Hi,
We are having a dispute with our former landlord concerning wooden floors in the flat we rented. It wasn’t in good condition when we moved in (outlined in contract and picture, mentioned by the landlord that it hadn’t been treated in years) but it was in even worse condition when we moved out after almost 3 years (surface-wise). This is restricted to one spot, which we suspect is the result of lack of proper varnish and sun exposure. Our contract does not outline specifics on how to take care of the floor although we did to the best of our ability (used wood oil) and foam for the desk chair legs. However, he suddenly accused us of not using foam and hence causing these “scratches” on the floor with it since our desk chair has no wheels. There is no way it was caused by the chair (since it is a four-pronged chair with foams on) and would have been worse had we attached wheels to the chair which would cause direct friction. It is also not on the spot where our desk chair would normally move.
Now we received a quote from the landlord of 2,000 zl for the floor (this is an area of 10-12 sq m). Is this a reasonable request? Should we dispute it? What actions are available to us?
7 comments
The floor was not maintained properly in the first place, you can see that it is in a bad condition because the planks have dried out so much they shrunk lol. I’d say that the landlord can fuck himself sideways with a spork for renting you a flat whose floor had already been in a desperate need of maintenance and that was on the verge of becoming completely loose.
He is definitely trying to scam you, personally I’d ignore him.
Stay 1 month longer than you would’ve normally to get your deposit back. Landlord is a douche.
By law you are not required to pay for damages which are a result of ordinary usage.
Renting means you don’t need to care about the upkeep of a property beyond the basic stuff like changing lightbulbs, that’s what you pay the landlord rent for, that is the service they should provide. If you lived in the flat for 3 years the landlord should expect 3 years of wear from you living there, floors get worn by feet and chairs when people move around on them which is what your photo looks like, walls need a fresh coat of paint, appliances will need replacing when they break, it is really this simple and it’s weird that they’re surprised by this basic fact. If you did something unreasonable to break it maybe that’s on you but this wear is from simply existing in your home, it’s a cost associated with their business. Maybe remind the landlord that they rent out a home that people live in, it’s not a museum exhibition that no one touches, and if they find this unacceptable then they should reconsider renting it out at all.
https://wellcome-home.com/guide/tenancy-laws-in-poland/ is a good English language article that goes into some detail. It might be worth checking if they are a registered landlord, there are details in that article, often people unaware of their obligations as landlords aren’t aware they should be registered, and threaten to report them to the authorities if they refuse to return your money.
Good luck, I hope you get all your money back.
As a hardwood installer, the gaps between wood can happen with temperature and humidity changes. Wood grows and shrinks.
But the finish of the wood has clearly worn off. This also happens over time and is part of the normal process. They need to be resurfaced and coated every few years. Maybe 15 or so, depends on how lived on they are. 10 or less maybe in an apartment. Who knows how long it’s been since he had it done, if ever before. Some people go 25 years before resurfacing and staining.
If this is only in this area by the window then most likely it’s been also helped along the process by the UV from the sunlight.
This is normal and him charging you for this would be like charging you to replace carpet or paint that is peeling.
That’s part of his cost for renting. He’s scamming you, or he’s an idiot. Probably the first.
Dunno about laws etc but next time just buy that ikea thing that’s specifically made to go between the floor and your chair = landlord won’t be able to claim shit.
Looks like it was torn up as a result of the chair moving around in that area. This would not fall under normal wear and tear. Think if you are in an office people have a plastic mat to reduce the damage the chair would make. I think its your fault for the excessive wear.