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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to tell my tenants no after intially agreeing to something

44 replies

hockeyforjockeys · 26/10/2011 19:21

I rent a flat to a group to 3 girls who look after the place and pay the rent on time. They have been in the flat just over a year. About a month ago I went round to check the room of one of the girls who was moving out (relocating to another part of the country), and obviously the tenants brought up a couple of problems. The main one was the cost of changing the contract to the new tenant. I use a letting agent and they set the fee, I agreed with them that it was very high and I would talk to the agents about it. Having done so there is nothing I can do about it, apart from changing agents which having just paid out the fee to them I won't be doing for another year.

At the same time they asked for a new wardrobe as one of the rooms has a very small built in cupboard. As I was trying to appease them at the time over the agency I agreed to it. However on the way home I started to think that they were taking the michael a bit. They've been there for a year, so if it was a problem they should of said something when they initially moved in. I used to live in the flat and had a lodger in the room - they managed to fit all their things in. The current occupant has a lot of clothes - hence the need for another cupboard. I just feel that they should be buying this themselves.

I didn't do anything about it, hoping they'd forget, but I had an email today asking what was happening. AIBU to say no or am I just going to have to suck it up and buy the damn thing?

OP posts:
WreckOfTheBeautiful · 26/10/2011 19:23

YWBU to go back on your word now you've given it.

Peachy · 26/10/2011 19:25

Well seeing as you are going to have to say no to agency fees (they never back down IME) then the wardrobe is probably a decent way of meeting them half way tbh

NinkyNonker · 26/10/2011 19:26

I'd buy it, it doesn't have to be pricey.

slavetofilofax · 26/10/2011 19:27

You said you'd talk to the agent about the fee, and you did. It can't be changed so it can't be changed. They will just have to deal with it.

I would get them a new wardrobe if they are going to have to pay a lot for the change of contract, just as a good will gesture. But I would only get one of those frome things from Ikea that has a curtain over it.

aquashiv · 26/10/2011 19:29

Look out for one one freecycle. Personally I would attempt to get them one or set a budget and ask them to rather than go back on my word.

giyadas · 26/10/2011 19:29

As you've already agreed to it, I think you should stick to your word. They sound like good tenants. Going back on your word would only create bad feeling and they may decide that they would be better off with a LL that keeps their word.

Shutupanddrive · 26/10/2011 19:36

Buy it, have a look on eBay? Doesn't have to be new

Original poster
hockeyforjockeys · 26/10/2011 19:38

Ok so will go for cheap second hand option. Think they are going to moan though when they realise it's not new!

OP posts:
PrincessScrumpy · 26/10/2011 19:39

Get one of those fabric wardrobes from Argos for £50 ish and say you've spoken to the agent like to said but there is no way round it. I would expect the girl who's leaving to pay for the changes.

OP posts:
WreckOfTheBeautiful · 26/10/2011 19:44

Those canvas wardrobes are a sack of shite. You put more than 3 items in and they fall apart. If I was your tenant I would def prefer something of better build quality from a charity shop, even if it was a bit scratched etc.

EricNorthmansMistress · 26/10/2011 19:52

Is it furnished? If so, YABU. If it's an unfurnished tenancy then they can whistle. I have one of those 'canvas' wardrobes by the way, it's fine for what we use it for which is storage of clothes we don't wear often rather than everyday use. I think it might fall apart if used every day.

Bogeymanface · 26/10/2011 19:53

Ask anyone who has had shit tenants whether the good ones are worth the cost of a wardrobe!

There are alot of decent ones on ebay at good prices, those canvas ones are rubbish, you would be better using the cardboard box for storage!

Original poster
hockeyforjockeys · 26/10/2011 19:57

Believe me if it was unfurnished I would have said no straight away! Just bid for a £20 wooden one on ebay so hopefully that will do the trick.

OP posts:
AnaisB · 26/10/2011 20:02

It's not really relevant that your previous tenant could fit his stuff in. You've agreed to something (relatively small) so you would BU to not go through with it. I just don't think it's worth creating the bad feeling or potentially losing good tenants.

FredFredGeorge · 26/10/2011 20:03

I think you would be crazy to annoy your tennants for the cost of the wardrobe, you're already annoying them by choosing letting agents who appear to do nothing for you (if they're as expensive as you acknowledge, why are you going to check the flat?) You want your tennants to carry on paying on time, to carry on looking after the place, and to carry on living there without any gaps. Losing a couple of months rent when they move out because they won't let people in to see the place and leave it needing work after they've gone will cost you a lot more than a wardrobe and an agency fee.

Unless your property is particularly desirable and cheap you're lucky they're not saying you pay to change the contract or we'll leave. Especially if they've already been there over a year and haven't wanted to just let it roll over to an AST - who paid fees then?

Original poster
hockeyforjockeys · 26/10/2011 20:11

The change of contract is because one of them wanted to move out after having agreed to another 12 months, so she broke it and a new one along with reference and financial checks needed to be done. Therefore the cost fell to them, I only spoke to the agency as I didn't want pissed off tenants. I only pay the agency to do the paperwork side of things (like this), I manage it day to day. They are getting a good deal as it is in zone 2 London, in a decent area, at a rent that is cheaper than what I know friends are paying for similar places, and I haven't put the rent up since they moved in, despite rents going up a lot in London recently.

OP posts:
DirtyBat · 26/10/2011 20:15

I would have said it is not your responsibility to provide an extra wardrobe, however since you have already agreed it would be unfair to go back on your word.
The one you have found is fine, or something like this?

WreckOfTheBeautiful · 26/10/2011 20:17

I know full well IABU now, but this thread has made me a bit cross. I can't believe you are begrudging £20 for providing your tenant a wardrobe in their furnished flat. I know...you're not a public service...blah blah. IABU. But it's £20 for hardly a luxury piece of furniture.

Birdsgottafly · 26/10/2011 20:22

If you have a Lidl by you, you can get a double canvas wardrobe for £17. I used a 'compassionate' payment to get some last week for a struggling family.

Shakey1500 · 26/10/2011 20:24

YABU. It's a wardrobe, not replacing a boiler. You said you'd buy it and you should stick to it. Like they agree to pay the rent and stick to it.

EllaDee · 26/10/2011 20:29

You agreed to the wardrobe, and you (I assume) set the rent for a reason. It's not realistic to expect tenants to be grateful for a low rent - they will have chosen within their budget and will assume you've set the budget for a reason.

My landlady has just told us we must pay resign fees to the agency although she manages the place day-to-day, so it's obviously a very similar situation. As a tenant, I find agents' fees a total rip-off PITA, but not your fault. You didn't need to excuse it to your tenants IMO.

hwjm1945 · 26/10/2011 20:31

YABU - I have tenants in my flat and they ahve been ther efor 2 nearly 3 years, they are paying about 100 quid per month under the odds, but they are decent, pay on time, leave v polite text messages infomrng me of post for ma and bring it round to me, the ynever complain unless justified, they look after the place and frankly, having seen and heard the horro stories you can get, a 100 quid wardrobe is a good investment! Also, how would you feel if the ysaid the ywould pay extra rent and then changed their minds on the way home and said no? Seems v unfair of you. If you want more rent, and that is what this is reallt about, then kick them out adn havea void period and take your chances woth new tenants

lurkerspeaks · 26/10/2011 20:33

You should stick to it.

You said you would buy a wardrobe so you have to.

However do you really want to buy something cheap......... my landlord has just had to replace two year old sofa's as the previous tenants trashed them and I notice from the instruction box in the flat that he has had to replace the washing machine twice in 4 years......but keeps buying cheap ones....so the one that is currently here has an intermittent fault and is awaiting a washing machine repairman.

My friends have decent quality sofas in their rental flat (rented to students too, not namby pamby professionals) which are > 7 years old and still look fine. The washer dryer (ergo more likely to go wrong) in the flat I own but no longer live in (long story) is 10 years old and has survived years of tenants with no problems whatsoever (touch wood).

Original poster
hockeyforjockeys · 26/10/2011 20:36

I'm not begrudging them! I am going out to buy them one having been told that it would be u to not do so. So I'm doing it. On my side I've had a few requests along the way about changing furniture because it doesn't fit in with them anymore (having been happy when they intially moved in), I've always said I'm happy for them to get rid of it and get something they do want, and I will simply delete it from the itinerary. i replaced a broken washing machine within 2 days, I've paid for emergency plumbers, electricians and pest controllers when needed (and the pest problem was their fault, I still paid anyway to keep them happy). I don't expect to be seen as an amazing landlord, as I think it is my duty to do all this, but I do resent being made out to be some tight-arsed money-grabbing sod.

OP posts: