Hole in Wall (Rental). Advice Welcomed!

RyanMK on 08/10/2014 - 22:27
Last edited 09/10/2014 - 12:53

Here's the picture. It's about 20cm wide. With a wider circular dent around it @ roughly 30cm in diameter.
http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/ae303/luffy4688/2014-10-0…

Long story short, I accidentally dropped something heavy against the wall. Now, I take responsibility for it, and am willing to bear the repair costs. However, a couple of questions:

  1. Would it be more economical to hire someone to repair it myself, or go through the agent?
  2. If I were to do it myself, does anyone know who should I be calling, and roughly what the repair would entail?

Thanks!

Home & Garden

Comments

  • MITM on 09/10/2014 - 00:26
    +1

    I got a quote once for $200 - without repainting the wall either.
    Did it myself. Got a broken piece of plasterboard from Bunnings.

  • [Deactivated] on 09/10/2014 - 01:16
    +2

    Plaster and paint. Doing it yourself will probably cost you $100-$200 depending on the size of the rest of the wall (you can't just paint that patch. It will look… patchy). Youtube some videos on how to fix holes in plaster walls and you're set.

    Most agents are going to give you an outrageous quote. If the tradie is going to charge $300 (which would most likely be the lowest, considering there is a call out charge before anything even happens), the agent is also going to want to make a profit margin on that.

  • eatwell365 on 09/10/2014 - 04:44
    +8

    No need stress. It happens all the time.

    I was the Fist of the North Star since I was a teenager.
    Very often I must fix the holes before parents came home - living room, bedroom… so I had mastered the skill to fix it myself within half an hour for less than $20-30.

    • Depend on the size and nature of the hole, If the cluster is still one piece, use a screw to hand screw in. try to pull the plastic board out to make it look more even.
    • If the hole is still too big, stuck a piece of wood/foam in the hole.
    • Go to your local hardware to buy
    1. Plaster filler (pre mix in a blue box or yellow tube) was under $10. Or a bag of plaster filler powder to mix (same brand). sandable, rapid dry, white.
    2. A good size metal scraper to level up (a small plastic one already comes with the pre mix blue box) - must have, especially if the hole is big - $6
    3. A sanding block plus fine sand paper (optional) $4.
    4. Take a little bit of broken piece with the existing Colour of the wall. (No need if the hole is small and white) or the exact color/brand/code if you know. Ask Bunnings to mix a demo can of paint $10. Buy a paint brush if you don't have one.

    - Fix the hole, fill the gap, wait to dry, sand it and paint.

    Wa..la.. No one ever notices. Magic.

    PS. Your hole is on the lower portion of the wall so is less noticeable. I had done eye level in the living room.
    Disclaimer: DIY At your own discretion/risk. Skill level dependent.

    • slow on 09/10/2014 - 08:21

      Agree, this is not hard to do , have also done it several times myself.
      There are heaps of guides on the Internet on how to do this - just google it.

      How big is that hole??

    • Jebediah_Kerman on 09/10/2014 - 08:55

      I have used this method before. I told the landlord about it at the next inspection. He was pretty fine with it. These things happen sometimes.

  • StewBalls on 09/10/2014 - 08:28

    Check your lease agreement OP, you might find that you have an obligation to advise the owner/agent about any damage & follow their protocol for repairs. Yes, it's an easy patch job, but it's not as simple as just fixing it, tenancy is a different kettle of fish when it comes to damage/repairs.

    You sound like you have a good attitude towards this issue, you might find that the owner appreciates you being straight with them. You could mitigate your potential losses by obtaining a few independent quotes though, so you've got an idea of what the actual cost of the repair should be, and if they're trying to rort you, you at least have some recourse.

    You don't want to put all the time & effort into making repairs that the landlord later deems unsatisfactory. Then you'll be held liable for not only the cost of the repair itself, but also the demo work to remove your patch, and any other incidentals (often shonky) that the owner/agent decide that they want to tack on.

    They will likely pummel you on this if they think you've tried to pull a swifty by not telling them in the first place…and you can kiss that bond goodbye for starters, I can assure you!

  • blitz on 09/10/2014 - 09:22

    It looks like there's also a large circular dent right around the hole. That will be a little harder to fix! How big is it in total?

    • RyanMK on 09/10/2014 - 12:53

      The main damage is about 20cm wide. I have no idea why I had it down @ 10cm. And yes, there is a larger circular dent around it. It's roughly 30cm in diameter. Have edited the original post to include this.

  • RyanMK on 09/10/2014 - 13:01

    Thanks for the responses so far, much appreciated!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNt45ry3UO0
    If I go about doing it myself, would that be what it roughly entails?

    To be honest, if it's the right thing to do, I don't mind reporting it to the agent and letting them get the repairs done. I'm just worried that they might attempt to rip me off. And with half a year of the rental to go, I'd prefer not to sour my relationship with my agent.

    Another question: Would I have to repaint the whole wall? I believe it'll be quite noticeable if I just repainted the patch, as it's an old house and the original white paint has a clear yellow-ish tinge to it now.

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