UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi all,

I conducted an inspection of my rental flat only to discover that the tenant has detached the glass in a window from the window frame - the glass is in tact but the wooden frame is split. It appears that the tenant tried to push the window open, but didn't bother to unlock it first so exerted excessive force by pushing against the glass which snapped the wood. I have a suspicion that the wooden frame was starting to rot due to our very wet winter so was going to bare the cost the replacement, despite it being due to their negligence, on this one occasion...

Any advice?

I think a lot of things like this in life can be simplified by deciding if there was intent to cause damage, or not.

Either they did not understand how to open the window, or they wilfully intended to break it.

You need to decide which, but if it were me I would just get it fixed anyway at my own expense, and make sure they understand how to lock and unlock all the windows.

It does sound like it was falling to bits anyway... what kind of excessive force would you need to apply to break a window frame, quite a lot I'd imagine unless, as you imply, it was ready to go anyway.

I'd bear the cost of this and get something of better quality in.

I'd also do a better CHECK-IN routine if you want to be sure that people know how to open your windows. It only takes 30 seconds to talk them through it while demonstrating it... yes, you can normally assume that any Muppet would know how to open a window... but obviously not, right?

I'd also be emphasising the importance of good communication... this is something you should have been told about before any inspection (assuming it did not, by chance, happen on the same day).

Ah, I recall now, this is the property where the Tenants were not cooperating regarding the inspection. So, you might have trouble re. the communication... but, maybe - just maybe, this was part of the reason they did not want you around... if you deal with this window frame in a positive way, maybe - just maybe, things will improve on that front too.

Thanks all. Yes, I've taken your advice and, as a show of good faith, I'll foot the bill on this one occasion as it wasn't done maliciously. And I'm now also convinced they were trying to dodge the inspection due to this too. What I am loathed to do however is to install a uPVC window is a Victorian flat with Sash windows everywhere, but it's small and not obvious so I might have to bite that bullet and install something that won't rust and is idiot proof.

In answer to your question: YES, there are people who rome the earth who don't know to unlock a window before trying to open it. Fortunately for my tenants, they're attractive and from wealthy families so should marry well! Hah!

A girl broke the window frame, and not the glass, and it's somehow an issue with them, and not the quality of the window fitting?

Nope, if they had fallen out and killed themselves, and landed on a passing pram with quads in, and killed them too, and the pram then went in the road and knocked down a cyclist, and the bike went in front of a coach of Albanian school children, and they all died.... It would be your fault, and not the poor little tenant.