To ask our landlord to redecorate the house?

[CovidIsADick]

Would I be unreasonable to ask our landlord to totally redecorate our house? We’ve been in the house for 8 years and the landlord has never done any maintenance. When we first moved in the carpets were already a bit old and tired. I’m really tired of having to clean them constantly, they are dirt magnets. We need new carpets in the living room, on the stairs, landing and bedrooms. The house also desperately needs painting inside. The doors are flaking. All the skirting is chipped and yellow. It’s really depressing me and my DH doesn’t want to spend money doing it up because we don’t own the house.

If you were my landlord would you think I was a CF if I asked you to redecorate? We pay a lot of money to live here (£2k pcm) and I just don’t think it’s fair that we have to live like this.

So glad you have a decent landlord.

We're in a similar situation, but we've decided to just put up with it, as our rent is very cheap and our landlord has given permission for some disability adaptations.

I'd love to redecorate, but the walls are in such a state that I'm scared of stripping the wallpaper as I reckon half the plastering would come off with it.

We’ve lived in our home for 8 years and the landlord has done nothing except if we’ve reported a fault. We’ve decorated the kitchen, living room, DS bedroom, DH office and really tidied the garden up. We’ve put shelves up, gone halves with him on new blinds, but there’s now a hole in DS bedroom carpet where his gaming chair is and there is no way I’m getting into replacing carpets so he can sort that out.

I was going to post a similar question! I’m renting (in my fifth year of tenancy) and my landlords are great. However the walls in particular are looking really tired now (magnolia). I know the house wasn’t painted immediately before me. They did paint one room that really needed it when I asked, but the rest was left (and in fairness it was not too bad). I’ve already painted one bedroom blue (checked with landlord in colour and paid all myself). But I wanted to ask about a general paint job on the rest of the house. I can’t keep looking at it, but I’d resent paying for it all myself to paint it magnolia but it would look so much better if it was at least FRESH magnolia.

It’s not that we’ve wrecked it at all but I have two small children who for example touch them walk as they walk up the stairs … and I’ve tried this gets plain worn and grubby. Plus it’s cheap pint and it is wearing thin in spots.

To the landlords - at what point are we classed as a long term tenant?

Mostly landlords worry about disrupting the tenant, are you happy to have their choice of contractors in the house? I think that I would be in your situation tbh

As a long term tenant myself, I feel that there are landlords who:

a) acquire a house, fix it up to basic good standards, and let it

b) acquire a house, and do nothing more than legally required, as someone will be prepared to take it.

And if they are prepared to let a house that is grubby and tired, they won't be up for chipping into their profits at all further down the line.

My last landlord was the latter. The one before that was the former. The current one seems to be the latter too - it's in exactly the same state as the pictures from when it was listed for sale on Rightmove a decade ago.

So while yanbu, as it's perfectly reasonable, I wouldn't be optimistic. I do have a bit of a fear of being evicted though, and prefer landlords to 'forget' we exist rather than have their attention drawn to issues and decide it's more trouble letting that it's worth, and to sell from under us again.

oh! i just saw your update, I missed that when looking through. That's good!

I'm a landlord and really wish I could redecorate as I don't like the fact the house is getting more and more shabby. But, despite my saying to the (long term) tenants several times to please let me know when would be convenient, particularly if you are going away for a couple of weeks they've never let me know. This has reminded me to make another attempt to just fix a date, but I keep hoping they will give notice and then I can do the whole thing in one go. They are paying about 20% below current market rate, so maybe they've not wanted to ask in case I hike the rent.

Bloody hate landlords like this. Our last rented home sounded like this. Threadbare carpets, peeling wallpaper, terrible wallpaper, damp. You name it basically. We asked and asked whether he’d sort anything out and everytime it was a big fat NO. Anyway, we eventually bought and afterwards I snooped on RightMove to see he’d done every single thing we’d asked for plus increased the rent by 25% 😮

Anyway, it stayed on RightMove for weeks with the rent being gradually reduced until it was the same as we had been paying 😂 😂

Most landlords see their tenants as an easy way to make money
No they don't. They expect to make some money but most are fair landlords. Many are selling now because they can't be good landlords and make money any longer.

I think who should decorate depends on a number of factors. I have raised the rent in now 4 years and won't again when we go I to 5 years. The rent is now £100 if not more under market rate, so yes, I would expect them to do most of the redecorating if they intend to stay (I definitely won't be selling). I do however pay for anything that is to do with repairs and structural work.