New tenant wants a 'proper bed'..

[sparkie]

DETAILS:

• Property in E&W
• 3 Rooms - let individually
• 12 month AST started yesterday 19th Aug 2012 (for this particular T)

The other two tenants no problems.

But just had a new tenant move in yesterday into the loft room and email me:

As you know I have moved in today. All is good apart from my bed - or lack of it rather. It is a sofa bed not a proper bed and for what I am paying per month I do expect a double bed with a proper mattress. I work long hours and value my sleep and do not want a bad back at my age.

Now I have had three tenants prior to her in the same room, so at least 3-5 years worth of tenancies with the same sofa-bed and not one of them has complained.

The fact is it is the most expensive bed in the property. The other two rooms have IKEA bed bases £100-150 with £250 mattresses (2nd most expensive mattress from IKEA at the time of purchase), this Sofa bed is a Muji one that cost £600. So its not a cheap sofa bed/mattress by any means.

Identical to this one (except colour):

http://www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp?...ub=82&PID=2242

I figure she has an issue with the break in the mattress (where the two mattress meet up) when its flat. But with a mattress protector over the top this tends to smooth this line/break over.

My question is, do I need to provide her with a new bed and 'proper' mattress as she puts it.

I really do not want to throw this sofa bed away. As there is no room for it anywhere else in the property. I hope she's not a problematic/overly picky tenant(!) But at the same time will try to accommodate/find a resolution to keep her happy.

What I could offer her is to pay for a Mattress topper (140x200 size) which would cost £280, which she can lay over the top.

This one:

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/pr...482/#/20188478

Would appreciate your counsel and sage advice on this one. Your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

[MSaxp]

Can you not switch it with another bed in the property? Maybe if it looks good, some of your other tenants might want it.

The fact that it is the most expensive, is slightly irrelevant, my fridge is more expensive than my bed, but i dont fancy sleeping on it lol

I mean if they have an issue with the fact that it is not a bed bed, then it is understandable, although i doubt there is a legal requirement to change it. You can, in order to have a happy tenant, but i dont think you have to.

You can offer anything you want, to convince her, but its an open negotiation. you dont have to offer anything, she doesnt have to accept anything and anything you offer is so that she is happy and not a legal obligation.

The tone in that email is not exactly something that would make me happy, but that is just my feeling. I, personally, would have asked kindly first, before saying what i 'expect' and 'what i pay'. sounds a bit agressive to me.

Try suggesting the topper and she if that works for her. Otherwise you can offer a replacement mattress. i would guess that the frame is irrelevant

[ram]

One assumes she was shown the room, told "This is your bed" and if
so, then she accepted the bed by accepting to rent the room !

You could reply to that effect.

To be honest, I would not like to have Sofa bed, nor sit on
someones knowing that they sleep on the "couch", with resultant
sweaty smells that just may emanate from someone sleeping on it,
or the fact 5 years of unknown persons have slept on my couch /
settee.

Supply a real bed, as part of your upgrade, cost deductable / in your
finances over 5 years.
Should be changed every 5 years anyway, as you never know what
lurks inside, and springs DO sag eventually.

R.a.M.

[mind the gap]

I'm inclined to agree with ram - you're not obliged to replace it (she took the room 'as seen') but I would do so as it's 5 years old. You probably can't just buy a new mattress for it, as the mattress will be integral.

Perhaps a good quality memory foam mattress topper might be an acceptable compromise if you can't afford to buy a real bed yet. But don't give the T the option, just decide what you're prepared to do and do it.

I agree with MSaxp that this T sounds a bit confrontational. One of our 6 HMO Ts approached us this year to say that he was getting backache from sleeping on the mattress we'd provided (it was 5 years old in any case) and would we mind if he provided his own and left it at the end? That is a more conciliatory kind of attitude, I think. We actually decided to buy new ones for all the beds, but if he had taken the line OP's tenant did, we would have been far less inclined to do so.

(As parents of students, we have also resorted to swapping their hideously cheap, uncomfortable mattresses from Halls of Residence for decent ones from home and back again at end of the year). You cannot take on a contract for accommodation then expect the LL to change the furniture after you've moved in.

[westminster]

The mattress topper sounds like a false economy. Either refuse to replace the sofabed on the basis that the T took the room as seen, or sell the sofabed on ebay and invest in a new bed (and wait for her to complain that there's no sofa).

[Interlaken]

If you put a topper on the sofabed it will not close up to sofa position - and could damage the mechanism -I did just that by buying a Dunlopillo mattress for a wall bed. Sofabeds can be very uncomfortable and were never meant for permanent sleeping.

I would sell sofabed and by double bed from IKEA or similar.

[mind the gap]

If you put a topper on the sofabed it will not close up to sofa position - and could damage the mechanism -I did just that by buying a Dunlopillo mattress for a wall bed. Sofabeds can be very uncomfortable and were never meant for permanent sleeping.

I would sell sofabed and by double bed from IKEA or similar.

True, but presumably as it's the only bed in the room it will not be used as a sofa anyway?

I take the point though and agree it would be better to get rid of the sofa bed entirely.

[sparkie]

The tone in that email is not exactly something that would make me happy, but that is just my feeling. I, personally, would have asked kindly first, before saying what i 'expect' and 'what i pay'. sounds a bit agressive to me.

Try suggesting the topper and she if that works for her. Otherwise you can offer a replacement mattress. i would guess that the frame is irrelevant

The tone of her email was more of a demand, and there are nicer ways to ask.

The mattress is built into the sofa frame. Which is why I suggested the mattress topper.

On further thought, because the sofa bed when opened out is quite low, you could actually put a full height mattress on top of it and wouldn't be too high.

One assumes she was shown the room, told "This is your bed" and if
so, then she accepted the bed by accepting to rent the room !

You could reply to that effect.

Yes she saw the room. Presumably the previous tenant would have had his duvet/sheets over it, so should would not have been able to see that it was sofa bed. That said there was no head board either. The AST does state:

The property ie. contents, amenities, furnishings etc. are taken on by the tenant “as is” from initial inspection, and start till the end of the tenancy. No demands or liability shall be placed on the landlord/agent for their renewal or change. Unless at the landlord/agent’s sole discretion.

Supply a real bed, as part of your upgrade, cost deductable / in your finances over 5 years. Should be changed every 5 years anyway, as you never know what lurks inside, and springs DO sag eventually.

I'll ask her to clarify exactly what are her concerns. If the springs are gone then fair enough, time for replacement. But if its perfectly fine there's no need to replace it. Good quality mattress protectors have been used on this bed (and the other two) from new. So they should be pretty clean.

I'm inclined to agree with ram - you're not obliged to replace it (she took the room 'as seen') but I would do so as it's 5 years old. You probably can't just buy a new mattress for it, as the mattress will be integral.

Correct. Which is why I'd suggest/offer to buy a topper or full mattress to go over the top. I really don't want to entertain the option of dumping this sofa bed and having to buy a new base and mattress unless the sofabed is broken/faulty.

Perhaps a good quality memory foam mattress topper might be an acceptable compromise if you can't afford to buy a real bed yet. But don't give the T the option, just decide what you're prepared to do and do it.

Agreed. I want to make it clear to her I'm not obliged to do anything (unless faulty), but will offer the topper or new mattress as a goodwill gesture. But as above, need to ask her exactly what is her concern/issue.

I agree with MSaxp that this T sounds a bit confrontational. One of our 6 HMO Ts approached us this year to say that he was getting backache from sleeping on the mattress we'd provided (it was 5 years old in any case) and would we mind if he provided his own and left it at the end? That is a more conciliatory kind of attitude, I think. We actually decided to buy new ones for all the beds, but if he had taken the line OP's tenant did, we would have been far less inclined to do so.

Well, the email did take me aback a bit. As previous to that with the vetting etc. her emails were of a polite tone. The fact is she emailed me the day she moved in, so she didn't even sleep on it for one night before emailing me. One would think to email the LL after a week and if it caused back pain then to raise the issue. Another option, is I could suggest she buy her own mattress and place it over the sofa-bed and take it with her when she leaves?

The mattress topper sounds like a false economy. Either refuse to replace the sofabed on the basis that the T took the room as seen

What if she says she couldn't tell it was a sofa-bed till she did the check-in and saw it without a duvet over it? If I refuse, it may come across that I'm an insensitive LL?

True, but presumably as it's the only bed in the room it will not be used as a sofa anyway?

Yes, correct.

[westminster]

I'll ask her to clarify exactly what are her concerns. If the springs are gone then fair enough, time for replacement.

I don't think there are any springs. The base is wooden slats. Presumably the 'mattress' is a piece of foam. That's going to sag after five years. As has been pointed out, sofa beds aren't meant to be slept on every day, but used occasionally for visitors.

What if she says she couldn't tell it was a sofa-bed till she did the check-in and saw it without a duvet over it? If I refuse, it may come across that I'm an insensitive LL?

Yes, probably. I think she made a fair assumption that the bed was a *real* bed when she viewed the room (if the bed was made up). I'm not very surprised she's unhappy; I wouldn't want to sleep on a five year old piece of foam.

[sparkie]

Yes, probably. I think she made a fair assumption that the bed was a *real* bed when she viewed the room (if the bed was made up). I'm not very surprised she's unhappy; I wouldn't want to sleep on a five year old piece of foam.

How about a new full height mattress placed on top of the sofa bed?

[ram]

How about a new full height mattress placed on top of the sofa bed?

Buy a bed, a double if possible, and a mattress( not a cheap one )
Problem solved, you are happy, she is happy, and this wont arrise with
next tenant.

Buy the poor girl a bed, you skinflint. All the others have a bed !

you ARE supplying a "home", as per definition of a home.
Homes have beds.

Buy a bed.

[mind the gap]

How about a new full height mattress placed on top of the sofa bed?

That's a possibility, as long as the sofa bed slats are sound.

But tbh, it would cost you nearly as much as a new real bed, and if you sold the sofa bed you couold recoup some of the cost anyway.

[sparkie]

That's a possibility, as long as the sofa bed slats are sound.

But tbh, it would cost you nearly as much as a new real bed, and if you sold the sofa bed you couold recoup some of the cost anyway.

I don't want to get rid of the sofa bed unless I really have to. I'm based abroad and its too complicated to sell it.

Also need to hire 2 guys to get the sofa bed out of the property to be put outside and the council to take it to the dump.

Then got to get someone to put a new bed base together etc, etc.

[sparkie]

Buy a bed, a double if possible, and a mattress( not a cheap one )
Problem solved, you are happy, she is happy, and this wont arrise with
next tenant.

Buy the poor girl a bed, you skinflint. All the others have a bed !

you ARE supplying a "home", as per definition of a home.
Homes have beds.

Buy a bed.

yes correct a sofa-BED, lol

[mind the gap]

OK. Offer her a deal whereby you order and pay for (online) a new bed (which you are not obliged to do) and in return she arranges for someone (a charity? the council? a mate? herself?) to dismantle and collect the old one (St Vincent de Paul collect furniture I think although perhaps not old sofa beds), and to arrange delivery and 'mantling' of the new one.