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

bluelady - i dont think it is tax deductable any more. plus she paid extra because she wanted higher quality ones. and most LLs wont do this because they know how some tenants treat carpets (sure the lady concerned is great but no guarantee she will stay there)

"And I don't understand why he'd react that way...

We have improved his property"

In your opinion.
"You may have affected his buildings/landlord insurance." Plus it could be to your taste. There's a reason rentals are usually kind of bland, so they appeal to more people than vivid colours etc would.

See, I am a landlord, and I did once agree to something being changed at tenants request. As it was done for their choice only, and not for need I didn’t offer to fully pay, but only go half’s.

They used a poor item and a poor contractor. It caused a LOT of issues that then cost me hundreds to fix (several times the cost of the fitting they wanted. Plus an additional £1500 to replace the bad item with a good one fitted by a competent contractor.

So what they thought was an improvement, initially only costing a couple of hundred ended up with me being out of pocket by thousands...

Not all landlords refuse all requests.. but some certainly wish they did! 😞

@dreamingofsun expenses, such as carpets, are still tax deductible. How much the LL would 'get back' depends on the level the LL is taxed at - so not necessarily 40%. What's no longer allowed is the general 10% wear and tear allowance, but actual expenses are fine.

To add to what flowergrrl77 said. The quality and workmanship would be my issue with a tenant doing things themselves or getting someone who I didn't know to do it.

I have people I always use when I need work done on my rented house. I've used them for a number of years and used to use them in my own home when I lived in the same area. I know they work to a good standard, they will come straight away to do work and I know I can leave them to do the work without supervision.

I don't want anyone else working on my property, it doesn't matter if they're qualified people or the tenant doing a bit of DIY. As the owner of the building it's up to me to decide who I want working on my property. If the tenant offers and the LL agrees to let them do it then the LL can't complain if it isn't done to a decent standard but the tenant has no right to just go ahead without taking to the LL first.

My parents once let a property to a couple that did improvements to the property. They did ask. They put in a new bathroom, kitchen and changed all the lights and switches. However everything was done really poorly and a bit bodged. It all ended up in a bit of a row when they left as my dad then noticed the extent to which their improvements would cost him to fix, so he kept the deposit. I felt a bit sorry for the tenants but dad's points were valid. My dad always seemed to let tenants decorate etc, and it always needed redoing when they left, but most of them stayed a few years, so I guess he let them put their stamp on it. It was some bloody awful colours over the years!

You were totally wrong to not ask!

The OP first posted on the 18th

Do you not think she's got the message now?

Who knows? Plus it's a discussion and the 18th is only 5 days ago! It's hardly a zombie thread.

Yeah basically landlord wanted really cheap carpets, we didn’t and we had enough money at that time to say so. It was the whole house and although we used a higher quality carpet it was by no means top end. We don’t know how long we’re staying, happy for now but not going to spend money better spent elsewhere on redecoration of a house that isn’t ours, regardless of how the landlord would feel.

We DO spend money on new sofas, maybe will get new cooker when the one we have finally dies on us (after several repairs lol), new fridge or freezer if and when needed. But a new bathroom? New kitchen? New anything other than what was there before we moved in, apart from the carpets lol, no bleeding no. The floor tiles in the cubby near the back door need replacement. I bought a mat to go over it, but not replacing it. Shower head needed repair, landlord sorted it. Toilet seat left broken upstairs after triple glazing upstairs windows...yup, landlord fixed as it is under fixtures and fittings.

I just didn’t want to live in a house with dog hair embedded in the carpets with a Young baby In the house as DS was at the time. And we wanted it done ASAP. :)

A relative is renting for the last 2 years with their fiancée and baby. They sometimes with agreement and sometimes without have changed significant parts of their rental. Sometimes they have been compensated but not always.

They are renting cheaply and have put in a cheeky offer in the hopes of buying. I'd imagine this will not happen.

They have returfed the lawn, done roof repairs, put in a new kitchen and bathroom, new flooring throughout and some built in wardrobes.

Everyone thinks they are nuts and keep telling the, this but they really see it as THEIR home.

Yes this thread has also taught me that most private landlords think they are a cut above and also think that anything a tenant does is shit

This has unfortunately been my experience of land lords. All about how much money they can squeeze out of the property without a thought for anyone else. I include family members in that.
There are probably some lovely ones out there but I'm yet to come across them.

DerelictWreck..... I'm having my bathroom done, it's the size of a postage stamp and costing £15,000. Nothing special but back to brickwork and new wiring.

I’m secretly hoping you’re my tenants and I’m going to find a lovely new bathroom in my property 😃
(But yes you are slightly bonkers ☺️)

Well yes it might be costing you that, Icanttakemuchmore but I some how doubt the OP's bathroom was done to that sort of standard.

The OP claims that the new bathroom is an improvement, we only have her word for that.

From her description of the bathroom, just about anything would have been an improvement.