bathroom mould - who pays to clean

[paddycal]

Hi

I've an investment unit in melbourne , managed by a Property Manager

I've had a change of tenants in the unit. Previous tenants needed to break lease early and new tenants were found.

There didn't seem to be any issues on the exit report , well none that i heard of.

when the new tenant move in , there was a request to clean mould in the bathroom, which was completed by the PM.
I found this out when i got my monthly statement from the PM.
the fan in the bathroom was also fixed in the last 2 months , so it may have been a factor in the issue.

My question :
Should this have been picked up by the exit condition report by the PM and the mould cleaned by the outgoing tenant ?

I'm happy enough to pay this , and the new tenant is happy....but i wanted to clarify , in general , who would be responsible for the cleaning of it ?

appreciate any thoughts ?

thanks

Paddy

 

[The Y-man]

My question :
Should this have been picked up by the exit condition report by the PM and the mould cleaned by the outgoing tenant ?

Absolutely. Should have been taken from bond if the outgoing tenants didn't want to pay.

Big question mark on your prop managers!

The Y-man

 

[INVSTOR]

Absolutely. Should have been taken from bond if the outgoing tenants didn't want to pay.

Big question mark on your prop managers!

The Y-man

Agree totally!

 

[paddycal]

Y-Man, Invstor
Thanks for prompt responses....

i am a bit annoyed at the PM in regards to this. Wasn't sure if my annoyance was justified, but it appears it is.

I'll talk to them about it.

thanks and Regards

PAddy

 

[Ausprop]

this kind of thing goes on all the time, the horse has bolted now and the chances of the PM putting their hand in the their pocket are none and buckleys.

 

[knightm]

this kind of thing goes on all the time, the horse has bolted now and the chances of the PM putting their hand in the their pocket are none and buckleys.

Yeah you can have a stern chat with them but if they are big (and you are probably talking to an employee on a wage) they see you as a dime a dozen.

 

[Sez]

Ask to see their photos from the final inspection / ingoing inspection for the new tenant of the bathroom. If the mould is evident in those photos then your PM should have picked up on it and had the previous tenant clean. If the mould isn't evident in those photos then there is possibly a problem you want to know about and the mould may need to be treated and a mould resistant paint used.

Where is the mould? Some tenants complain about the mould that is in the sealant around the base of showers etc.

Sadly it sounds like your PM dropped the ball. Best to be 100% sure before you blast them though .

 

[paddycal]

Thanks for the follow-on responses.
It's a small PM business , so i think they'll take my comments on board - maybe not to the extent of repaying the cost, but at this stage, i'm not expecting the costs to be reimbursed.

I'm putting that cost down to learning cost and something to be more vigilant with in the future.

I will be asking the PM to keep an eye on the mould as we did fix the extractor fan 2 months ago. This may have played a part in the mould build-up previously.

I also plan to cosmetically renovate the unit in 1 years time... so it would be good to check in the next few months if there is an on-going mould problem which needs to be addressed.

Regards

Patrick

 

[lup15]

Good mentality Patrick

If this was just a small oversight by the PM then hopefully they too will also learn from this experience. This way, you both can foster a good relationship which will be the best for all parties involved.

 

[KathrynF]

Totally agree.

Mould in bathrooms is usually a tenant responsibility. In QLD you have to provide either an exhaust fan or a well ventilated area. If you have met at least one of those requirements, then you have no responsibility here.

If the fan didn't work and they didn't report it straight away to be fixed, than still the onus is on them. How can you fix something if you don't know about it. Mould doesn't usually grow within one day of a fan being broken.

I'm constantly telling my tenants at Routine Inspections that I think it's great that they have hot showers and I appreciate their personal hygiene but they must either open a window or have the fun running.

Bathrooms are not designed to be sauna's.

However, we all make mistakes and I like your thinking of using it as a tool for a lesson. Oversights happen and one they shouldn't make again.