Checked out my flat today after the last tenant moved out and the bed is buckled with the legs rubbed right through the carpet and underlay to the floorboards!!!!  WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO A BED TO MAKE THAT MUCH DAMAGE??? Don't answer :-p  I have her deposit but not sure it will cover the damage.  Guess it's a phonecall to the insurer later.  I would be a mug and rent it to students though.  They've only had the flat 6 months, I never wore the carpet away in 5 years there!

God, seriously, what have they been doing, makes you wonder doesnt it :-P

I hope it doesnt cost you too much to do it, was it students thats done that then as i am a bit confused now lol :)

If you still have her contact details I would confront and try and scare her out of some more money. Tell her you will have her name put on a list of rental tenants to avoid or something like that... as a student she will need rental accomodation for a while yet. Your post did make me laugh a little though... my mind is wandering! Good luck sorting it out, what a nightmare.

Lol! Yes I can sort of laugh about it (the incredulity of wearing out a carpet and bed in 6 months does make you wonder).  But I can't bear to think how much it is going to cost.  I feel like a fool :-(  I think that I won't get any money from her, but I have a lot of sums to do.  Once I confront her with the full cost then perhaps she will cough up (I do have her address and know which Uni she is at so contact should not be a problem, unless she goes back to Poland).  I can't believe how much of a fool I feel.  And to make it worse, my mum is moving into the flat on Friday!!!! Aaaaarrrrggghhhh!!!!

I always let through an agent.  To me their small percentage is well worth avoiding hassle. :)

Believe me, this is a lesson well learned.  Because it was such a short tenancy (6 months) I decided to do it myself for convenience sake.  Never again (unless I put casters under all the furniture).

Granitecity girl, I think we could all see the funny side of it as long as we weren't having to foot the bill !  :)  IMO, I wouldn't even bother pursuing it if you think you won't get anywhere, what is the point?  Just keep the deposit, and if it doesn't cover the damage, learn from that and take a bigger 'bond' next time you let it to students!  I have been in business and what I learnt was that 'you can't win them all'!!!  I was going to suggest you put pads under the bed legs on the new carpet but then I remembered that you said your Mum was moving in Friday!  :) :)  Can't see why you should feel a fool though!!  :)

Thank you.  Yes I think I will just be keeping the deposit and hopefully the insurance will just pay the rest.

when i was a young thing :) away at college, my 2 friends and i rented a house and paid a deposit. One day my dog ate the net curtains and i remember leaving at the end of the course and hoping no one would notice!!! Within a week my parents had a call from an irate landlord because the deposit (allegedly!)  didnt cover the cost and I had to pay it all back! So it might be worth a try...i know I would have been too scared not to pay!

I think you might be on a sticky wicket trying to keep the deposit particularly with the new safeguards the Government introduced on this (not sure if they apply in Scotland though :-))  I think when you let you really have to accept considerably higher wear and tear than you would expect in your own home and it could well be seen that this is a case of wear and tear.  Fighting over whether it is reasonable could cost you more than you might gain.  I doubt the insurance company would see it as anything other than wear and tear either personally.  I think it is just a new carpet I'm afraid :-)

I know :-(  We do not have a deposit protection scheme in Scotland yet though, which is why I have had it.  Had the carpet been worn then I would have just got on with it, but the fact the bed legs are down to the floorboards really makes me fume.  They have only been in 6 months so I do not believe that is reasonable wear and tear for such a short tenancy.  I will be in touch with her over the next couple of days as I need to arrange to get my keys back.  I have had an over-the-phone quote for a new carpet and underlay and it is already over her £300 deposit.  I have 12 days to pay what is left, if anything is indeed left.

Are you going to let again?  Would it be possible to put a cheap rug under the whole of the bed if you are going to let to more students?

I had something similar and had to replace all downstairs and stair carpet due to puppy eating it.  I could not claim because I allowed one small pet LOL not a crocodile. I would suggest to try to keep some of the deposit and foot the rest of the bill yourself it is wear and tear no matter how heart breaking.  My other half has had carpets tiles and other stuff mucked up and you really do have a hard time proving its not wear and tear.

Edited to say also use second hand stuff where you can,

Carpets are definately an iffy one to do anything about as wear and tear and rental properties are at the highest level.    Like others have said use a letting company they generally recover their % by chargin higher rent. I think I currently pay 12% plus vat on mine but they definately pay for themselves.

Talking about carpets I once had someone lift a year old quality carpet, put cheap laminate down and then lift the laminate when they moved !!!  I recovered a % of the deposit but it wasn't much. 

I currently pay 12% plus vat

Ooo I'm doing OK at 8% then?  No seeking fee, no inventory fee.  I agree that I get a higher rental than if I let myself and they hold a £750 deposit. 

Most of my tenants have only stayed for 6 months (until they've bought their own houses) and in 7 years I've only had one problem tenent.  The agents sorted it all out with her deposit and within the 4 days before the next tenent moved in, so I have no complaints. :)

WestCoast, I'd say you're doing really well!! The going rate round here is between 10 & 16% for a fully managed service, and that is without the letting fees! I use an agent to find tenants for mine and then do the management myself so I dont have to pay a monthly percentage.

As the others have said Granitecitygirl (can I shorten it to GCG? Has a nice ring to it dont you think?!) it is tricky to claim dilapidations from a carpet, as you do have to expect a fair amount of wear and tear, more so than you would in your own home. If you do get the carpet replaced and you have to pay more than you are holding as a deposit, I would just use the deposit as compensation against the replacement costs. Its different in England now as tenants have to agree to any compensation taken from the deposit before it can be released to either party. Realistically you'd have to go to small claims court if you wanted to claim back the full amount. Did you have an inventory of the property done when you moved in??

One of our properties has just become available again to our surprise - we thought we had a long term tenant in there, but she just found out her partner has done the dirty on her and she can't afford to live there alone :-( I'm meeting a new prospective tenant tomorrow but I dont have a good feeling about her :-(

GCG it is :-) Fire away! ;-)
The tenants got receipts when I received the deposit entailing that deductions would be made for damages. In 6 months though this is certainly damage, not "fair wear and tear".  I commented to my police colleagues ;-) that I actually thought she must have been running a brothel in my flat for the carpet (5 year old carpet & underlay) to be worn right down to the floorboards.  They said I might be correct.  Maybe they are trying to wind me up (several have asked for her number *rolls eyes*).

:-O :-O

I do agree that it does seem like damage. Did you take an inventory when she moved in ?!

Problem is, and this is why I am a fool.  They never sent it back to me, after many requests, even after pandering to them and replacing a couple of pieces.  I know how important the inventory is, how it needs to be signed and returned to the landlord.  So I am up a creek (if they know anything about tenancy law).

Did your inventory state on it anywhere "If the inventory is not signed by the tenants and returned to the landlord, it is deemed to be accepted" ? If not, you'll know what to put on it next time!! ;-)

If I were in your position, I'd take lots of photos of the carpet as it is now, and I would still keep the deposit as compensation for the damage caused. Do ensure you get a receipt though from whoever fits your new carpet, just in case the tenant does know anything about tenancy law.

I've had an estimated quote over the phone and will get more this week.  I will give her a copy also so she knows what it has cost and that I am not stealing her money.  Just need to get my keys back now.  Thanks for you advise folks :-)  And I will certainly add that statement to any future inventories (agency next time lol!).

Can't believe she cause more damage to my poor carpet than I did in 5 years!  (You should see the state the bed is in!!!)

I know - its disheartening, isn't it, when people don't treat your property as you would. I lived in one of my properties before I rented it out, and it has cream carpets upstairs. Whenever I go round to inspect I notice a new stain - although my tenant does look after my house, I dont think she's as careful as I would be. Still, that'll teach me for renting it out with an impractical colour of carpet ;-)

I take a months rent as the deposit so it varies a little from property to property.  I should have said included in my 12% is no seeking fee, no inventory , no contract fee or renewal fee at all so this was the best one I could find and they are really quite a good company.  Really cheap with the certificates to. Although British Gas in now giving me my gas certificates as part of the annual maintenace contracts I took out.. Anything for an easy life :-)

My previous company was 10% but I had to pay £50 every time to renew the contracts and they were expensive for all the safety checks.

Touch wood apart from the one who lifted the carpet ( she was acutally miffed at me, I asked her to move out for a  7 to 10 days so I could do a full DPC and she wouldn't so I gave her notice to get on with the refurbs opps) I have been very very luck.  Two houses I have the tenants have been in for 4 plus years so keep the home just like their own.

You definately can't go wrong with a good letting Co.  :-)

Well, to update, I have broken all of my nails cleaning the flat.  And the tenant is indeed paying for the carpet, even though she is protesting, although admits that the damage could have been prevented had she come to me sooner.  Does not compute lol!

Anyway, the piece de resistance was when she said "But you are not renting it out again, can you not just keep the bed in the same place?"  What planet is she on?

Anyway, all will be fixed very soon I am glad to report.

I am glad you are making her pay- she had better learn to respect others people's property!! Obviously her little 'suggestion' for a fix isn't viable, just goes to show what kind of person she was!! Dodgey! As for your nails... I can relate. I HATE breaking a nail, as pathetic as it sounds. :-P

I know :'-( it's almost worse than the carpet - I find painting my nails so therapeutic.