Hello,

I arrived in the Netherlands about 6 months ago so this is all new to me.

I am renting an apartment from a housing company. I noticed some small cracks in the countertop when I first took it. They were very small but now with water and usage they started to become much bigger.

I contacted them, they said its not their responsibility and I should fix it since it's not mentioned in the report. In reality, the images of the report don't show this side and were taken in almost dark conditions that it's technically impossible to see them. Even if I take those images now you won't see them because of the angle.

I think it's really made of cheap material like plastic on MDF or something but I am not sure.

What should I do? Should i fight this? Should I find someone to fix it? Anyone knows how much would it cost?

by gemyhamed

17 comments

  1. It’s part of the built in kitchen, it’s definitely on them. Idk if the huurcommissie would be the thing for this

  3. I think they will suddenly have an opinion about it once you leave your appartment. In fact, I think they do have a point if you don’t have anything to prove that it was there when you start renting it.

    For a diy it’s easy and cheap to fix because this pattern of table tops is one of the cheapest option you can get at ikea. If you hire someone it quickly gets very expensive (like: 700-1000 euro or so)

  4. I mean… You did make it worse, no?

    But it’s pretty cheap to fix, like below 1k if you do everything yourself.

    Don’t expect your landlord to just fix things for you for free.

  6. “the image in the report dont show this side and are taken in dark condition making it impossible to see”

    Landlord knew the defects and knowingly took the photos like this, is gonna try to pin them on you the moment you moved.

  7. Depending on the city you’re in, you can also go to the Huurteam. They are a free option that you can consult for questions like this,

    Furthermore, proof of defect works both ways, while you should’ve reported this sooner to help your case. They are responsible for proof that this defect was not in the house when you moved in. If the pictures do not show the area where the defects are, they can be found liable!

  8. Did you rent the appartment with kitchen or did you ‘buy’ the kitchen from the previous tenant? In the first instance its on the housing company to fix, the kitchen is included in the rent. In the second instance you have to do it yourself, because its your kitchen.

  9. I think there is an argument for both sides here. Obviously it is a cheap counter top, no question about that. But from the photos, there seems to be quite a bit of water laying on it and some spills etc… you should always wipe your counter dry after using the kitchen. I never have water just laying around, that would leave stains/damage even on a decent counter top at some point. Would a stone counter top have this issue or get damaged permanently that fast? No. But did you treat it carefully to keep it intact and prevent the small damage from getting out of hand? Also a no. There are things that could’ve been done to prevent this like resealing the finish in the small spots that got damaged which definitely are the tenants responsibility (small repairs). I might be a bit biased as I was raised with kitchens like these and was taught how to treat them. If you didn’t have that, the question is if it was the landlords responsibility to tell you or yours to ask. Or somewhere in between.

  10. Easiest way; write an official notice asking for the repair asking for the repair to be done within 8 weeks. (yes, it is his responsibility whether he denies it or not). He doesn’t do it? Hire someone to do it and let your landlord know you will be taking the cost from your rent. Do go about this carefully, the costs need to be reasonable so check with multiple companies and the term you give the landlord should also be reasonable (hence 8 weeks).

    As a precaution: Make sure you have the rent as a buffer. It sucks this is how it goes these days but unfortunately a lot of landlords are only there to take your money with the least effort possible. Huurcommissie is the long route which will take more than half a year if you’re lucky.

  11. Landlords are lowest lifeform that exists. They will always claim you or find a way to make you pay. You are in your rights, and you could make em pay for it, but they will make living in their ‘property’ a very shitty experience.

  13. Do you still have the pictures of when you first moved in and the small cracks are visible?

    There is something called the Huurcommisie that helps with these type of situations. It is definetly on the landlord to repair it and with proof those cracks were present the Huurcommisie can help remind the landlord their responsibilities.

  14. We have the exact same countertop and also the exact same problem. Manufacturer oversight/error?

    Not that that will help you in this case

  15. It’s wear and tear of a kitchen. It’s clearly not damage done by improper usage. You rent an appartement with kitchen. So if the kitchen is worn out, landlord has to fix it.

    Send them a letter, written or e-mail asking them to fix / replace the top to prevent further damage.

    At least you’ll have correspondence in case you move out and the damage has deteriorated bc of the landlord’s refusal to repair it in an early stage.

  16. > the images of the report don’t show this side and were taken in almost dark conditions that it’s technically impossible to see them.

    ask someone to hold a flashlight from the side

  17. Maybe Im a bit different about this but I would put something over it , like a countertop that I can easily remove again when I stop renting the place.
    Then take pictures how it looks today , then print out the conversation about you asking to fix it and the answer.
    Also store the pictures they took and used in their report when you started renting the place.
    Then the moment they want to charge you for it when you stop renting the place they need to prove it wasnt like this already.
    Since their photos are not sufficient to prove it was 100% good before you entered the house how can they claim you made the damage?
    But you can show you asked to fix it –> they didnt want to fix it — > you made sure to not damage the top more then it already was by using your own top over it (you paid for it so you can take it away also when you leave the place) –> they pay for a new one.
    If my landlord says they dont want to fix something like this I leave it like that , because that is what they want right? 🤷‍♂️
    Not my house , not my problem.

Comments are closed.