To think that if you private rent your life should not be dictated to by the landlord whose mortgage you are paying

[Nursejackie1]

So many of us are stuck in private renting with no choice paying over the odds, while landlords are making a mint. Most landlords have all these rules that you can’t decorate without permission, can’t even put a wall hanging up without asking. Often can’t or need permission to have pets, have regular inspections. I pay loads for my home and due to that cannot save a deposit. My kids have never had their bedrooms decorated in the way I would like.. having to stick with plain magnolia. Why should somebody else decide whether my kids get to grow up with a family pet or not? AIBU to think that if you are paying somebodies mortgage for them then while you are in that house you should be able to treat it as your own within reason and not have your life dictated to and controlled by them?

I don't really understand why people shouldn't make money from housing, they make money from food, water and heating. Why should housing be exempt from this?

It's all very well LL posting about how reasonable they are, allowing pets and so on, but that's not what the OP is fed up about, is it?
Like me, she wants the building she pays rent on, to feel like home. And it doesn't. Many, many LL don't allow it and no amount of respectful 'asking nicely' or trying to stick vinyl decals on to glossy artex will change that!

I also think YABU. They're not dictating your life to you, they're merely making some rules to keep the property which they own in good condition.

I don’t particularly have an issue with people making money out of housing.

It’s the vast quantities that can be made while doing very little on the back of nothing more than having the deposit that I think is unfair.

I’m a tenant and I lived in this house for a year before asking the landlady if we could have a dog. She said yes as we keep the house nicely and she trusts us not to damage anything. I think it very much depends on the relationship with your landlord.

I actually think you're not being unreasonable. As long as the property is done to a decent standard and returned to plain colours at the end I honestly don't see the problem. I rented a council house for years and did all sorts.

Why do people say just move like thats so cheap?! Scraping another months rent upfront, sometimes 2 months! A deposit which is the same amount as the rent and that's just the cost if its private, if its through an agency their fees are ridiculous! OP i dont care if this sounds bad but if the landlord hardly comes round then just decorate! At the end of the day I guarantee that when you choose to leave they will soon find problems to try and keep as much of the deposit possible anyway!! If you don't want to go ahead and decorate which yes may be bad advice but looking at the bigger picture its about making your children happy and it's not a crime, it's abit of decorating then why don't you get wall stickers maybe, nice rugs, posters etc. It's noones fault that we rent but people saying well if you'd have done this bla bla bla well isn't hindsight a funny thing!!! There should be more guidance! As naive, young and irresponsible whatever as this sounds I met my partner early twenties, both worked full time, both got whisked away with the excitement of setting up a life together and living together etc so we rented, had someone just said maybe its a good idea to save before you rent as once you rent it will be really difficult to get a house we would have listened but we were blind to it all, how were we meant to know if no-one ever pointed this out, you don't get taught this at school! Sorry if that makes us thick for not knowing it ourselves. The people saying well if you had planned your life differently etc-youre only saying that because you are in a position to say it, like I said hindsight!!! It's the same for anything, someone's upset because they are fat and need to lose weight, well Karen if you had not have ate all those cakes 5 years ago you'd be thin now! Had I settled down when I was older I would have realised it is best to save first but I didn't know this when I was younger and I couldn't help when I met someone and settled down.

DDIJ, that's because the OP mis-quoted the post.

I sort of agree, sort of dont.

The rules are so people dont make the place unrentable, which I understand.

I've always said to landlords that I'd like to decorate, I'll paint it magnolia before I leave- true to word I did and had carpets professionally cleaned before leaving.

New house, our landlord says, I'd prefer no pets. But we settled that any damage a dog does we will fix (he knows DH was a builder so is happy) plus have promised to have carpets cleaned when we leave. If the landlord knows you're taking care of the place and when they get the keys back itll be in a rentable condition they're generally really good about decorating etc.

I will say my current landlord is an absolute star, and I know not everyones quite as lucky but there is usually some sort of wriggle room.

Wonder when the legislation will become more equal and tenants who refuse to pay rent will be evicted quicker without it costing the LL thousands and months of legal trauma.

At the moment Shelter are fighting that tooth and nail. They have more pro-tenant changes that they want put through first. Landlords are looking at having to become far more guarded, maybe even more involved to ensure that they don't end up with huge sums of money unpaid if they are unlucky enough to get a shite tenant.

I've posted the stats on who ends tenancies when before (quite a few times) but the new laws won't address the real issues landlords and tenants have with the system. Those stats are something like 90+% of all tenancies are ended by the tenant and the majority of the remaining 10% ended by landlords owed thousand in rent. So the proposed changes won't affect many tenancies at all!

Had Shelter been more open in their research, stepped outside of London and a couple of other larger cities they coudl have pushed for far better, more effective law changes that would have made a much bigger, better impact for all.

The reason that we can't paint (interior decoration) is because the contract states it is the landlords' responsibility. But still the agents pull a sad face and say that they would have expected us to do so. My landlord owns the property outright - it is on a private estate and he is a peer of the realm.

It should have been done before we moved in. At a guess hasn't been done for over 10 years. I am not doing it at my own expense in addition to paying rent. And then being allowed to do it again! Interior decoration is the landlords responsibility.

The agents want us to do it even though it is not our responsibility and think we will be incentivised if it looks crap (damp stains, paint peeling etc). The agents would just use it to charge the next tenants higher rent. Or they would try to charge us higher rent if/when the contract was renewed based on work we had done at our own expense. The only way to avoid extortionate rent increase is to leave it looking crap!

External repairs are also not done - think rotting wooden window frames and sills due to not painting. 9 months to fit a new garage door (no door in the meantime). 18 months to fit a new back door to replace the rotted interior door that had been fitted etc. (Multiple emails to the agents, at least 3 visits to cost).

We are looking to buy and have a deposit (at least 20%) but the number of properties available to buy is dwarfed by the number of properties advertised to rent. Most to buy properties are new build. Don't get me started on the way help to buy impacts on unrealistic prices in the rest of the market.

Meh. Every landlord I've ever had owns several properties outright. Current guy has around 5 that he bought way back when. Inspections have either been quarterly (2mins & minimal to say the least) but not at all with this LL. I've decorated at least one wall in all of them with permission, to break up the magnolia & have a cat. (you say it's 'a stray you feed occasionally' if anyone sees it). You can hang pictures as long as you use filler & paint over on departure. Or use removable picture strips.

DDIJ it was at 10.15am, from thisisacrazyidea.

I agree, OP. Renters should be allowed to LIVE in a house, not just exist. A reasonable contract with expectations/responsibilities spelled out on both sides should be enough to allow you to paint if you want to, or hang a picture in the bathroom! This makes me so angry-- for crying out loud!! Renters are people. People have lives. They don't rent your house so they can creep about carefully, being sure not to bump walls or whatever. Renters don't pay rent for the privilege of keeping your house as a museum piece. If you are that precious about the house don't fucking rent it out.

KeepOnKeepingOnAgainandAgain how long are you going to live there? It is no good for your MH to live in a run down place you hate. We moved into a dump and started painting it before we unpacked. Don't spend years with peeling paint/wallpaper/mold etc.; move or change it. It will be like the sun coming out.

When I've rented, I've been able to have a pet (after seeking permission) and decorate (on the proviso that I magnolia over it when I leave). Which seems pretty standard.

Those posters who say that there should be more guidance around about buying a property, can I just ask, where did they get their information and guidance about renting a property?

This thread really saddens me. The attitudes on here reflect pretty accurately why this country is in such a mess.

On the one hand "all landlords are capitalist scum" and on the other "all tenants are feckless wasters who must have made bad c hoices" (and before anyone jumps on me I'm not quoting directly from pps but reflecting the tone of the discussion).

We're all human. Life isn't perfect and sometimes you end up in a situation you never would have envisaged.

I know it's probably incredibly naive and idealistic but it seems impossible to have reasoned debate these days without it descending to the level of insults and name calling. Can't we just be civil to each other even if we don't hold the same views.

I have been both a tenant and a home owner and there are good and bad landlords and tenants.

I also agree with the OP that just because you rent doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to feel that you have a home.

I agree OP, it's all very well people saying it's temporary accommodation, not your property blah blah but I just don't buy that when rents are so high. That argument might wash if landlords were charging bare minimum rent but they don't. Yes, you are doing the landlord a favour in many ways, though it is not by choice. The landlord should not be dictating every little thing when you are paying good money to be there.

feellikeanalien it's all very well saying we are all human but yes that is a little idealistic because there is a huge power imbalance between the renter and the landlord. The clue is is the name lord.

My son is a landlord and will let his tenants do what they like decoration wise as long as it improves the property, one tenant has a dog which my son agreed to and the house is immaculate, they are long term renting, the other house he agreed to let the tenants have a dog and cat that they already had, but they have abused it and got dogs cats rabbits and a hamster, and the house has gone downhill, he has let them stay because if he had to evict them and get new tenants he would have to start from scratch, when the time comes he will sell it, but it will be worth doing up then
It is a shame that pets are not allowed,up to a point, but its the abusers that spoil it for others
I think your landlord is being unreasonable ,could you ask if he would agree if you put your plans before him and see if he would agree,

Bluntness what a nasty post. And very telling too especially in light of the other thread we are on.

Some people have to do the jobs you intimated.

I bet you wouldnt refuse treatment from a nurse because they cant afford to buy a house. Perhaps they should take your advice and all quit.

Feminist my arse.

"18 months to fit a new back door to replace the rotted interior door that had been fitted etc. (Multiple emails to the agents, at least 3 visits to cost"

3 visits where you had to take time off work i bet.

And no door will affect your contents insurance.

Some will hate the fact ive pointed this out.