To ask my landlord for a new kitchen

[hadtoomanymincepies]

We've been here since 2018. Rented privately, no agent just through the landlord.
The kitchen is the original from when the house was built in 2007 so now nearly 15 years old.

What's the etiquette here? We will likely be here a while longer and it's on its last legs. I don't want to offend or be seen as cheeky.

Just ask nicely. They can only say no.

I guess I'm also asking if it's in the realm of normal or am I being a cf

In my experience if they have no intention of doing the kitchen before new tenants move in, they have no intention of doing the kitchen.

As a landlord, I would only do if really necessary because it’s really expensive to do and a major inconvenience to my tenants as it could leave them without facilities for up to a week which isn’t fair on them given that all works ok.

Just ask, the worst he can say is no.

Is it via a letting agent or direct from the landlord? Whichever it is ask them to come out and do an inspection of the current kitchen, point out what is beyond repair and/or unsafe, you could check comparable rentals in your area with more up to date kitchens to show that price-wise you would expect a better kitchen.

Is there anything specifically wrong with the kitchen, ie doors hanging off of one hinge? What do you mean by it 'being on its last legs'? The fact it's 15 years old doesn't mean a complete replacement is needed.

You can be ask, but you will need to make it clear you are willing to live with the disruption

@Selkiesarereal

As a landlord, I would only do if really necessary because it’s really expensive to do and a major inconvenience to my tenants as it could leave them without facilities for up to a week which isn’t fair on them given that all works ok.

At what point does it become really necessary? How long can you repair a 15 year old kitchen before it needs redoing?

@Crankley

Is there anything specifically wrong with the kitchen, ie doors hanging off of one hinge? What do you mean by it 'being on its last legs'? The fact it's 15 years old doesn't mean a complete replacement is needed.

Yes some of the higher up cabinets are hanging on a hinge and I do worry about them giving in and injuring us or the children. The drawers don't open and close properly, you have to do it about 4-5 times to get it to close. Cracked tiles on the floor which doesn't bother us as much. The worktop has big chips in it.

What kind of state is it in OP? Does it actually need replacing or just respraying and other cosmetic work? I don't think it being 15 years old is a good reason in itself to ask for it to be replaced (ours is over 20 years old we think and still going strong) but if there are specific problems that make it unsafe/unusable then definitely bring this up with your landlord.

If the carcasses are rotten and falling to bits then you would do it but preferably between tenants as it’s not fair on them.

If it’s a few doors hanging off, replace and update. If it’s purely cosmetic, ie a bit dated, don’t bother.

The kitchen in our rental is about that old with very, very few signs of age. It'd depends on the kitchen itself instead of just how old it is I'd imagine. We wouldn't replace ours just because it's 15 years old when it's still solid. If it has structural issues then that should be the focus, not the age of it

What do you need to repair? Ours is probably 12 years old and only thing that needs doing is resanding the worktop. Sure the dishwasher is old but it keeps working fine. Cabinets are solid and they’re just the old ikea models. If we get a “new” kitchen, probably will just replace cabinet doors.

@CeibaTree

What kind of state is it in OP? Does it actually need replacing or just respraying and other cosmetic work? I don't think it being 15 years old is a good reason in itself to ask for it to be replaced (ours is over 20 years old we think and still going strong) but if there are specific problems that make it unsafe/unusable then definitely bring this up with your landlord.

It doesn't bother me cosmetically, a respray would update but it wouldn't make it more functional which I feel is what it needs. Something solid and functional.

Appliances are all ok as they are our own

Hmm, do all the appliances date from then, or have some been replaced?

I’d focus on any appliances that need replacing first and worry less about the cupboards. It’s a big, disruptive job to redo a kitchen (I’ve lived through it and our neighbors are at the moment, their house is in chaos). It can take weeks and how would you cook during the renovations? I think it’s highly unlikely that a landlord would fully redo a kitchen with tenants living there unless you’ve been there for many years- but replacing appliances is definitely realistic.

Unless it actually NEEDS doing, YABU.

I still have the same kitchen that was fitted in the 90s. Everything works fine. I’m not into trends or fashions though.

So wasteful.

Well I guess it depends what’s wrong with it. I don’t think a whole kitchen needs ripping out just because it’s 15 years old - my kitchen is 14 years old and still perfectly fine. I suspect your landlord will just replace/repair the things that need it.

Sorry, just saw that the alliance are your own. The bad drawers and cabinet doors definitely do need fixing. As do broken tiles. None of that should be too disruptive either.

Ask the landlord to repair the units hanging off of the wall and broken drawers, (if you can prove you didn’t cause the damage), that will be much more palatable to a landlord as these things cost thousands of pounds to do and as I keep saying, a major inconvenience to the tenants- think no working kitchen for a week, would you really want that?

My kitchen is 2008 and still perfectly good. We own our house and it's the original kitchen the builders put in when new (so not great quality), I personally expect about 20 years out of a kitchen

What do you actually need fixing?

Basically, you can’t ask your LL to upgrade the kitchen.

You can ask your LL to make it practically day-to-day functional. So you can list every cabinet that needs tightening/adjusting, every drawer front or back that needs replacing etc.

Then your LL can price up accordingly.

Maybe there’s so much needs doing on an hourly handyman rate the tax-deductible brand new kitchen seems reasonable.

But you can’t suggest/ask/insist a new kitchen is needed. You can only advise the maintenance issues with the current kitchen.

I’m surprised people are estimating only a week with no working kitchen. Ours took three weeks, I was cooking on two electric rings in our bedroom and washing up in the bath.😂. Our neighbours’ remodeling seems to be dragging on even longer.

I think you’d be pressing your luck given the housing crisis. A 2007 yr old kitchen is not that old. Just fix the hinges and drawers and give it a light refurbish.

Do the hanging cupboards just need an extra screw or minor repairs to make it safe? Do the drawers need rollers replacing? The age isn't so relevant, but safety is.

My mothers kitchen is 25yrs old. Yes, its in a dated pine, scratched and worn in places, drawers aren't as smooth and she would like a new one, but certainly functional.

No harm in asking, but I'd be putting any safety aspects forward, along with how it could be rectified. Rather than just saying you need a new kitchen, I'd suggest something like- would it be possible to have repairs and extra screws in the hanging cupboard, new rollers on the drawers etc.