Ms

[Bosty64]

Hi everyone! I’m new here and came across this forum while looking for advise. A young man stayed in my home as a lodger and due to extreme lack of care of this room, and personal hygiene himself, my zip snd link mattresses were left badly stained. He never showered or changed his sheets (the latter not even once), and subsequently the bed linen was soaked in sweat and this has leaked through on to the mattresses. Obviously it was remiss of me not to have provided a mattress, but that’s in the past now and having sought advise I’m assured I should still take the cost of the mattresses out of the deposit. However, tenant and his step father, who don’t deny he never washed sheets and have seen photos I took of appalling state of the room during the tenancy, are trying their luck (IMO) are saying ‘how do we know that damage wasn’t existing prior to this tenancy’ and that without being able to provide photos of the mattress in the condition they were in prior to the tenancy, that I won’t have a leg to stand on! Do others take photos of everything, including mattresses, on the day or the tenant moving in, so that they will have evidence should this situation arise? Is this expected of a landlord taking in a lodger?

[adonaghy]

https://nolettinggo.co.uk/blog/negotiating-the-return-of-lodgers-deposits/

[Grampa]

If you rented out a house you would have an inventory to document the condition prior to the tenancy starting which the tenant would agree and sign a copy and that would be use against the check out report. Why do you think it should be any difference to rent a room out

 

 

[ElliotM]

I think it's a good idea to take photos of everything before renting, this should be made by both sides, both landlord and tenant, it would be easier for you and the tenant to see what are the damage and should you take money from the deposit or not. This is what I am doing, I had a story when a tenant of mine did not wanted to give me the money for scratches on kitchen doors. I had never left even a single scratch on the cabinets or worktop. I had a great kitchen, a beautiful one with personal design made by a great designer, I am in love with american modern kitchen design, and I spent a lot of time trying to find the most suitable one. Well, long story short, I took the money from the deposit but I was blamed for all existing sins on this planet, from then, I am making photos of mostly everything inside my flat.