Floor damage in rented house - who pays?

[A.Renter]

Hello,

I rent a house from a landlord (generally pretty decent and helpful). I did a thorough mopping of the floor a while back, which is made up of interlocking wooden plywood slats. Unfortunately some of the water must have drained below, causing some of the slats to 'bubble' and rise at the edges, and now about 3-4 planks need replacing. As I mopped the floor, I am happy to pay towards it. However, one of the reasons the water leaked is that the slats had not been fitted properly, there being gaps between some of the slats. In this case, would the repair costs be a joint landlord/tenant responsibility? My fear is that the LL will say that as I did the mopping, I should pay the full costs (still waiting to hear back).

Any help on this point much appreciated.

thanks,
A. Renter

[Jon66]

I don't think using water on a wood floor is a good idea, there are some good non water products around, Method with almond oil is exceptionally good.

Whether you pay in full or percentage of contribution would depend on how good a tenant you have been. If you pay on time, report issues in good time and generally easy to communicate with, depending upon the amount of monthly rental i might let it go and take the hit.

[Hudson01]

When you say wooden do you mean actual real wood or laminate flooring looking like wood...... for a tenanted property i would guess the latter as a genuine solid wood floor is not something i would expect to see in a rental.

If laminate then copious amounts of water is never a good idea and yes is can go between the joins and cause what you have described. I feel it would be your responsibility if so.

[islandgirl]

I would expect to be able to mop a floor unless I was given specific care instructions otherwise...

[AndrewDod]

I definitely would not expect to mop a wooden floor with water. Maybe a very very slightly damp dusting cloth before polishing with oil. So no, I think entirely your responsibility - sorry.....

[ash5050]

Laminate flooring isn't waterproof as others have said. I guess if no information had been provided as to it being Laminate or how to care for it then there's probably some share of responsibility. Some Laminate is in fact vinyl which is fully waterproof, and wood is OK to use water on assuming it's been treated.

The best way to clean Laminate is using a slightly damp cloth then drying after

[jpucng62]

Unfortunately I think you have caused the damage by using an inappropriate leaning method, so the cost would be attributable to you alone.

Wooden & laminate flooring need different care to other surfaces - one reason I never put it in a kitchen.

[Section20z]

Depends what room it's in. There are many many many wooden or laminate floors designed for kitchens & bathrooms that should cope with water
Any other room , if laid properly, it should be able to cope with moisture from cleaning.
So as mentioned, unless you were given specific instructions not to mop the floor with water then I'm afraid this is just down to landlord.

[Berlingogirl]

As a landlord, I would expect you to pay for the damage because you caused it. Laminate flooring has been around for many years and I would expect a tenant to know how to clean it properly, just as I would expect a tenant to know how to vacuum the carpet or mow the lawn. I've never given tenants instructions on how to clean things as I feel it would insult their intelligence , however I think I'm going to have to do so in future.

[Section20z]

Or simply refer them to the professional advice from Good Housekeeping - "use a damp mop"
Duh.
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/hom...minate-floors/

[Movieman]

How do you quantify the damage eg if they damaged 3 laminate stripz

[Berlingogirl]

How do you quantify the damage eg if they damaged 3 laminate stripz

You ask a laminate floor fitter for a quote to strip back the laminate to the damaged part and replace with spare strips if you have them, or to move the damaged strips to lie where the settee would be or other place where the damage would be less noticeable. You might be lucky enough to still be able to buy the same coloured laminate but the dye batches can be very noticeable.

[AndrewDod]

Depends what room it's in. There are many many many wooden or laminate floors designed for kitchens & bathrooms that should cope with water
Any other room , if laid properly, it should be able to cope with moisture from cleaning.
So as mentioned, unless you were given specific instructions not to mop the floor with water then I'm afraid this is just down to landlord.

Really? I don't give specific instructions not to clean chrome fittings with bleach, or not to wash light fittings in the dishwasher, or not to scrub the worksurface in the kitchen with steel wool. I could think of a few hundred combinations of things to specifically advise not to do (or omit to so advise).

Anyone who thinks it is OK to have running water on a laminate block surface is just being stupid, and one cannot warn against every possible combination of stupidity. It's not a matter of whether one can wet-clean the surface, but whether one can have pools of water on it. A "damp mop" would not lead to any free running water. The good housekeeping guide does not say that which you intimate it says. It says "Spray with a laminate floor cleaner (see below) sparingly, so you don't oversaturate the floor, and then wipe with the mop."

[A.Renter]

Thank you for these replies, though it is clear there is no obvious answer.

Yes, the floor is just a cheap laminate 'wood' floor - I've checked the local hardware shops and it is very cheap to buy even in bulk.

I was never given any instructions re. floor cleaning. I have been mopping it for two years with no problem. I gave it an extra thorough clean as there was dog mess on the floor.

Again, I am not trying to shirk paying a contribution, even the bulk of it (2/3rds say). However, I do not wish to pay the full amount, given the cheap quality of material and poor fitting, especially if it turns out to be exorbitant.

Annoyingly the photos I took when I moved in do not cover the affected section, so I have no proof of the gaps between the joints (I suppose I could bluff but then could called on it).

[AndrewDod]

Dog mess on a laminate floor sounds pretty bad.....

Gaps in a wooden floor are not a defect. It is what a non-sealed laminate floor is - so photographs would be irrelevant. Water will get throuigh any gap whether 0.1mm or 2mm.

I really think you are reaching here.