Sam Sung Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 this weekend we drove passed the house we are renting out and we noticed the driveway has been damaged, the bricks on one side have all come away. We went in to speak to the agents today about it and they said theyll speak to them. They called back saying it was wear and tear, the agent didnt seem too bothered about it. so at any stage is a broken driveway wear & tear after only x months? heavy handed miss use i'd say. can i prove its not normal wear & tear or am i going to have to fork out and repair it, surely as its now not suitable for a new tenant "leave it like you recieved it - repair it" applies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Wear and tear or abuse will always be the difference as viewed by T or LL. If either can demonstrate which is applicable then there is no argument. What sort of abuse do you believe has caused this ? How can you demonstrate that this is just more than your opinion ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Sung Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 a perfectly good brick driveway thats been used for years and doesnt usually just fall apart. i just dont believe they have taken care and respect like its their own. im just surprised by the amount of damage after so little time thats all. they have obviously been driving over the edge and the weight has broken them, so they now park further to one side. It will only be able take a few times before the 'new edge' to come apart so theyll have to move even further over and so on and so on. They havent even attempted to 'hide/diy repair' or even mention it which also annoys me. i think its a case of common sense vs law and of course law will win and i will have to pay up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted January 16, 2012 Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 Yes it's reasonable to expect to be informed of deterioration, especially if happening rapidly. Do you think though that the design might have considered the weight of a car on the edge or beyond it ? With many T's I actually expect this sort of careless behaviour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Sung Posted January 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2012 a driveway can hold a car thats whats its designed for? has been fine for the years we've been there and previously yet it goes wrong within months of a tenant. i dont know i was hoping for some tip/advice/steps to take but like from tenant & agent it feels like ive been got at here already too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Installations in rental properties need to be robust & durable. They need to allow for people of low intelligence, a complete lack of common sense and often the most stupid in society. If the property meets the test for these people it will usually survive whatever treatment they subject it to. Its no good viewing installations as if you lived there, taking care, looking after and treating with respect.....you need to assume there will be little or none of these from tenants. A drive that doesn't support a car driven on its boundaries, just like a hand held shower for hair washing that leaks onto the floor are NOT examples of a robust & durable installation. When I buy/prepare property for rentaI I spend a lot of time, effort & cost ensuring they will survive the toughest tests. Sometimes the landlord needs a give a sheet of tips & advice ie *clean oven regularly, defrost fridge regularly, clean filters in washing machine/ extractor fans regularly, ensure gulleys are not blocked with leaves etc etc. Come on Sam Sung.....its not rocket science ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Sung Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 again whats with the last line? why do i feel that everyone on the landlord forums are infact tenants giving their 'advice' against the LL. Would have thought LLs wouldnt be having a go at me, they'd be giving something constructive. Don't you think ive done the above, of course i have and i really dont know how much more the driveway could be improved in durability bar concreting the whole front over. geez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 For my own part I unreservedly apologise for the offence caused. On reflection I can see that my comments were unfounded and were inappropriate. My own experiences of expecting tenants to act and think as I and finding they do not have corrupted my once realistic expectations to the point I unfairly judge others situations in such a way. Of course your tenants should now cause repairs to restore the driveway to the state as they received at possession. With good explanation to the tenants they will hopefully see that they have responsibility to lift the driveway at the edges and cause a substantial foundation to be set so as to prevent their vehicle causing repeat of the same. I wish you all good fortune in your efforts and hope your communications have a pleasing result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 repeat post, for some reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 again whats with the last line? why do i feel that everyone on the landlord forums are infact tenants giving their 'advice' against the LL. Would have thought LLs wouldnt be having a go at me, they'd be giving something constructive. Don't you think ive done the above, of course i have and i really dont know how much more the driveway could be improved in durability bar concreting the whole front over. geez I think you are allowing my criticism of you to cloud your understanding/ judgement........ I'll have another attempt to put my point over: If your drive has collapsed because your tenants parked/ drove their vehicle on the edge of it, then your drive is not fit for purpose. It doesn't matter that it was OK when you lived their.....its just not been built substantially enough. If the drive had a foundation capable of taking the weight of a car then it shouldn't collapse. * Perhaps they've been parking overweight commercial vehicles and you didn't tell them that commercial vehicles weren't allowed ? * Perhaps jacking heavy vehicles at the edge of the drive has point loaded the structure and caused it to fail ? * etc etc I think you need to understand WHAT has caused the structure to fail before pointing the finger of blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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