To ask Landlord for new carpets...

[QuestPip]

I have a very good deal and have rented my house for 11 years, my landlady has always been very good to me (I know my landlady and she always said 'it's my house and she will never kick me out.)
My rent went up £300 Jan 2024 and I signed a 2 year contract. I am worried they will put it up again 2027 or decide to sell. They told me they had to renew their mortgage and it was 2 years....
So if they put the rent up up I am willing to stay but the house is dating and could do with some touch ups which I always do anyway but the lounge and my bedroom needs new carpet and I dont know how to approach this. I am willing to get a quote and if i can afford will pay for it, if I can stay beyond 2027.
I cant imagine leaving this house but my older girls are getting older and could possibly move out but I still need to provide a room for them. Im also an overthinker and have over a year to think about this!

Are there holes or anything in the carpet? If it’s just a bit tired then you can ask but the landlord may not do it. You said you have a good deal, are you paying market rent?

The one in the lounge is wearing by the join to the landing, its unattached and there is a spikey bit underneath that we often stand on. My bedroom one is the worst, I have put a rug over it to cover, its so worn.

Has it been replaced at all in the 11 years you've been there?

if the landlady is so nice and seems upfront, why not just talk to her?

Nope not replaced. I asked if I could paint the kitchen and she said no problem. Yeah maybe I just need a conversation x

Periodic tenancies won’t exist soon. Just fyi the law is changing. Might be 2026 but it’ll be early 2026 if it is.

Sorry if I've misunderstood, but if you signed a 2yr contract and they have a 2yr mortgage- both which finish Jan 2026, then what has 2027 got to do with it?

If you get on so well, why not just ask? Worse case she says no. Has she seen how worn the carpet is? Are you paying market rate for the area when you say you have a good deal?

Does she do regular inspections? If she doesn’t and you haven’t raised it then she probably doesn’t even know it’s get so bad. Just have a friendly conversation with her.

I would have a conversation with the LL and point out some of the arguments I have made below. Maybe wait until the new legislation has taken effect.

Landlords have a statutory duty to provide a safe environment for their tenants/business partners. Worn carpets can be a trip hazard particularly for young children or the elderly. Strictly entre nous if you have pointed out such a hazard and there is subsequently an accident (to you, one of your children or a visitor) you might decide to claim legal redress. There are plenty of solicitors waiting to help you.

A tenant has been in the property for 10 or even 20 years and the house has become like a time warp. But still the rent is creeping up. Maybe the tenant is not paying "market" rate but market rate is for up to date facilities. So what is the tenant getting for their money when the LL raises the rent? There needs to be a process of negotiation between business partners.

There is an understanding (certainly among the Deposit Protection Services) as to how long such facilities can reasonably be expected to last. Replacing them is a tax deductable capital expense for a landlord. Yet they often try to claim money back from the deposit when a tenant leaves. I often wonder how many landlords claim back from tenants and also claim as a tax deductable. Kind of double-dipping. Or you might call it fraud to be compensated twice over.

Landlords who have long stay tenants often fail to appreciate their many advantages.
They have had the opportunity to build up a relationship with a business partner who pays the rent like clockwork and keeps to their part of the contract. If they had had a number of separate tenancies in that period there would almost certainly have been more wear and tear on the property. And it would have to be refurbished /freshened up to attract new tenants. Plus there would probably have been voids in between lettings.

Tell her Tapi are doing a discount for NRLA members!