When we left Scotland we rented out our house including some basic appliances (cooker, washing machine and fridge). The cooker has broken a few times, we always get it fixed straight away. The washing machine has now broken and I have said I will buy a new one. However the one we left behind was an 8kg capacity machine that we needed for a large family. The family who are renting only have 2 children, so I have said I will replace it with a 6kg capacity machine but they want one the same size as the old one. This will cost me a lot more money and TBH, Christmas is only a month away. Am I being unreasonable in suggesting that if they want a bigger machine than the one I am prepared to pay for, that they purchase this themselves and keep it when they move on?
Personally no I don't think there is anything wrong with replacing with smaller machine. 8kg washing machine is very big and 6Kg should do most families especially one with two kids. End of day they are getting a new machine. Any point in checking out to see if there is anything like The Good Guys in Scotland where you might be able to get it a bit cheaper because the box was damaged etc?
Only thing i would say is don't go for very cheap brand. Prior to buying our house when we were renting our cooker had to be replaced and owners went for the cheapest of the cheap cookers and it was #rap to cook on and really cheesed us off.
I guess they may have entered into the contract figuring that they were paying x amount for everything including an 8kg washer, so that may be where they're coming from in thinking it's unreasonable. I can't see it being worth more than a few dollars in the annual rental amount, though, really.
It's not against the legislation to replace it With a smaller model, but it would bother me. We rent and had our hot water system replaced shortly after we moved in with a much smaller one and we were pretty cranky about it. If the landlord increases the rent, we'll move.
I guess it depends if you have good tenants who do the right thing by you and you want to keep or if your happy to risk losing them and finding new tenants...
Edit - oops just saw its in Scotland. I don't know the legislation there..
I believe that if you rented a house here with X washer included, and it broke down, you would need to replace it with a machine of the same specifications. So you would need to replace 8kg machine for 8kg machine.
Personally, if I were renting a house including appliances and they broke, I would expect them to replaced as they were rented to me. Would you tell the same family they didn't need a 300 litre fridge and could get by on a 200ltr fridge because you say so? If my landlord told me that I'd tell him to take a hike. They rented from you with a specific appliance included in the contract. Your end of the bargain is maintaining that appliance.
yeah, I don't think you are being unreasonable BUT I agree with the others, if I rented with an 8kg machine in place, I would expect an 8kg machine to replace it.
Is there option to rent a 8kg machine in the mean time to put into the property & replace it in the new year?
How long is left on the tenancy agreement? Could you possibly agree to slight reduction in their rent for a period of time to compensate & tell them to go buy their own if they want bigger then 6kg? What are the prices like over there compared to here?
I don't think family size ia everything, we have a 7kg front loader, and we use it A LOT. We get by, but I do a lot of washing and it's only myself, dh and DD. Having said that, DHs uniforms are very very thick and heavy and even one set takes up a lot of space in the machine.
However, my parents have an 8kg top loader and they can fit a huge amount more and do a lot less washing and there's 3 adults and 2 kids at school in that house.
perhaps if you have a front loader there now, suggest you'll get a smaller top loader?
if it were me I'd kinda expect the same size one, BUT I'm also not made of stone ans realise it's hard to come up with that kind of money, especially close to Christmas. I'd listen to the owners concerns, and only if I was very confident I could survive on smaller, I'd compromise.
I suppose if there was an 8kg washer there, I'd probably expect one the same size, BUT I would just be happy to have a working washing machine! I honestly probably wouldn't even think about it. I certainly wouldn't expect the owners to consult with me first... Thats up to them to decide & none of my business. & something that might make me think the LL sucked for a bit, but not something I'd dwell on!
To be honest if I were the tennant I would probably try it on and say I wanted an 8 but not push the issue.
If I were the landlord I'd leave it a month and then they will be grateful for anything LOL (just kidding!)
How much is a 6kg one? And how much is a weeks rent? Maybe it would be worth saying I'm not replacing it but I'm happy to give you a week free rent so you can buy one yourself. So that you don't have to actually deal with the hassle of it all.
to answer a few questions (and I apologise, these are not in order)
I can't replace with a top loader as the washing machine is fitted under the kitchen benchtop
There is almost 6 months left on the lease, but these are good tenants who renew the lease every year and have been in the house for 2.5 years.
The rent they pay me is barely a scratch in the mortgage so I can't reduce it any in compensation for the smaller machine.
I think I will just offer them the new machine and if they are unhappy they have the right to buy their own. However this close to Christmas I doubt they will have the money either.
ETA Scratch that, I have found a 7kg machine only 20 pounds more and it's a good brand so I will meet her halfway and get that instead
Last edited by Traveller; November 27th, 2012 at 04:35 AM.
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