Auld Yin

It's the lid, not the seat so tell them to live with it or fix it themselves. These things do/should not break unless someone sat/stood on it. While you may have to have it fixed if you get new tenants, I wouldn't give the sitting tenants the satisfaction.
There is a mentality with UK renters, particularly those in council housing, that minor repairs need someone to be called out to do it. I've read letters in newspapers that the "council" is called out when a faucet is dripping for the need of a washer.

AmyDavid

I am tending to agree with you - specially when they obviously broke it but won't admit it. Saying it just "fell apart" is mental.

Littletashy

At least now the boys don't have to lift it

Jay Bird

Did you have a Tenancy agreement drawn up prior to renting, stating that any breakages are the tenants' responsibility? Your agent should have done this on your behalf; it should state all the Do's and Don'ts and who is responsible for what, so I should check with them before replacing anything else that has mysteriously managed to break all by itself!

AmyDavid

Yeah I only thought about that today - so the agents are asking them again how it broke and then we will document it and take it out of their deposit when they bog off.

triumphguy

Caveat:

the problem with letting one dameged item go unrepaired is that "standards have slipped" and it's OK to let other things get damaged and go unreported, and it spirals downwards.

Jay Bird

Being the operative word....I also noticed another poster had referred to them as "sitting tenants"!