Flatmate threw mattress out, now landlord wants us to pay for it

slowmoe

Ok so just after moving into a new place with a friend. Its nice, small probs at first that got fixed straight away.

I was away for the weekend and when i came back she was in a really bad mood. She said that her mattress was filthy and unusable and had rang the landlord for a new one. Landlord said they didn't think anything was wrong with it. She said she found some short black hairs on it like a dog. The landlord said that the previous tenant did have a dog but it was out in the back of the house not allowed in the room, although he did admit the tenant may not have respected that rule. He asked how were there hairs on the mattress though as if the dog was on the bed it would have been on sheets etc that last tenant took with them.

So the new mattress was delivered to her on Sat. She was happy enough BUT threw the old mattress outside. We do have a small spare room for storage so i don't know why she didn't put it there. LAndlord arrived to collect old mattress today and flipped out that it had been thrown out in the back garden all weekend. He looked at it and couldn't find anything wrong with it but now its destroyed because its been soaked through and left in mud. It was a year old. He's said we have to pay for it as it was his property not ours.

My flatmate maintains that it was unusable so thats why she threw it out back. The landlord said he understands my friend is extremely tidy and appreciates that the house is being kept well but that his property cannot be binned because she doesn't think its fit for her.

So now we're being billed for 200 euro. I've told my flatmate she should pay it as its nothing to do with me and she's said she's not paying it at all that she feels the landlord is out of order even trying to charge for it. Tbh i kind of agree with the landlord but i don't know our rights and feel i'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Dr.Dre

Well it has nothing to do with you so let the landlord and your friend sort it out because in fairness why would you have to pay for something that is not your fault right?

Also this kinda reminds me of The Hangover with the mattress LOL

Pandora2

slowmoe wrote: »

Ok so just after moving into a new place with a friend. Its nice, small probs at first that got fixed straight away.

I was away for the weekend and when i came back she was in a really bad mood. She said that her mattress was filthy and unusable and had rang the landlord for a new one. Landlord said they didn't think anything was wrong with it. She said she found some short black hairs on it like a dog. The landlord said that the previous tenant did have a dog but it was out in the back of the house not allowed in the room, although he did admit the tenant may not have respected that rule. He asked how were there hairs on the mattress though as if the dog was on the bed it would have been on sheets etc that last tenant took with them.

So the new mattress was delivered to her on Sat. She was happy enough BUT threw the old mattress outside. We do have a small spare room for storage so i don't know why she didn't put it there. LAndlord arrived to collect old mattress today and flipped out that it had been thrown out in the back garden all weekend. He looked at it and couldn't find anything wrong with it but now its destroyed because its been soaked through and left in mud. It was a year old. He's said we have to pay for it as it was his property not ours.

My flatmate maintains that it was unusable so thats why she threw it out back. The landlord said he understands my friend is extremely tidy and appreciates that the house is being kept well but that his property cannot be binned because she doesn't think its fit for her.

So now we're being billed for 200 euro. I've told my flatmate she should pay it as its nothing to do with me and she's said she's not paying it at all that she feels the landlord is out of order even trying to charge for it. Tbh i kind of agree with the landlord but i don't know our rights and feel i'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Damage Limitattion is the key here, €200 is a bit rich for a used mattress, ask the landlord can you replace the discarded one with a good 2nd hand one? He seems reasonable....then get on e bay/jumbletown, you will pick one up for little or nothing, sometimes free to collect...get your flatmate to split that cost with you!! The landlord is within his rights and for all your sakes it would be best to settle this with the minimum fuss :cool: He will only deduct the cost of the mattress from your deposit when you leave and you don't want that to be sooner rather than later I take it! Firm ground rules from here on in though regarding discarding the apartment inventory!!

LilMsss

I really wouldn't worry about it to be honest, because it's nothing to do with you. While I'm assuming you both signed the lease, so are technically both responsible for rent payments, damage to property etc., it was your flatmate's responsibility to liaise with the landlord re collection, so it should come out of her deposit.

I would state to your flatmate, and also to the landlord that if your flatmate is unwilling to pay the €200, then that sum should be deducted from her portion of the deposit. If you are clear with the landlord that this was nothing to do with you, and agree this course of action, then things should be fine.

As for your flatmate, obviously you need to be diplomatic, but the fact remains, she threw out a perfectly usable mattress that was the landlord's property, and should never have disposed of it in that manner, especially since the landlord had agreed for collection.

It's her issue, not yours.

7Sins

I agree, only she should pay, tbh throwing a mattress out back is a scummy thing to do, is there surrounding neighbours that would've seen a mattress in yer garden all weekend? :eek:

Tut, lowering the whole tone of the area :rolleyes:

uberwolf

I would suggest that your housemate agree to leave her new mattress behind when you leave. Replacing a second hand mattress with a second hand mattress.

slowmoe

Thanks guys, yeah we both signed lease. House is perfect, 2 mins to st patricks cathedral, little yard for bbq, power shower, nice kitchen and huge living room. Two nice sized rooms for 850 a month! As i said landlord so far has been great too. MY room was painted blue when we moved in and i asked could i paint it to beige myself, he had a handyman round the next day and room was painted by the time i was home from work that night! Even had a welcome bottle of wine waiting for us in the fridge when we arrived.

So for me its a great house, great price and great landlord, so its all perfect except for my friend and i'm afraid that she'll ruin it if she doesn't get her way on this.

I did figure that it would have to be paid for alright but i know my friend is going to kick up an absolute stink about it as she genuinely sees it as a piece of rubbish because she didn't want it.

Uberwolf she didn't pay for it so i don't think leaving the landlords own mattress behind would replace it!!!

Pandora2

Think it was the landlord who paid for the new one???

If so, he owned both! I used to have a landlord who had a warehouse full of beds and sofas etc, he gave me a bed when I bought my first place!! (Nice Guy:)), he really shouldn't be at the loss of a year old mattress!

Having thought twice, you must impress upon your flatmate they are liable but perhaps aid the process by trying to reduce the cost. If you don't it WILL come out of the deposit!

slowmoe

My flatmate has just told me that the 200 euro is for a mattress and for an espresso machine that she also threw out because she thought it was broken because the coffee wasn't very hot.

Pandora2

slowmoe wrote: »

My flatmate has just told me that the 200 euro is for a mattress and for an espresso machine that she also threw out because she thought it was broken because the coffee wasn't very hot.

Gonna have to reign them in...this could get very costly!!

rebel10

SeriouslyWhat is the story with her? Stay out of it, honestly.

slowmoe

She's a bit of a neat freak, the good thing is the house is ALWAYS perfect. But this is the downside i guess that she's throwing things out that she doesn't think are perfect. The coffee machine was a really good one too, i know italian coffee isn't supposed to be roasting hot so i threw in a drop of hot water to the coffee but that wouldn't be good enough for her. I'm just going to ring the landlord and say none of this is to do with me and try and distance myself from it as advised. Loved having a real coffee machine, so pi!!ed off she threw it out!

rebel10

Well whatever about being neat, she has absolutely no respect for property that isin't hers. If I were you, I would definitely ring the Landlord as you plan. But I would also remind her that the place is rented, not owned by her. If she decides something is broken/dirty, tell her to put it in the spare room so she doesn't have to look at it any longer.
Btw, don't leave your stuff lying about, she will have that dumped on you too. You have the patience of an angel, I would have sent her back to mammys at this point and found someone else!

slowmoe

We've only been living here for 2 weeks! I'm kind of afraid she's just going to leave and leave me with an 850 euro rent bill!

Icepick

The really bad news is that you are living with an idiot.
She is throwing other people's property she does not find perfect FFS.

djmcr

Be careful she might throw you out.....

the_syco

slowmoe wrote: »

I'm kind of afraid she's just going to leave and leave me with an 850 euro rent bill!

850 rent bill + bill for anything the looney woman threw out in the meantime!

Victor

While therre may or may not have been problems with the mattress or coffee machine the flatmate has destroyed / disposed of any evidence. This pretty much makes it here problem.

How do you know the flatmate hasn't just stolen / sold the coffee machine.

How do you know the flatmate?

Sir Oxman

What a nightmare!
A perfect house, nice affordable rent, a decent landlord but a housemate that is too anal and obviously has regard for other peoples property as in keeping it clean and tidy but throws out property that's not hers!
i would be really pissed off at her for annoying and damaging your relationship with a very good landlord by the sounds of him.
She will have to cop on and cough up or ship out.

Oink

gambiaman wrote: »

What a nightmare!
A perfect house, nice affordable rent, a decent landlord but a housemate that is too anal and obviously has regard for other peoples property as in keeping it clean and tidy but throws out property that's not hers!
i would be really pissed off at her for annoying and damaging your relationship with a very good landlord by the sounds of him.
She will have to cop on and cough up or ship out.

Exactly.
They weren't hers to throw out, but she did =>Pay back or GTFO
If she doesn't, make sure the landlord understands who's the whackjob here.

D3PO

sounds like you have a pretty good landlord but your housemate on the otherhand ....

too right the landlord shoulD be charging for it, but equally you need to ensure it all comes out of your housemates deposit.

the_syco

D3PO wrote: »

too right the landlord shoulD be charging for it, but equally you need to ensure it all comes out of your housemates deposit.

Agreed. I'd also keep an eye on anything that isn't glued down, or nailed to the wall. The whack job could start removing other things...

Elle Collins

Oink wrote: »

...make sure the landlord understands who's the whackjob here.

I'd be taking this advice above all others here OP! I feel for you. You're living with an inconsiderate fool.

HardyEustace

LilMsss wrote: »

I would state to your flatmate, and also to the landlord that if your flatmate is unwilling to pay the €200, then that sum should be deducted from her portion of the deposit. If you are clear with the landlord that this was nothing to do with you, and agree this course of action, then things should be fine.

I agree with the vast majority of this very sensible advice but I would steer clear of offering any kind of "solution", it kind of draws you into the problem and may alienate you from your flatmate (who you still have to live with) as they make think that you are "siding" with the landlord.

ebixa82

Your landlord sounds unbelievably sound.

Your flatmate sounds as mad as a box of frogs.

Make sure you stay sweet with your LL, tbh if your flatmate is as anal as she sounds she'll probably end up throwing your stuff out eventually and then where will you be!!

bohsfan

It sounds like your flatmate does not have much experience of living in rented accommodation and is acting like the flat and its contents belong to her.

Perhaps she needs to be reminded that she does not own anything that was in the house when she moved in, and that throwing anything out (regardless of any reason) amounts to stealing the item. Or at the very least she needs to be reminded that there are 2 of ye in the flat and she shouldn't make decisions about things like that without consulting you first.

There's nothing better than finding a sound LL- what a pity your flatmate messed it up.

MistyCheese

In 2 weeks she's thrown out a mattress and a coffee machine? I'm hearing alarm bells and seeing a giant red flag at the same time. Of course there is a major issue with someone throwing out items which do not belong to them but there's another oddity here. Who in their right mind would throw out a coffee machine they feel is broken instead of seeing if it could be fixed? Especially considering your landlord sounds like the type who would try to fix something that was broken.

I would try to stay as separate as possible from all of this so that if this ludicrous behaviour of your flatmates continues to the stage where the landlord has had enough and wants her out, it will be just her out, not both of you.

Laurendonegal

Why didnt she check the mattress before she moved in??
Ive rented a few houses and i have my own matress and and bed frame and every landlord ive had has been more thank kind enough to remove the bed thats in the house.

Why didnt she ask the landlord to take the matress away and buy a new one herself ?