TDS Resolution was approached by a landlord seeking help regarding the purchase of a new high-end fridge freezer that had broken down during the tenancy. The landlord was seeking the full replacement cost from the tenants to cover the cost of the new replacement fridge freezer.
Tara Price, TDS’s Resolution Coordinator, initiated contact with the landlord to discuss their enquiry related to the broken fridge freezer. Consent was provided by both the landlord and tenant, paving the way for landlord and tenant mediation, which was promptly arranged.
The mid-tenancy disagreement
The landlord needed to address the fridge-freezer that had broken down during the ongoing tenancy and caused a disagreement with the tenant; an engineer made a report on the possible cause of the breakdown and established that the fridge-freezer had broken down due to the pet hair accumulating in the refrigerator's condenser coils and grill.
Landlord and tenant mediation session, facilitated by TDS Resolution
The mediation session was held via Microsoft Teams in a three-way video call. Each party made their representations and expressed their desired outcomes from the session.
The session took less than two hours. Both parties entered the process wanting to reach a resolution and move forward in the tenancy. It was beneficial to both parties to address the issue regarding the damage now rather than at the end of the tenancy to avoid having to enter into a potential end-of-tenancy deposit dispute.
TDS Resolution finds that where parties attend a mediation open to negotiation, it is more likely that they will be able to come to an agreement both parties are happy with.
After discussions, the parties came to a compromise
The parties agreed to a compromise resulting in a successful landlord and tenant mediation session, and a mutual understanding demonstrating the importance of communication.
The tenant and landlord agreed that the tenant would contribute to the replacement cost of the fridge freezer and what this amount would be. The tenant agreed to make the contribution payment on the same day. This was the end of the matter. The parties were thanked for their engagement in the process, and the feedback from the parties was that they found the session useful and productive.
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About TDS Group
TDS Group is the leading tenancy deposit protection and resolution service provider in the UK making life easier for tens of thousands of agents, landlords, developers, and millions of tenants and homebuyers. TDS is backed by Propertymark, Royal institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). Through our charitable foundations we are working to improve standards in the Private Rented Sector. TDS is a not-for-profit company with offices in Hemel Hempstead, Glasgow, and Belfast.
For more information visit www.tdsgroup.uk
