[dobbie82]

Hi,

someone kindly decided to kick our front door and broke the bottom of it, and is not repairable other than haveing a new door fitted. it is the outside door (we go upstairs and have our front door at the top of the stairs) We are the only ones that use the door.

As it is rented we only have contents insurance. We have no idea who kicked the door nor when it happened as we were away, who should pay for it, us or the landlord?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Bluey]

You ought to verify this with Shelter by calling their helpline.

However, my understanding is that the Landlord is responsible for replacing and repairing external fixtures and fittings unless he/she can prove that it was negligence on the part of the tenants or the tenants admit to being responsible.

As this is clearly not the case, I would notify the Landlord about the damage and offer to report it to the Police if a crime report number is needed by his insurers. You might be best to let him know asap by telephone but put it in writing to him to cover yourself in the event of a future dispute over the return of the deposit should they choose to try and make a deduction for it - by doing this, you can create an audit trail which clearly indicates that you were not responsible for the damage.

As it makes your accommodation vulnerable to burglary, I would ask the Landlord to prioritise the repair and if they are considerate, they will. Also, you might want to persuade them to fit a better door as the chances are the person may come back and do it again, thus making more costs for the Landlord if he chooses to replace it with a cheap door and/or weak lock.

I don't know how you stand with regard to the terms and conditions of your contents insurance, but if a door isn't functioning, I wonder whether it would affect a future potential claim.