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

I think it’ll be fine OP. I think a lot of posters are just outraged that you spent your own money to improve some else’s property. But if you thought you’d be living there for a long time it’s understandable that you’d want to make it a nice home. I really doubt that the landlord will kick up a fuss, and if he does he’s just money grabbing.

You say that you loved your flat and thought you'd be staying for years, then you list a number of problems that make it difficult to understand why you wanted to stay.

Can you tell us who did the plumbing on your bathroom?

I’m not sure why you are asking mn for views as you seem adamant what you have done is ok? You shouldn’t have updated it without permission. I’m sure he will be pleased but could pretend he’s not to be awkward on the deposit. I understand you wanted to make the house nice but I agree it is madness to invest your money and time into someone else’s property. Why didn’t you just make do and save up your money to buy a house?

I think only your LL can answer your question. But I would be prepared for him to ask for information about warranties on anything you've replaced, and possibly even having a plumber come in and check over the new bathroom. This cost will almost certainly come out of your deposit. The new bathroom might LOOK better, but it also needs to be safe for future renters. He may also want you to pay to change the locks if you gave keys to any of the installers.

Yes, because peach bathroom suites with limescale encrusted taps are so sought after and valuable. It probably cost OP more to have it taken away than it was worth.

A suggestion: If you love the place you could ask the LL if he wants to sell it to you.

If he was an arse he’d keep your deposit as you’ve gone against the terms of your contract. You know you should have asked him first, but what’s done is done

I'd be more worried about what could happen next, never mind the deposit. One of our previous neighbours rented his home foe 12 years. From an old guy who only came to inspect once a year. The guy couldn't keep up on things but neighbour been in the trade asked verbal permission to put in new bathroom new kitchen and repaint, LL said that it was fine, no paperwork trail whatsoever. Then he also gave permission for him to landscape garden and put up a shed the same way. The LL past away and the house was left in will to his estranged nephew. All documents the LL has were given to him but none contained evidence of permission. New landlors paid him a visit to do a check and an inventory only to find out what had been done. He served an eviction notice which was upsetting enough but then neighbour was informed they had original photos and didn't believe he had permission to do the work. They took it to court and he was ordered to pay nearly 30 Grand. To revert the property. Judge said it didn't matter whether the landlord hadn't maintained it, that replacing it wasn't an option and had he had permission it should have been recorded and in the end it bankrupted him. He claimed that the kitchen and bathroom were new when he moved in and we "period" design. Neighbour confirmed that they indeed looked old but were actually 60s style made to look old. The one thing that clenched it though was the fact that there had been a cast iron bath. Despite the fact it had leaked through light sockets and was making the floor beneath it bow and sag because of the weight. The cost alone of the bath made the judge decide to file in favour of new LL.

Ultimately you can't change anything unless you have it in writing from landlord. Most would pursue for this whether they are good people or not, it's an insult. Just ask and chances are they'd have updated them but to rent someone's home and change it without permission is out of order.

I'd be secretly delighted as long as it was done to a good standard. Did you do it yourself op or have´you got invoices?

I think you could be in trouble, depending on your landlord. He has every right to withhold your deposit, and possibly sue for more, if that would not cover cost of restoring house to previous state. You absolutely should not have put the bathroom in, without seeking permission. As already said, it could in validate insurance. If there was an incident, and insurance didn’t pay out because of alterations, guess who the landlord would be chasing to cover the cost of the claim?

If you didn't get his permission, in writing, to make the changes then you can bet he'll use it as an excuse not to give you your deposit back even if the house is much better now.

I got permission and painted my rented flat - still lost my deposit as he claimed to have painted it white again after I left. Complete lie of course but then he was an utter git of the highest order - as was every landlord I ever had. Last one I had asked us to do tours for all prospective buyers and we had the house professionally cleaned when we moved out. Tried to withhold deposit for a completely fictitious ‘ink spot’. These were the days before deposits went into accounts.

As a landlady myself,you should have asked about the bathroom,that is a major alteration.However,if it has improved the property,I'm sure there wont be a problem.He would have to be very mean to withhold your deposit,which should be held in a scheme anyway.Im sure he will be fine.

We rented for 14 years before we recently able to buy and imho you are either incredibly wealthy, bonkers or indeed both. The point in renting is you don’t have this kind of expense and it’s someone else’s problem. Why on earth didn’t you report any issues to the landlord? And I’m assuming you actually saw the property before you rented it and therefore were privy to the condition and decoration? As others have said he is within his rights to withhold your deposit and if I were him I would do exactly that. We left some crumbs in a drawer once and were charged a £50 cleaning fee.

I don’t see how the landlord would have a problem with.

But, putting a new bathroom? What a mug!!

OP I would do the following:
1 Check your deposit is protected in one of the approved schemes - if not you can sue the landlord for 3 x the deposit

1. Say nothing to the landlord
2. If the landlord withholds your deposit, contest it. But accept you may lose it.
3. Don't leave a forwarding address

It sounds as if you have improved the property so good luck to you

Yikes. I have successfully feathered somebody else’s nest. It’s hard to tell whether or not he would be OK with this. He may keep your security deposit because he likes the green coloring/everything as it was. You just never know. I also rent a house. If something needs to be done/or if I would like something done, I check with the property managers. They also own a few other properties that they rent out. Luckily, they are OK with me hanging pictures and decorations all over the house. In your case, you wasted a lot of money on a house that’s not yours. Just my personal viewpoint.

I cannot find the edit button, LOL. I meant to say that you have successfully father to somebody else’s nest.

It’s going to totally depend on your landlord. However much you might feel you’ve done them a favour, it wasn’t up to you.

All my landlords have been thrilled with work we’ve done to houses, were in the north though, everyone just tends to be a bit more chill up here. We’ve always ran it by them though

Also, we improve rentals because we live there and we want it nice. I know a lot of people see rentals as a stop gap but I have absolutely zero intention of buying a home in the uk and it seems (tbf in real life just as much as on here) other people have more of a problem with that than I do. I won’t be in this country when my kids are older so why would I want to buy property here? I still want my kids to grow up in a nice house with nice things!

Not quite sure why you are asking now.

For those asking why you put in new stuff, I get why. My brother questions me as to why I dont. And that's probably because he is in social housing whereas I'm a private renter. I

So, I wouldn't in my rental. That's because the landlord has stipulated that we are not allowed to. There's lots that need fixing but he doesn't seem to care. He'll have to spend £££s to get it suitable for the next tenants. Saying that, it is cosmetic and not significant Or construction work.

When you'r a landlord you have a certain way of doing things for a reason, even if the reason may not immediately be obvious to others. Some years ago, we spent weeks removing woodchip wallpaper and then spent a fortune on having all the walls replastered and painted, only for out tenants to put wallpaper up without asking. I could have screamed. The paper wasn't to everyone's taste and we knew we'd have to remove the whole lot when the tenant left.

Another tenant asked if she could put down laminate flooring in the kitchen. We said yes, as long as it was suitable for kitchens and fitted professionally etc. Unfortunately a few months later when she left, water from her washing machine hose flooded the kitchen and warped the (not suitable for kitchens) laminate. So we were without flooring.
It is all well and good wanting to make "improvements" but your landlord has to be in agreement and involved in the process.

I think people are being a bit harsh - suggesting that if you were a landlord you would keep the deposit, sue, charge to refit.... why do we all feel the need to get one over on someone else all the time - and mainly based on principle rather than the reality of the situation / quality of the work. I hope I never have to rent from you meanies!

It sounds like the place was in bad condition and improvements have been made in good nature, I would also say that a switch out of a bath, taps, sink and a toilet isn't massive work - and hardly likely to cause massive implications on what sounds like a pretty dire existing bathroom. Paying money on a rental? Sound madness - but in other countries people do put in their own kitchens and bathroom as the norm. So dont make her feel awful and alien for wanting to make her place a nicer place to live

As others have suggested - I would suggest waiting until you exchange on your new place before giving any notice. And then when you do, tell the landlord that you have freshened up the place with new fittings and decoration - which should help to rent the place quickly and hopefully at a higher price.

If you lose the deposit - then surely the emotional benefits of your nicer conditions outweigh this cost anyway.

Who knows maybe the landlord will love the idea that his place may now be easier to rent!

We had tenants who replaced the bathroom. We were a bit , but OK. We moved back in and discovered that they had just slapped the new tiles on the old, and water had got between the two and leaked into the flat downstairs. We had to rip out and replace the bathroom and pay for the damage to downstairs.

So it may look lovely, but...

Technically you were meant to ask permission. It's your home but it's his house.

I'm a landlady and would be troubled if a tenant redecorated without asking. Having said that, my rental properties are immaculate, modern and refurbished to a high standard.

Many years ago a close friend was in rented accommodation. The place was a mess. She got it cheaply because of this and set about redecorating without asking her landlord.

He was so impressed when he inspected the house six months later he let her off a months rent as she'd saved him the bother.

You never know, you may get some money towards the refurbishment!