tenant will continue to complain about anything and everything for the whole term of the tenancy. Put a cover on the mattress and put a throw over the sofa. The tenant should have taken the time to look at the property properly to determine its suitability before signing the contract. It's her responsibility and if she now feels she made a mistake it's not for you to buy her out of a hole......ignore the requests. If she wants a new anything it's at your discretion not hers. Now of course non of my comments apply if you are letting a top notch designer apartment in Chelsea......but I suspect this is not the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerSutton Posted December 30, 2017 Report Share Posted December 30, 2017 I agree, it is a big issue when it comes to providing a well furnished house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Gray Posted January 23, 2018 Report Share Posted January 23, 2018 I had the exact same thing. Take the advice of many on here. Learn to say No and ignore. I had a tenant who was complaining about the toilet seat falling too fast, the door having the wrong pushing force to close, etc. I spoiled them rotten for a few months, but it is way too draining on time and money. Learn to say No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kesm Posted February 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 Thank you all for the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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