To ask if our tenants' request is reasonable?

[TrickyD]

Tenants have just moved in to our two bed terrace house which was let as furnished. They have requested, via the agent, that we remove the bed from the second bedroom as they have a 6 month old child; they want the room as a nursery, and apparently " their furniture will be arriving soon".
We live 90 miles away, so bringing the bed here, storing it and probably taking it back for the next tenant is a pain.
The bed was there when they viewed. Would it be reasonable to ask them to deal with it themselves and replace it at the end of the tenancy, or should we just suck it up and drive over and fetch it? DH prefers the latter "to keep them sweet".

[Ditsyprint40]

[Ditsyprint40]

Cheers tricky 🍷

[YelloDraw]

o the person who suggested we were being petty not to want to transport a bed which was clearly part of the let, and which was not queried at the outset, 90 miles away, store it and return it later, I would say ODFOD

And I'd say ODFOD yourself. It's no more polite putting it as an acronym you know. FT. You choose to manage a property 90 miles away. Deal with doing a bit of work now and again. You might find it pays dividends when you need to do something that inconveniences your tenant.

Having been both a LL and a tenant, I can't even believe that a professional LL posts on MN for advice. And if you're aren't prepared to act like a professional LL, get out of the game. Like I said before, it is not hassle free income.

BTW so good of you to make the arduous journey to remove the previous tenants rubbish. Like you are doing the current tenant a favour... FFS.

[TrickyD]

Yes, Ditsy, all fine thanks . Have some more

[Ditsyprint40]

(Ps. I haven't RTWT - I blame wine). Hope situ is resolved!

[Ditsyprint40]

This happened to us (but from other angle). Agent told us furniture in certain rooms could be removed, landlord said no when we turned up on move in date. Check what the agent may have agreed.

[TrickyD]

Did you really not read that the situation had been resolved? I can't imagine why you want to prolong this thread.

[user1478551766]

Did you really need mumsnet help to work out that its ok for tenants to want to put a cot in their babies room, and remove a bed?
It's a standard request for a landlord, and not a difficult situation by any stretch.

[Bluntness100]

Sorry, cross posted, but the agent did the right thing,

[Bluntness100]

This is unreasonable. They should have asked before renting, say yes, but they have to remove it, store it and put it back in by the time they leave.

[TrickyD]

Thank you to everyone who has given advice and opinions on this.

We visited today, checked the electrical work had been completed and took away the rubbish left by the previous tenants in the outside storage cupboard.

I am not going to change agents. We have found them to be perfectly satisfactory and diplomatic with previous tenants. I will not be hunting around for others just because one employee failed to pass on a message. Indeed she says she had emailed them informing them of our intention to visit, but received no response to say it would or would not be OK, until yesterday when we pressed for an answer and contact was made.

They seem sensible people, the woman and baby have not moved in yet, the husband is a surgeon so probably busy, hence not returning agent's emails or being easy to catch on the phone.

The agent has told them that they are responsible for storing the bed, the cellar is an option but it must be returned in its current condition, and they do not have carte blanche to remove any other items. The deposit would cover a replacement bed, though I do not anticipate it coming to that.

To the person who suggested we were being petty not to want to transport a bed which was clearly part of the let, and which was not queried at the outset, 90 miles away, store it and return it later, I would say ODFOD.

Thanks again, the situation seems resolved. If any other problems arise, I will come back for helpful advice from most of you, and give others an opportunity to deliver a good kicking.

[LittleWingSoul]

Being a tenant with a young family can be hard enough as it is - many of us are not renting through choice, so anything to make the relationship a pleasant and respectful one is welcome, IMHO.

A little bit of compromise goes a long way!

[YelloDraw]

I just thing being petty (and that is what you ARE being by refusing to move it because it is slightly inconvenient for you) is not a good way to a good LL T relationship.

Renting out flats/houses is NOT effort free money, you do have to deal with things and use some of your time to do so!

Having been both a LL and a T I appreciate good Ts, and good LLs... And eihter side being petty is shit.

[w12newmum]

Just read your updates and sounds like a typical landlord (not a good thing) - blame the agent and let the tennent continue to messed about as it's out of your hands. But it's not as the agent is your represent is. Your tennents sound reasonable and accomodating (especially if they are paying rent before you have cleared out from last tennent) - I hope you deal with future issues of repairs and returning deposit better.

[YorkshireLass2012]

We asked at the beginning of our tenancy for some furniture to be removed which our LL was fine about. But he did make it clear that any future requests would entail us pitching in with costs to remove the furniture (not ongoing storage costs) which I think was fair enough.

[w12newmum]

But you say the agent has agreed? Having rented via agencies I am pretty sure they often agree and promise things without checking with landlord. You also say they agents didn't give tennent much notice about your message - maybe the problem is the agency not the tennent?

[Karoleann]

No, I don't think you should move it. Just say that you don't have anywhere to store it and leave it at that.

[itsmeyouknow]

I would check the tenant didn't have the conversation with the agent earlier who is only passing the request onto you now. Like others I'd say you're renting a home to people you hope will stay for the long term so you'd expect a bit of come and go. Also people who care about the furniture and space are more likely to look after your home. I'm with your husband on this one. Any other requests that come later are v different and you don't need to agree just because you did this one.

[Velvian]

tenants

[Velvian]

If an agent showed them the property; they could have requested that the bed was removed before they accepted the tenancy. The agent may have indicated it would probably be fine and then not told you in the hope the remnants would remove it without formally requesting to do so & then it would not be their problem -I say this having rented properties managed by agents in the past.

[RainbowDashian]

I have rented two furnished houses with a baby/toddler. Both times prior to moving in the Landlord/letting agent asked us if we wanted the bed removed out of the room they'd be sleeping in. Both times I said yes.

If you aren't willing to take the bed out, you shouldn't have agreed to have a family with a baby/toddler in.

[opinionatedfreak]

Removing furniture at the beginning of a tenancy is quite common. I would consider removing the bed - you have a vested interest in keeping it undamaged. They don't.

Be aware of your agent. I rented with a poor agent - it was miserable and it cost out LL loads as the work they organized was all substandard.
Gloopy messes of wood filler on window frames, knocking out (and not replacing without prompting ) the backs of kitchen cupboards when sorting out a plumbing leak, a bathroom light switch that persistently detached from the ceiling.

They also gave out key out to tradesmen without permission resulting in my flatmate waking up to find a strange man in her bedroom (she was on nightshift).

It was a premium property but every appliance that broke was replaced with the cheapest thing from Argos eg 14 year old Neff dishwasher replaced with a cheap one, wrong size of Fridge freezer put into the gap in the kitchen. Meaning that in the two years we were there it lurched downhill in appearance and rental appeal (and when you are paying >2k a month for a 2bed you expect reasonable appliances).

Oh and rental agency specifically paid for Saturday delivery to make waiting in for the appliances our problem (they were closed on saturday) without asking us if this was ok.

Then they tried to withhold our deposit.

[donajimena]

Sorry but I think if you go and view a property that is furnished you have to use your loaf and decide if it meets your needs BEFORE you take the tenancy.
I rented a three bed bed property and the only room that the cot bed fitted into was the master bedroom so I took the smaller bedroom. It didn't even cross my mind to ask the landlord to remove the bed in the smaller room because it was there when I viewed it.
In my current house there was a hideous sideboard in situ when I viewed it. I asked BEFORE I moved in if it could go. Which it did

[Joinourclub]

Sounds like s reasonable request to me. They needed a furnished place, but how many furnished places come With a cot? Seems quite understandable that they would take a fully furnished place and then buy their own cot. What's their other option, buy non furnished and then buy ALL new furniture? They are asking now because they know you are visiting and they hope it might be convenient for you to remove the bed at the same time. If you can accommodate their request then say yes. If you are going to be there anyway can you package and store it in the cellar?

[differentnameforthis]

We could suggest they store it there, with the proviso suggested by Spot that it should be replaced if not suitably wrapped up, by which I mean the mattress, the frame should be OK. Seriously? You want to ask them to store it in a cellar you know to be damp, with the potential to ruin the mattress, but then expect them replace it when if it gets ruined?

That's taking the piss op!

If you want it stored there, YOU go and wrap it, and suss out the storage area to see if it is likely to cause an issue or not. But the burden on them to replace it when they have no control over the storage area is a bit much.