UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi!

How can I calculate the money that I have to deduct from my tenants (now, ex- tenants :-) )deposit?

They took 2 beds, a table with 4 chairs, large mirrors, ceiling lamps...

These stuff are not on sale any more then I can't check the prices.

Thank you.

Thats theft and reportable if you wanted to.

You would have kept receipts from when you bought them, for your tax purposes, correct?

If you're saying they're just your old tat that you didn't want any more when the tenancy started, as is so often the case, then just attribute nominal cost appropriately... and obtain agreement for those deductions to avoid a Deposit Dispute. If you cannot agree, decide between making a point or meekly accepting, but I'd like to understand why... is the Tenant of the opinion they're theirs? Could there ever have been a grey area where it could have been inferred you didn't care about them? Usually an Inventory would be quite specific on this.

Thank you both for your reply.
They stayed at the property for 10 months. The agency gave them the inventory but they've never gave back. I chased the agency so many times regarding this and they kept telling that they call them again regarding that.
I evicted the tenants because they haven't paid me since almost 3 months ago.
I went to the property and the furniture disappeared.
I believe that they through them away and the agency knew it since the beginning. I never authorized that. They never asked me.
When the agency went to the property to do the check out, they told me everything was in order and they didn't mention the furniture.
Who is responsible for that now?
Thanks

Your Agent appears to be at fault. Although, of course, they did not take or throw away the furniture... so, really, they are a casualty of actions undertaken by others as well.

You must understand how to calculate the value of an item... don't you? If an item has been taken from the property (taken or thrown away) then you aren't able to say "that item will cost me £X to replace new, that's what I'll charge / deduct"... crazy, isn't it? There's the idea that the item that has gone missing cannot be new, not brand new. It must have some age to it, and every item has an attribute of a useful lifespan... a mattress could be, say, 5 years... likewise a carpet... a sink would be, say, 25 years... there'll be things you can go and research.

If the item cost £100 to buy in 2013 and it had a useful lifespan of 5 years... well, it's 2018 now, so its run its course! Ouch, right? It's fully depreciated. If it goes missing, you aren't really due anything - in accountancy terms, at least. Sure, you no longer have the item... that's accepted, and you may have thought the item had another 50 years left in it yet. But that's not how it works. In that scenario you're due... zip, nada, zero, zilch, nothing.

So... how old were the items? You're saying they're not on sale any more... so they must have some age to them. If you tell us they're from the 1970s, then you can forget it, right?

Unless they were antiques, maybe... then, as said, it's da Police you need.

Thanks again for your reply.

I can say they were at least 10 years old.
I think about these figures: (I was searching on eBay to have an idea about second hand items):
Divan double bed with mattress 150
Single bed + mattress 100
Dining table + 6 chairs 100
Large mirror 50.00 x 2
Crystal chandeliers 20.00 x 5



Thanks

I would aim for £0 and settle for £0.