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.

Following to see replies as my rental's kitchen is from 1983 and thus 5 years older than I am....!

My kitchen dates from the 1970s. I have no plans to replace it anytime soon either!

It is solid wood though so no fashion colours to date

If repairs are needed then repairs need doing - you referenced issues with hinges etc.

That doesn't mean 'new kitchen' though.

You rent, therefore from an improvements perspective the LL will always want to spend as little as possible. And I say that as a renter plus also as someone who has been a landlord and who has underwritten LL insurance policies.

Just because the kitchen is 15 years old doesn't mean it needs replacing either. if it's functional then where's the issue

I live in ha house and they expect kitchens to last approx 20 years but obviously will fix doors etc and would replace a chipped worktop but if damage caused by us we would have to pay , if wear and tear they would do for free ,you should ask landlord to fox all issues at the very least
Whole kitchen refutbs are expensive we have another 7 years to go on ours is due

If I was a landlord putting in a new kitchen, I would be putting the rent up too.

I think generally you’d hope at least parts of a kitchen would last more than 15 years.
I think it would be better to report individual issues eg specific cupboards or doors. They then might start thinking they’ll look at the whole lot,
But hand on heart if it was your money, would you genuinely rip out the whole thing? It’s a massive outlay and most people have to live with things that aren’t 100% for a while.

I would just report issues as they come up.

@gogohm

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

Mine was put in in 1998, and still perfectly fine.

I think asking for the bits that are unsafe to be repaired would be reasonable, but not full replacement.

My kitchen is still going strong after 24yrs. I think you should point out the broken areas and expect them to be fixed (unless your family damaged them).

Did you view it and agree the rental price with the kitchen like this or has it deteriorated since you've been there?

As a ll, I would try not to change a kitchen with a tenant in situ. It sounds as though your kitchen is unsafe and doesn’t work well. This is what you should focus on and leave the ll to make a decision on how to tackle this. Then will hopefully repair it or suggest changing it. If they change the kitchen, they will likely increase the rent.

Have you been onto rightmove etc recently? Are you paying market rent? I tend to keep my long term tenants at least £100 below to reflect the fact that the house isn’t in the pristine condition I first let it in. I’m just about to increase a couple of rents as they’re over £200 below due to recent rental rises.

Have a look around and see how you want to tackle this and what your red lines are.

@Cameleongirl

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.

Yes ours too, our kitchen was 15 years old when we sold, I wouldn’t go through that again in a hurry.,

YABU. Ask the landlord to repair doors etc but if the appliances are working where’s the problem? My kitchen is well over 20 years old, we’ve painted the cabinets, put in a new worktop and cooker but that’s all. Do you just want a cosmetic update?

We are just replacing ours that old owners last did in 1972. It is now falling apart

I would be surprised if a 15 year old kitchen needs replacing unless it was built badly to start with. Do the drawers and hinges just need replacing or realigning?

If they aren’t working properly though you can definitely talk to landlord. I would say they aren’t closing properly and your worried safety wise the higher does May fall off. Plus the worktop now chipping.

A basic kitchen isn’t that expensive if they replace with ikea type units and laminate worktop ( which I assume it currently is if chipping). And if appliances are yours they are the higher cost getting new. We did a 3.5 m length ikea kitchen in holiday let for £2000 including all appliances.
If you really want a new kitchen, and it costs say £3000 for kitchen and fitting without appliances, would you be willing to pay a %?

I would list the repairs needed and other aspects that aren't necessarily needed but that generally indicate a new kitchen might be advisable (chipped worktops, broken tiles etc), and tell them you would be willing to live with the disruption should they decide a replacement kitchen is more cost-effective.

@Selkiesarereal

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.

You keep saying ‘it’s not fair on them’ @Selkiesarereal but in this case it is the tenant who is requesting the replacement, so I’m sure they would be prepared to put up with a bit of inconvenience for the long term benefit of a new, fully functioning kitchen.

I work for a landlord and we would consider a request for a new kitchen on its merits. We would come out and do an inspection to see if it was necessary or if a half/full day of repair/cosmetic uplift would keep it going a bit longer.

At the end of the day we try to only replace kitchens between tenancies as the work is disruptive for usually at least 2 weeks, possibly going into 3 depending on what is needed. For long term tenants however it can't be helped sometimes so we would try to fit it in with tenants being on holiday if possible to minimise disruption.

We would however expect a rental uplift if we renewed a kitchen so it would be worth seeing how near market rent you currently are and what the uplift is likely to be. Check on Rightmove to see what rental properties are going for near you. Being a landlord is a business like any other and if you make an investment in your business you expect a return on it.

I think it is fine to ask (but obviously don't demand) but expect that the landlord might consider other less disruptive options first and if they agree to go ahead expect a rental uplift either immediately or in the near future. If you are thinking of staying in the long term then let them know that as it might help your case.

You’d probably have more luck asking for a handyman to do some repairs to the hinges, mechanisms etc - if that’s what’s really needed

Sounds like it needs new hinges and drawer runners.

Not a whole new kitchen.

If the house would be totally unlettable without a new kitchen due to the poor state its in, then the landlord would need to do a refurbishment when you leave anyway. That will be a period when they get no rent but still have the mortgage to pay so will be very expensive. The possible inducement towards doing this for you is that you would keep paying rent during the work so that saves the landlord money. The down side would be that if the work is done with you still in residence and living there another few years before moving on, then the landlord never gets to market the property with a brand new kitchen which would probably be an opportunity to bang up the rent a bit. You may need to add to the negotiation that you are willing to pay more rent after the work is done.

How much of the damage have you caused? I think repairs are in order but our tenant has destroyed a 4 year old kitchen two doors are broken off two more are hanging off, one drawer is on his bedroom, another is entirely missing and the worktop is chipped, burnt and so dirty. We've replaced the cooker he blew up by knocking a pan of hot fat over the back. So I'd like to know if you've damaged any of it tbh.

I don't think 15 years is particularly old for a kitchen. Ours is10 years old and still looks fine.
Depends very much on the stats of it, not the age.

A kitchen should last longer than 15 years. It must either have been a very cheap and inferior product when fitted or it's suffered abuse from the people who used it over the years.

The landlord will be motivated for the property to retain its value, for both potential sale and future lettings. It's worth asking, therefore. The letting agents would probably inspect it and report back their recommendations to the landlord.

Eeee how dare you ask OP. As a renter you should know your place

If it's dropping to bits ask your landlord to come out and see if repairs can be made. As indicated on this thread apparently you would deserve an increase in rent for the cheek.

@Mrsacemay

I would list the repairs needed and other aspects that aren't necessarily needed but that generally indicate a new kitchen might be advisable (chipped worktops, broken tiles etc), and tell them you would be willing to live with the disruption should they decide a replacement kitchen is more cost-effective.

This. No need to replace the entire kitchen if its fixable.

As a landlord I would want this bringing to my attention as I need the house to hold it's value, and I don't have any money for repairs, so I'd need the heads up, and schedule it in for the future.