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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Too take my flooring with me when I move

53 replies

MotherofthreeDragons · 11/08/2013 12:36

Moving to a smaller property, it's an exchange, the house is in a nice area, but the property is in need of a lot of work, where as I have spent a fortune on mine (although I'm not claiming its perfect!)
I have not long put laminate flooring through out ground floor and carpeted upstairs, but the new house is in need of both.

I will also be paying the dreaded bedroom tax until I find a job down there (£130 per month) even though, I will not have an extra room Angry
So will have no spare money for decorating for quite a while.

Do you think I would be UR to take up my flooring and take it with?

I asked my land lord and they told me its upto me what I take or leave, but I really don't want to be 'that' person who takes everything including the light bulbs!

OP posts:
ChippingInHopHopHop · 11/08/2013 13:21

Did you lay it yourself? Does it look good & was it difficult to lay?

I am thinking about renting this place out and although the estate agents say the place is fine, there are a few things I want to do to make it nicer, replacing the kitchen floor is one of those things. I would like tiles, but on the the other hand - something that could be more easily repaired if damaged makes more sense.

Original poster
MotherofthreeDragons · 11/08/2013 13:23

I'm currently in housing A moving exchanging into a council house.
Yes, I will try to argue the ruling, even my landlord has said it's unfair as we will be just assigning each other the tenancies, and the London lady has a 3 bed tenancy. So providing she's fine with me taking the flooring, I'm sure she will let me photo copy her agreement.

I might explain to the other tennents about taking the flooring and suggest they buy it of me maybe? I wouldn't need as much in the new house.

OP posts:
CecilyP · 11/08/2013 13:25

No, I think that's fine, OP. Laminate floor is quite expensive and as it is fairly new you want to get the benefit of it. Kitchen shelves, OTOH, not so expensive and light bulbs dirt cheap.

I would also have a go at trying to get it re-classified even though you might find that, while most people today would regard it as and use it as a dining room, it was always classed as a bedroom - especially in older properties. It's definitely worth finding out though.

Original poster
MotherofthreeDragons · 11/08/2013 13:27

Thanks Julia

chipping yes, very easy and looks much nicer and easier to keep than vinyl tiles. It's not a bad price from ikea too and looks a lot more expensive than it cost.

OP posts:
NooothingMuma · 11/08/2013 13:39

I am planning to take my flooring when I move.

My tenancy agreement states that we must leave the house as we found it, so my nice floors, additional kitchen units, decking and patio, everything, will leave with us.

Landlord is another that won't do anything, even though I qualify for a free boiler upgrade, he won't allow the work to be done. Angry

twilight3 · 11/08/2013 13:54

re the light bulbs, since I was the one that said she should take them, it was only an expression in an attempt to show my frustration on OP's behalf for the bedroom tax and how high it is.

I thought it was clear Blush

WhereDoAllTheCalculatorsGo · 11/08/2013 13:59

cecily sorry, I didn't mean it was right, I just meant it is what people do. I left lightbulbs etc when I left my rented property. I know housing association housing officers professionally and I'm told that they remove lightbulbs/towel rails/toilet rolls etc from empty properties. God forbid that someone get something for nothing when they move in.

twilight3 · 11/08/2013 14:04

calculators, do these things (like towels rails) at least get used somehow or do they end up in the bin, in perfectly good order? Sad
I hate waste so much...

SofiaVagueara · 11/08/2013 14:09

Erm, the only thing is, as it's an exchange I assume it's social housing. Isn't it quite likely that the person moving in will not be in great financial position either? If you take the flooring will it still be habitable?

It sounds like the landlord won't replace the flooring so you could be leaving the person moving in in a real bind.

I think the fair thing to do would be to tell the exchangee that this is what you intend to do and then leave it up to them if they decide if they still want to go ahead with the exchange.

I think it would be very unfair to think that they were getting the house as seen then turning up to discover that there is no flooring and it has made it uninhabitable at worst, very uncomfortable at best.

It may well be the case that they could not afford to refloor either and will not want to go ahead in that case. But I think it's only fair you let them know rather than leaving them a nasty surprise which they haven't had chance to budget for.

WhereDoAllTheCalculatorsGo · 11/08/2013 14:12

The consumables get used in the offices, the rest is discarded. Sometimes Heath and Safety is cited; ifa towel rail that was in situ injured someone, the HA could be liable.
motherofthree, laws about housing with regard to things like eating space and overcrowding are Dickensian. The legal requirements for living space are shocking. Legally you are expected to use kitchens as sleeping areas if you try to claim that you are overcrowded or lacking in living space. See shelter
I used to be a local authority housing officer, I'm not now.

expatinscotland · 11/08/2013 14:14

Take the flooring! Chipping, anyone age 61 or over is exempt from bedroom tax so 80 year olds can stay put.

SofiaVagueara · 11/08/2013 14:20

They need to incentivise moving to smaller properties rather than penalising I reckon. Most of the worst under occupation is going to be old people who's families have grown up and left so if people over 61 are exempt it's not going to make that much difference.

However offer a nice little lump sum to move to a new build sheltered home. That would get a lot more under occupied houses out into circulation again.

VodkaJelly · 11/08/2013 14:23

SofiaVagueara the OP has paid for the laminate herself, why should she leave it behind for others to use then have to pay for some decent flooring in her new place? OP has said that the new place is in need of flooring anyway. So the old tenant hasnt spent any money on the other house by the sounds of it.

I live in HA and the houses I have moved into have NOTHING. Even the plugs from the sinks were taken, keys to the window locks were removed, light fittings ripped out etc etc. If I have pay to recitify it then I am bloody well taking it. Although I do leave lightbulbs and and sink plugs. But moving into council/HA i expect nothing to be left.

And yes, the council do remove anything left behind. Carpets, laminate, vinyl flooring, all gets binned.

Mia4 · 11/08/2013 14:27

It's yours, you paid for it, it's up to you-especially if you will need it. I don't think YABU, if the floor needs sorting, it's the landlords responsibility.

float62 · 11/08/2013 14:30

I agree with Sofia here. If it's a mutual exchange between you and the other tenant then you should agree it with her, otherwise if she has no idea that you're lifting up the floor she saw when she viewed your house, it would be a bit of a nasty shock to arrive and find it's gone. Usually people swap 'as is'.

Spikeytree · 11/08/2013 14:32

The HA will remove anything you have added to the house anyway.

IneedAsockamnesty · 11/08/2013 14:33

Float.

They do not normally swop as is, it would normally be expected that flooring gets removed.

SofiaVagueara · 11/08/2013 14:37

I'm not saying that she should leave it behind. Just that she should tell the new tenants that she is taking it and let them make their minds up whether or not they want to go ahead.

If they realize that they may have to shell out a large amount of money immediately after moving in they may decide they don't want to do it.

I just think it is unfair if they're not informed before they go ahead.

How would you feel if you thought you were moving to a house which was immediately habitable and in a good state of decoration and budgeted as such but then moved in and it was nothing of the sort and you had no funds to rectify it?

It's only fair to tell them. If they're fine with that then they can all go ahead. If not they can pull out.

Not telling them would basically give the message that the person doing it is aware that they would pull out if they knew and wants to pull the wool over their eyes.

They should be given the chance to be fully informed about what's happening so they can budget accordingly.

SofiaVagueara · 11/08/2013 14:41

That's not true sockreturningpixie, if there are things such as flooring and carpeting which are in a good state of repair they're left. They don't shell out to rip things up when they're in good nick.

SofaKing · 11/08/2013 14:42

Take it. I have friends who got a council house 10 years ago, the lady moving out was buying and agreed during the viewing to leave the carpets, which my friends were very grateful for as they were homeless.

Council employees stripped all the carpeting out to sell and left my friends and their two small dd's with bare boards. The council refused to do anything as they did not include carpets in the tenancy.

Your ll might decide the floor would do one of his other properties, and lift it anyway.

expatinscotland · 11/08/2013 15:09

No, they are not left. At least not in any council home I've seen or the HA we are in now.

SofiaVagueara · 11/08/2013 15:29

I had a council flat and the carpet was left even though the last 'tenants' had been squatters who had turned it into a drugs den.

Someone has just been kicked out of an HA property down the road from me and the housing officer was complaining that they would have to replaster and 'replace all the carpets' because they had 9 dogs in there.

When my Gran died we were specifically asked if we would leave the carpets and anything else we could because the new family moving in were likely to be very poor.

I can only think of one friend who's moved into a council or HA place (and there's been a few) who has moved in to bare floorboards. Some councils possibly do it but not in my experience.

Anyway, regardless, she should still tell them. If the HA get rid of the flooring that is between the HA and the new tenant. If the OP gets rid of it she should tell them so they can make an informed choice.

Dayshiftdoris · 11/08/2013 16:39

You've made me think as YANBU

I live in a shared ownership and whilst I would leave the flooring (because i have replaced what was there) I won't be leaving my light fittings, bathroom cabinets and the cooker (which are normally standard in shared ownership but was missing in mine)...

Hadn't actually considered anything else but now wondering if I will be allowed to take them?!

Dayshiftdoris · 11/08/2013 16:39

You've made me think as YANBU

I live in a shared ownership and whilst I would leave the flooring (because i have replaced what was there) I won't be leaving my light fittings, bathroom cabinets and the cooker (which are normally standard in shared ownership but was missing in mine)...

Hadn't actually considered anything else but now wondering if I will be allowed to take them?!

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