UK Landlord Forum / Life

Can I have advice please.Tenants had 21 served,date for departure 11th.June.They have not made any contact.They have not looked after the flat,resulting in continual mould  problems.It had been painted and professionally cleaned beforehand.
I want to assess the damage,to give them written warning of the costs that may be involved.Would this letter be o.k? I have not gone through this stage myself before now.

Dear X,
We will need to carry out an inspection in advance of your departure.This will enable us and yourselves to assess the work and costs involved in restoring the flat and garden to the original state when you moved in last November.From what you tell me.specialist cleaning and possibly repainting will be required. Please note that we will also need to examine the framework of the bed,and the mattress,which may need to be replaced.

Have you got a definite date to move out yet? If this is going to be sooner than 11th.June,please let me know.Can I mention that the last rent was £10 short.I am sure this was an oversight,but can you make sure that the correct amount is paid on 11th.May. 

Yours etc.

No right or wrong to this just opinions... so here is mine

Why do you want to give them written warning of the costs? Is it important it is in writing?
If the tenant is not responding am not sure a letter indicating costs to be assessed is likely to get access or even a response.

You could dangle the idea of the deposit return as an incentive for you to get access...Ive had tenants that are more than one month short on the rent expecting to "settle" the deposit, might be the thing that brings them to the table.

Mould can always be disputed by a tenant...is it them or is it lack of insulation/ventilation .. no matter what you claim was done/has been done.
Also no matter what you do now you will need to have an exit inventory anyway which might reveal more than the bed issue.

Suggestion:

Dear X,
As per the terms of the tenancy agreement an inspection of the property is necessary to complete the formalities in advance of your departure and return of your deposit.
Please advise your date of departure so that arrangements can be made.

Furthermore please be advised the last rent payment had a shortfall of £10 I would appreciate it if you can you make sure that the shortfall is made up in the 11th May payment. 

XOXOXO

Just an opinion

I'd simplify, why prejudge and echo back assumptions arising from - possibly - passing comment?

The letter after the inspection, warning of potential costs, will be harder. There's plenty of time left for that warning, though... I often send my draft Check-Out a full month prior to the departure date... which you can probably safely assume is going to be 11 June, I guess.

Thank you both for comments.The background is that the tenants,without any complaint to me,called in EH.I had already given standard  downloaded information about mould when they moved in.
LE concluded that it was down to lifestyle,leaving me able to serve 21.They have refused to accept responsibility for the problem,not heating or using the dehumidifier I bought.The woman has had a caution following complaints of harassment from a neighbour.
I will have a void while this is all put right,and hoped to get some idea of what is needed in advance.The matress is not stock size for example,and takes a couple of weeks to obtain.

On the mattress front, then... get something stock size while you have the opportunity. Make things simpler in the long-run. It's like painting. Choose colours, retain details, it allows you to quite effectively touch-up in the future, rather than giving-in and saying I have to paint a whole wall, or a whole room. Keep it simple, straightforward. Your place surely can't be that good that it deserves non-standard in it?

You've got me wondering what size it is, though... I mean, you can get nearly anything from anywhere on next day delivery nowadays... even the non-routine small double.

Is the bed non-standard because of the constraints of the room? If not, as Hipps says, it might be better just to bite the bullet and drop in a standard double.

It is one of those 80's fold-down beds,around 3/4 size,part of the fitted wardrobe area.You can get a mattress from Argos,but rubbish quality.Usually use a local bedshop to order one,but will check out Amazon.Never heard of small double,must compare measurements.This couple are rarely out of bed (?) so the mould has extended into the wooden framework.If I can't get that removed,the mattress will be the least of my worries.

Yes, I see the problem: the only reason you'd still have a setup like that is if it's impractical to rip it out and replace it with something more conventional. Or you're big on 80's nostalgia.

The timescale for the mattress itself probably won't be a big problem - by the sound of it you'll need two weeks between checkout day and the next tenants moving in anyway - but if the whole lot needs major repair/replacement then it's going to be a right pain.

It's a studio flat,marketed at the time as Super Singles.The living / sleeping area are one,and the fold-down is a big space saver. You can keep the 80's,I'm an ageing hippie.