To not put the house back to what it was?

[QuantumDog2]

I've rented the house I live in currently for nearly 9 years. When I moved in it was a new build and we were the first to live here, so obviously a buy to let. The walls were all trade paint magnolia and the carpets were cheap, exactly the way new builds are presented as standard.
Over the years I've decorated it and made some improvements like extending the patio and I spend £1400 on new flooring for the lounge because the carpet was worn out by that stage and looked grotty.
Now I'm leaving as I've bought somewhere with my partner, but contractually apparently I have to return the property the way I found it. I'm 6 months pregnant now and don't fancy donning my overalls and climbing ladders to paint. What would you do? I feel like after 9 years here and the time and money I've spent on the place (although my choice totally) I shouldn't really be penalised, but I expect I will lose my deposit?

@billy1966 do you really think a brand new house with fitted carpets was sold with just a mist coat? No way.

[quote Noodella18]@billy1966 do you really think a brand new house with fitted carpets was sold with just a mist coat? No way.[/quote]
Lots of new builds are sold by the developer like this actually. Probably the thinking being the new owners will make their own paint choices.

[quote Noodella18]@billy1966 do you really think a brand new house with fitted carpets was sold with just a mist coat? No way.[/quote]
I don't know what you would call it in the business. I'm going on a term a previous poster used. All I know was that the magnolia paint was watery and a bit patchy and wiped off if you tried to clean the wall.

[quote Noodella18]@billy1966 do you really think a brand new house with fitted carpets was sold with just a mist coat? No way.[/quote]
Yes. Mine was. All are where I live, its totally common.

@Noodella18 that's just simply not true. Many new builds are sold with just the undercoat. Most new build can't be repainted for at least year. I live in a new build and it's been true for all new build houses here.

OP you YANBU at all. I rented for years and was in one place for a long time. I redecorated with permission and the LL just repainted when he sold at his cost. I maintained the garden, oiled the worktops, made it a home and kept it looking lovely. When I left, the LL sold as he knew the other tenants didn't look after it in the same way. Good tenants are worth a lot.

I agree with this

When my nextdoor neighbours had a similar issue they told their landlord that they would gladly allow him to withhold the deposit to cover the cost of repainting but they would be removing all of the improvements they had made.

Take your roses bushes with you, don't leave nice lampshades and curtain poles. You can't have it both ways....you LL is a CF.

I don't understand this thread.

As a owner, when our new tenanysmived in, it was to a fully professionally redecorated house. We told them they couldn't redecorate to start with.

That's because they could have given notice after 6 months and leave after redecorating and do a rushed job to put it back to neutral colours. Sadly, it's almost impossible to evidence 'poor' painting jobs on a few pictures for the purpose of arbitration.

When they'd been there for a couple of years and everything indicated they were people with good house habits, we were more reassured that they would like stay longer, and so said they could redecorate to their taste but would need to have it professionally repainted if they left within 2 years.

Anything after 5 or 6 years, I would expect to redecorate professionally if they left, so it really wouldn't matter and I wouldn't expect them to return to previous colours.

In your case OP, considering the length of stay, I wouldn't bother. They should be redecorating for new tenants anyway and that would be the expectation of the arbitration if it went to that.

Thank you to everyone who can see it from my point of view and has defended my position on this thread.

I just can't imagine myself living in an unpainted house for 9 years. I'm a bit at the people saying I'm a CF and entitled for trying to make this place a happy and welcoming home for my children. Do you think I should have just existed here, for such a large portion of my adult life? Just tolerated the thin vaguely manky carpet and the unpainted walls?
At times, whilst reading the responses here, I've really questioned whether I'm a cheeky entitied fucker or not. I've never thought that maybe I am, until now. But I keep coming back to the different between being a CF and knowing when someone's taking you for a mug. I strongly feel that with the repainting in this instance that it's the latter.

I’m late to the party here but I’m a landlord and even if contractually you were due to put everything back to magnolia, with the nice work you’ve done, and assuming I could rent it out easily, I would be delighted with your paint job. I might have to think about the green and pale pink. In all the years I’ve been letting property, I’ve never kept a deposit if the tenants have fundamentally been good and aside from wear and tear have not damaged the property. And none of them ever have.
Anyway I hope you got your full deposit back. I presume, not having read all 500 posts, that you’re aware that the LL has to tell you he proposes to deduct and you actually have to agree to said amount before it can be released to him/her.

Did you send the pics to the LL by the way? Not sure why he wouldn’t agree to what you painted it especially as a) it’s lovely and b) if someone else was happy to rent it as is.

To be honest, OP when I first read it I thought you meant it was originally painted so no shouldn't be your job anyway as to put it back would mean stripping the paint and not painting it as they want, and what's the point in that.

You are not entitled at all.

Some LL put in the cheapest crap (& leave it for years) as the have no interest in the actual tenant, or providing a reasonable place. it's about just profit. I'm cross on your behalf for the stress it has caused. Totally unnecessary and unreasonable.

Good luck your new home, it's so nice to own somewhere and not have to deal with all this!

@QuantumDog2

I guess what I'm saying is that I don't mind paying for the place to be repainted where needed out of my deposit. But within reason. I mean...how much will it cost to get it back to trade paint colour magnolia?

The labour cost will always be the lion's share. Do you think any super helpful friends?

If they are doing viewings with your current decoration, a new tenant might actually be annoyed to turn up and find out it's all gone magnolia!

Unfortunately you’ll definitely lose your deposit and may well have a small claims case against you to reclaim extra money. It will be very expensive for them to revert ‘denim’ to magnolia and vibrant kids’ rooms may not suit tenants if they don’t want to use them for children. Also extending the patio was really not on!! If you rent again, speak to them first!

@QuantumDog2

Thank you to everyone who can see it from my point of view and has defended my position on this thread.

I just can't imagine myself living in an unpainted house for 9 years. I'm a bit at the people saying I'm a CF and entitled for trying to make this place a happy and welcoming home for my children. Do you think I should have just existed here, for such a large portion of my adult life? Just tolerated the thin vaguely manky carpet and the unpainted walls?
At times, whilst reading the responses here, I've really questioned whether I'm a cheeky entitied fucker or not. I've never thought that maybe I am, until now. But I keep coming back to the different between being a CF and knowing when someone's taking you for a mug. I strongly feel that with the repainting in this instance that it's the latter.

No way are you a CF. Some of the replies on this thread simply reflect the attitudes that some people in the UK have towards renters - that they are a sub-class who aren't allowed to enjoy their home because they don't own it

@Lokdok

Unfortunately you’ll definitely lose your deposit and may well have a small claims case against you to reclaim extra money. It will be very expensive for them to revert ‘denim’ to magnolia and vibrant kids’ rooms may not suit tenants if they don’t want to use them for children. Also extending the patio was really not on!! If you rent again, speak to them first!

You haven’t really thread the OP’s comments, have you...

@Noodella18

There's no way in hell a new build house would have been sold with just a mist coat. It would have had a coat of proper paint too, and waiting 'a year for the plaster to dry out' is ridiculous, fresh plaster dries in a few days - even the new plaster over the heavily saturated wall where my roof had been leaking for years dried out in 6 months. Either way, again, you signed the tenancy agreement with the walls that way - why didn't you agree something with the LL then? Why did you take the place if it was such a hovel? When you agreed to put it back to magnolia why did you not point out that it was just a mist coat (which I don't believe it was)?

I have no idea what people are talking about with the paint - I have bought 6 brand new properties and none of them were "unpainted " or mist coats . 2 and 1/2 years in this one and we haven't painted yet .

@QuantumDog2

Thank you to everyone who can see it from my point of view and has defended my position on this thread.

I just can't imagine myself living in an unpainted house for 9 years. I'm a bit at the people saying I'm a CF and entitled for trying to make this place a happy and welcoming home for my children. Do you think I should have just existed here, for such a large portion of my adult life? Just tolerated the thin vaguely manky carpet and the unpainted walls?
At times, whilst reading the responses here, I've really questioned whether I'm a cheeky entitied fucker or not. I've never thought that maybe I am, until now. But I keep coming back to the different between being a CF and knowing when someone's taking you for a mug. I strongly feel that with the repainting in this instance that it's the latter.

Sadly you are bringing a load of emotion in to make you feel right about your decision ( and that is natural) . Let's face it though you didn't know you were going to be there 9 months or 9 years so it was always a gamble. I think you have lost any positives you had in this case by being difficult about viewings though and you could have negotiated a better and such less stressful ending to this .

OP forgive me if you've already answered this but did you ever ask the landlord to paint the unpainted walls? Or to change the manky carpet (carpet shouldn't really get so worn it needs replacement in 3 years)?

I dont think you should lose your whole deposit but leaving things as you found them (plus wear and tear) is pretty standard for rentals, even in places like Germany where you rent for a lifetime. My aunt had to remove an almost new accesible bathroom (wetroom) she'd had fitted in her Berlin flat when she left and replace it with a standard model. Same w council housing here - all flooring etc removed , even if in excellent condition.

Oh and it's fine not to allow viewings, you are under no obligation to.

I think this highlights the problem with private rentals. Landlords see it as a house/investment while the person renting wants a home, not a house. I used to hate all the 'rules' that prevented you from making a house into a home. No decorating, no pictures etc. Yet you pay the landlord a small fortune for the fact you're simply unlucky enough not to have the money/situation to buy and usually more than it would be for a mortgage in a similar house. I'm lucky enough to rent a council house now that can be decorated and made into a home but I did my share of private rentals.

Why not contact the agency to find out how much of your deposit would be kept to repaint and if they would take you to court for any further fees and also get a quote from a decorator? Then just choose the cheapest option.

Firstly, they want neutral walls. This is cleaner and makes letting a property easier. They didn’t actually specify Magnolia and everyone is jumping to the conclusion that this is what you should use. I do think YABU to not return the walls to a neutral colour and you should not have decorated in a dark colour without obtaining permission from your landlord. At the end of the day, it may have been your home but it’s not your house. You knew you would be required to repaint in vacating the property and these days pregnancy is not an excuse for not being bothered. Your landlord could be asked to give a reference for future lettings and this might be a dark smudge on an otherwise impeccable reference. You should expect to lose some of your deposit because you have not fulfilled the terms of your contract.

"I think this highlights the problem with private rentals. Landlords see it as a house/investment while the person renting wants a home, not a house"

I completely agree. A friend is a LL and owns a run down flat that's been rented for years. No tenants have stayed long term as it's pretty grotty.

Friend now might have to move into it but can't be before renovating as it "not suitable" but was fine for the poor buggers that paid £1600 a month for the privilege.

The way renters are treated in this country is appalling.

Friend now might have to move into it but can't be before renovating as it "not suitable" but was fine for the poor buggers that paid £1600 a month for the privilege

Exactly! I remember renting a house years ago that was falling apart, terrible furniture, broken fixings etc. We did what we could but it was a wreck, and the LL kept insisting it was fine and met standards. We had to move out as he needed to move in to, and he stood there at the handover and casually told me "of course we'll have to put a new kitchen and bathroom in and redecorate and refurbish throughout, we couldn't possible move in this!"...right to my face, after taking huge amounts of money off me for the last 2 years and telling me the property was perfectly fine!

@ManifestDestinee That's the situation we live in, been here 9 1/2 years, needs new carpet downstairs, worn so thin there are holes appearing, needs replastering on various external walls where we've had leaks and damp and they refused to do any cosmetic work after repairs including replastering, boiler needs replacing always breaking down, laminate in kitchen was laid with gaps and over the nine years you can imagine how bad that is now, he's admitted we need kitchen an redecorating throughout which has already stated they won't do and garden wall was condemned the first year we moved in and they still haven't sorted it so kids can't go in the garden. He has at last agreed to replace the door I've been going on about for the last 5 years and the people he sent to fix it, It's rotten and now one locks have dropped off and a 1cm gap in the wood every summer. But they will have to give it a full overhaul when I move on because no one would touch it with a 10 ft barge pole. No wonder it was empty for 4 years before I moved in.