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

Or be delayed

I think the big issue here is you ripped out a bathroom in a property you do NOT own without checking first with the owner, you had absolutely no right to do that!

I think most landlords would be pissed off with that to be honest, I own a few rental properties and I know I would.

A bit unreasonable OP. The landlord might have had plans to do it themselves to their tastes or they have been perfectly happy with what they had.

Fingers crossed they are understanding and I hope your move goes through ok.

Just to say, congratulations on your house purchase. That's very exciting, and I hope you are very happy in your new home.

This is the most bonkers thing I have read on here, and that’s saying something.

@Junkmail I had landlords in the past who didn't do inspections after the first one, however they had to do repairs and often decided to use the toilet.

Oh my goodness. I couldn't trust the quality of the work (he has no way of knowing if it's plumbed in properly!) and would be tempted to sue for damages in order to replace it properly. Did you not read your tenancy agreement?! Most of them say you have to ask for permission to put up a picture!

I'm going to pop next door to my neighbour's house in a bit. If I don't think his bathroom is up to scratch I might get some builders in to replace it with a nice shiny new one.

Do you think it'll be a problem. He seems like a reasonable guy?

This has to be a wind up surely. It's been years since I rented but, out of simple courtesy, we ran everything past the landlord. We wanted to repaint and he was over the moon, (ensured we weren't putting bright pink up on the walls), paid for the paint and let us crack on with it. It's just KNOWN that you don't make changes to anyones elses property without their permission.

You changed something as substantial as a bathroom! I mean, did you touch the plumbing? or the electrics? and if so, do you have the relevant safety certificates that may be needed for such work, especially when you are a landlord? I would retain your deposit and start legal proceedings against you for any future problems that may occur as a result of the work you have had done.

Another landlord here and I'd be furious too. Without repeating everything everyone else has said, you have likely breached your contract and he will have reasonable grounds for withholding all or part of your deposit.
I simply don't understand why tenants think that they can do whatever they like to a rental property?!
I like to think I'm a reasonable landlord, and if my tenants want to replace or redecorate something then they contact me and we discuss what and who pays etc. I'm happy if we agree paint colours etc and a professional to do the job. I'm less keen on DIY attempts.

You can't know that you have improved the property by what you've done. Your idea of improvement may not be the same as your landlord's.

When, exactly, do you intend to tell him??

I would retain your deposit and start legal proceedings against you for any future problems that may occur as a result of the work you have had done.

Exactly! And if I were her landlord, I would do the same. Shoddy plumbing can be a disaster in the making that may take years or months to raise it's ugly head.

When we rented we made improvements to the property, ie we changed the garden from fully slabbed to a nice lawn. But we did so with the full consent of our LL. He paid for the skip and all the new turf, we did the work. So other than time and labour it didn’t cost us anything but we had 12 months of enjoying a nice lawned area for the kids to play.
If I were you landlord I would be keeping your deposit but also suing for the cost of having the plumbing inspected and if you bought a cheap suite then also the costs of plumbing works for future repairs. What an utterly bonkers thing to do and a huge waste of money.

Did you namechange, wlevrta, or is this your first post on MN?

I can’t fathom why you didn’t ask?!

I’d be perfectly happy to discuss reno options with my renters, but I’d be extremely pissed off if they just went ahead and did it.

If I was legally able to keep your full deposit in this situation, I would. Not because I’m vindictive, but because my lack of involvement in the reno’s would mean I could only guess as to the quality of the work, and I’d resent having to use my own money to fix things you alone chose to do.

I'm beginning to think this is a wind up too.

Is there a guarantee for the work? Surely that should belong to the person who owns the property?

Unless the OP and who ever she lives with did the work themselves, in which case it's probably going to be even more of a disaster.

I replaced a carpet in my rental property without asking as I had damaged it and it was my own fault. I got ‘like for like’ (but obviously it’s brand new and the other one was very old but it is the same colour) and did not ask first but I told him afterwards. He was ok with it but I learnt a lesson to ask first really

Mmmmkay so we've established I'm a MASSIVE idiot with half a brain cell that didn't think of ANY of the points made prior to doing this.

Agree with everyone else. You cannot do renovations in a property you don't own without permission from the owner. You sound incredibly naive, and with more money than sense!

Well lesson learnt. Do not spend another penny. Keep it for your new house

Speechless.

@CornflakeMum NC

OP can you explain why on Earth it didn’t occur to you to ask?

@Copperbonnet I don't know I'm just stupid I guess

@StillSmallVoice Thank you

You have not redecorated ! It sounds like you have put in a whole new bathroom, with ZERO permission from the landlord. The property does not belong to you and the risk of damage does not belong to you ! How selfish. The landlord could keep your deposit and charge you for plumber inspection. If you rented a car, would you change the colour of it and take out the back seats without asking the rental company ? Madness !