Was I unreasonable to redecorate?

[wlevrta]

We have been in our rental property for almost three years.

However, we will be moving out in January/February.

We have redecorated the rental and I'm just hoping the landlord is going to be okay with it.

For context. The landlord bought the property as it was and made no improvements himself when he purchased it. The dining room wall was bright green! There was gaps between the laminate and the skirting board in the hallway. The bathroom taps were rubbish and water didn't come out very well. The toilet flusher didn't work properly.

It's not his home that he rents. He has numerous properties he rents out and it's his full time job.

Everything we have done to the property, imo, has improved it and everything has been done neutral.

We have put in a brand new bathroom and flooring.

Painting in the rest of the house, etc.

Do you think this will be a problem? He seems like a reasonable guy

Oops. That was supposed to be a bunch of flowers

Sorry about your loss

It doesn't sound sound like you had to spend too much then if it was just the bathroom suite and floor, we just used vinyl on our bathroom floor, cheap and easy to do and can be changed easily.

💐 OP. Do keep us updated, won't you? Let's hope your ll isn't like some pps.

@woollyheart "There seem to be a lot of landlords on here with pristine properties and who keep to the rules."

Yes, it's a shame we don't all conform to the stereotype of evil, money-grabbing scum the media and everyone would have you believe, isn't it?

Some of us are actually quite nice folk .

When my last tenants moved out they were buying a house and were concerned about the timing of it all as there were some problems. Although they had given notice, we came to an agreement that they could stay in the house at half-rent in return for allowing me to do some redecoration (they had moved half of their stuff out already).
It was a win-win for us both, as they didn't have to move in with friends/parents and when they did leave I had a newly decorated house, ready for the next tenant.

@CornflakeMum

It's lovely to hear that you are so accommodating- I am often in despair with awful places DS ends up in and has to move out of after 6 months because agent wants to hoist rent up. This is London though!

A question to landlords: when agents say that you have to pay 6 months rent upfront, who holds the money? Does that go straight to the landlord, or does the agent hold it and pass it onto the landlord month by month?

Just wondering - I don't mind so much if the landlord has it, as presumably it is so they avoid the risk of renters not paying month by month. Not so sure if I like it if the agent just gets to hold on to it.

The agent keeps it and hands it over a month at a time.

I rent out a property through an agent, however if it looked ok and was a good job was done, I don’t think I would be that annoyed. Surprised that you had spent money on my house, but I think I would see the funny side.

I think it’s going to depend on what they are like as a person.

As a landlord I’d be miffed if I wasn’t asked however as long as it’s been done properly I’d be ok with it.

We’ve been in your situation OP and the landlord was bloody delighted! Less work for him to do to re-rent

I think it's generally accepted that, if you've been in a property a couple of years it is likely that you would redecorate to your taste. In terms of the bathroom....yes, you should have asked permission first but hindsight is a beautiful thing. I'm quite surprised at the disgusting comments from posters referring to you as stupid?! You haven't told us how much you spent on the bathroom but you can pick cheap ones up for a couple of hundred quid. 'Throwing that money away' may have been preferential and more time/cost effective to you than finding another property, moving all your belongings and possibly paying more for rent for a better equipped property. I don't know your personal situation beyond what you have shared but even then I can completely understand why you did what you did. You may lose your deposit though unfortunately, no matter how much you may have improved the property. Good luck xx

Hope it all works out for you OP. It wasn't unreasonable to redecorate the bathroom but it was presumptuous to do so without asking the landlord first. I wouldn't have spent money on improving someone else's property, after all he's the one who will benefit from this, not you. OTOH if it was so bad that you couldn't live with it then in a way you have had the benefit of getting more enjoyment of the property iyswim. You live and learn. Enjoy your new property.

As a landlord, had I been asked in advance and not expected to pay, I would have been perfectly happy to give permission. Retrospectively, I think it really depends if I deem it an improvement or not!
My tenant wanted a new carpet and I found ones I was happy to pay for. She wanted something different so she paid the difference. It’s not my taste but I was happy to let her put it in.

The house next door is rented out. The owner lived there for many years before moving and did absolutely nothing to it (including cleaning). There have been a succession of tenants since who have all improved the house beyond recognition, at their own expense. I remember the first one dragging the suite out into the garden on day one and cleaning it thoroughly - there was a lovely light tan shade underneath the dark brown.... Decorating was done, curtains were replaced, roof and gutters repaired, the garden overhauled. I know that some of them didn't think to ask the owner first, but I can confirm he was very happy about it all.

Ive been in my rented property 9 years and since being here we had decorated all through. Had the garden done, landlord offered to do the fencing. We have recarpeted to our liking, replaced doors and handles. I should add we requested a new kitchen and the landlord paid for it all apart from the breakfast bar that i wanted which i paid for. Each time we did anything we asked and he is more than happy for us to do stuff to the house aslong as it doesnt involve tearing down walls etc.
He is a fab landlord is always fair and offers money towards things that improve the property, i scratch his back, he scratches ours.
Given that i will likely be here another 5 years at least whilst my daughter and 2 other children finish uni and school its my home and i like it to look nice and feel lile a home for my children.

As a landlord, I have had a tenant who „improved „ the property without permission. The remedial work came from her deposit. I have also had a tenant who asked permission to redecorate as she wanted a particular odd color (black or purple I think). We gave permission subject to her redecorating back to the original color at the end of the tenancy. Another tenant appeared to think that any rent should automatically be spent on changing the property as she wished. New kitchen, various flooring, lighting etc. if we refused an item it oddly got broken and had to be replaced almost immediately. She was very upset when we refused to renew her tenancy. So, there are reasonable and unreasonable landlords and the same applies to tenants imho. Certainly I think you’re unreasonable to have done work to (technically damaged) another person‘s property without their consent.

That's just batshit crazy ..why? Just why?

If the toilet was broken and the rest of the bathroom unusable, why didn't you ask him to fix it before doing it yourself?

When did he last visit, I doubt he would remember the old one. Good for you for making it your own.

Hi wlevrta, very sorry to hear of your loss.

I’ve been reading your post with interest please do let us know how your ll responds.

To all the people who resorted to derogatory comments and name calling, it’s really not the point of these forums. What’s more, to the landlords who seem to think people who rent properties are somehow lesser beings - they pay the mortgage, they keep the property from falling into disrepair (in this case improved it) and it is their home. A mistake does not make them any less of a person with feelings - there’s no need to be mean spirited or unpleasant. A simple “yes i’d withhold the deposit” was really all that needed to be said!

Wishing you all the best for the move and your new house.

Lots of people judging, telling you what might have happened and not answering your actual question. If the work is well done and an improvement on what you were living in beforehand then I'm sure he will be delighted. He might not say that out loud but if anything is going to make it easier for him to rent it out after you leave, then he'll be fine with it.
If you need to "package it" when telling him, simply remind him of what the house was like beforehand and how much more rentable it is now. If he even mentions taking you to court (which he won't) you can argue that you have actually increased the income potential for his property. (Assuming, as I said, the work was done well and complied with building codes.)

I have always been a renter, and I thought EVERYONE knew the rules - you don't make massive changes to someone's house without permission! Hell, I have even sought permission to put a picture hook up - and had it refused! I can just imagine the carnage that would have ensued had I ripped out the bathroom and replaced it! Now I have a landlord who I am fairly sure would not notice if I did gut the place and renovate it completely. It took him 3 and a half years to realise that the previous tenants had ripped out all the carpets he had fitted - at their request - when they moved in! He didn't do an inventory when I moved in. This landlord is both fabulous and a pain in the in equal measure! I could tell some stories about my previous landlords, though. Any one of those would sue without a hint of guilt or trying to be reasonable. I hope yours isn't one like that!

He will not mind, a new bathroom is OTT but as a renty myself if the bathroom was mank and I could I would. I decorated my house too, wallpaper and painting it was a wreck. My sis bought it and didn't change the internal it had been rented out for 20 years. As it is a long term lease at least I have nice walls. Some landlords rent the houses in a state.

It is nice to improve your home, you have to live in it even if it is a rental

I'm a bit worried about the safety of the hob that will only light one particular ring when you turn on another.

Having rented out two properties and experienced the kinds of tenants who trashed them disappeared owing rent I would be over the moon with you improving the place so king as all fittings were installed well. I had a good tenant with me for 19 years who repainted inside and outside over the years and I gave him a rent reduction for doing the work. So obvs I’m a pushover landlord 😁

Where is the old bathroom?
Presumably you’ve thrown it away, it belonged to the LL so essentially you have thrown away his property.
You might think you’ve improved the house and I’m sure you have but yiu cant just throw other people’s things away without permission?