Landlord selling the house

[Bedsheets4knickers]

Il try to keep this a brief as possible . We've been in our rental for 10 years . Last year the landlord put in a new bathroom for us . She's very nice and we've seen her about 3 times over the past decade . The estate agents handle most of the goings on .
When she came to see the bathroom once it was completed I asked if she wouldn't mind if updated the 4 bedrooms . New carpets and wallpaper . She said no problem . So over the last 9 months I've sunk about £2.500 into doing up the bedrooms . We only finished them in June .
We've plastered 1 ceiling
Wallpapered all 4 rooms and put new carpets down , fitted made to measure blinds.
Estate agents phoned Monday . They are selling the property . We are Devastated truly Devastated. .
I've had a brief phone conversation with her . She said if I can provide receipts for the work we have had done she will repay the costs .
My worry is will this be the case . Once we've long moved out . Can we do anything legally to ensure we do get this money back .?

OP I hate to be harsh but that was a really foolish move. She is being incredibly kind in offering to refund you! You have basically just wasted your own money on doing up someone else's house. That is the thing with renting.

You should have got her to do it up. Never spend your own money improving some one else's house!

Well, the LL really should have decorated the house, recarpeted, etc, at her own expense at some point in that time. Just find the receipts and show what you can now. It may be that you can remain a tenant if the house is sold.

The other way to look at it, and how I would look at it, is that she was a shit landlord who did absolutely nothing in the property for the best part of a decade. If you hadn't done the decorating and replaced the carpets, do you think she would have done it?

I was in the same boat as you last year OP. The landlord asked us to move out and originally advised it was because she wanted to move back into the house. After we left she then sold it. She hardly spent a penny in the decade we'd lived there and there were various problems that we told her about and she ignored. We had the last laugh though because we now have lovely new build house with a decent landlord who has been more approachable and helpful than she ever was.

@Bedsheets4knickers

Yes it is their job but it wouldn't of been done the way you would do a job to your own home . If that makes sense .

That’s just how it is when you rent.

Fatted , no is honest answer . We would of done another 10 years . The bathroom was only done because it was in such a poor condition the estate agents mentioned to her after we had to call them out to fix some tiles around the bath .

You’re being unreasonable. You rent, it’s not your house. If you didn’t want to spent the money you should have asked her to redecorate. It sounds like it did need doing and she has been reasonable so she would of, but of course she would have done the basics - it’s a rental - that’s life.
It’s really shit that you chose to do the work and now she’s selling up, but she’s within her rights to tell you to jog on, but she hasn’t! She’s generously said she’ll repay your costs - because she’s obviously a decent person! Now you’re on MN complaining about it?! You’re acting like an entitled stroppy teenager that doesn’t understand how the world works.
Of course she won’t repay the money until it’s sold or atleast under offer because if she sells to another landlord and they stay then she doesn’t need to.
I’m sorry you can’t afford to buy but when you rent this is the way it is. Your landlord sounds like a decent person who is actually being very fair.

Could you discuss discounted rent to get some of the money back if you are worried? LL sounds pretty reasonable, it is presumably in her interest that the work was done and can see she will get that back in the sale price.

It sounds like she has been really fair offering to refund you. If she’s also trying to sell to a landlord then she’s doing her best to keep you in the house. Her own circumstances might have meant she has no choice but to sell and she can’t not sell just because you're happy there.

You have been foolish, and I say that as someone who rented for over 20 years in various countries. You should know not to spend any proper money on anything that you can't take with you. Your landlord should have been keeping the place maintained including decorating. The only thing I ever paid for that I couldn't take with me was paint, if a rental is in decent condition (and it should be) its easy enough to make it look nice with good furniture and decor. I hope you get some of your cash back, but your landlord is under no obligation.

The OP has lived there 10years, I totally get why she paid to redecorate. It is her home. I think that the LL will pay you back, it sounds like you both are really reasonable and I hope it gets sorted.

Did you pay a contractor to do the work or did you do it yourself? Ideally you would be reimbursed your your time and labour for work that you did, not just materials.

I agree with PP : get it in writing.
Also - there's no reason you should have to wait until you move out for her to reimburse you.

Sparrow I did want to spend the money on doing it up . That's not what I'm complaining about . I've loved doing it .
I'm just sad that a month after we've finished we are going to lose it all .

Palavah yes we had people in to do the work

Our landlord is like this. They own lots of property and I know our neighbours renting off them have lived there for 40+ years. Because of the long tenancies we are expected to keep the places done up ourselves. It's odd, but DH and I are very careful to only spend the bare minimum as we don't plan to spend our lives here. The previous tenant actually put in a new kitchen!

It's great that she's offered to refund you, I'd take her up on that asap because once she's sold the offer probably won't be there. Do you know if the house is being advertised with tenants in situ? As perhaps the new owner will be buying to let.

Honey . It's not on the market yet . We've only found out this week it is going to be .

@Bedsheets4knickers

Palavah yes we had people in to do the work

If you're missing receipts perhaps ask them for replacement invoices? I'm sure they would help.

I do feel for you OP. I wonder whether the landlord heard about your lovely new decor and thought she'd take advantage of it by selling.

Shows what a terrible landlord she is not to have redecorated in ten years. I wouldn't assume she will find another landlord to sell to, she will just go with whoever gives her the most money I expect.

Also don't forget you don't have to allow viewings. It is your home, you are entitled to 'quiet enjoyment'. Even with notice the EA/landlord can be refused access to allow viewings. She ought to wait until you have moved to sell. It is a lot of hassle for you and no benefit. But make sure she pays you those receipts asap!

She sounds so lovely, and I'm sorry about the sale I know the feeling only too well we were long term renters and I had both my DS as babies in our rental home and came home one day with a for sale sign outside.

I cried for weeks, the landlord was so upset the agent did that before they had spoken to us, and at the time there was no way we could afford to buy the house.

It's so upsetting, but we found a new beautiful home and lived 6 years in the new place as well and loved it just as much, in some ways it was even better.

I'm waffling but some landlords would be so spiteful they would ask you to put the rooms back to how they were. So the fact she's being kind and even considering paying is amazing.

Good luck finding your new home and I promise sometimes theses awful times work out for the best.

I rent and I really feel for you. Especially your children.
I also do up every rented property that I've been in, usually cosmetic stuff like repairing and redecorating throughout....I've done it recently with my current place. But as it's rented, it is always money that isn't going to be recouped, just that I prefer to live with my own décor.
To be honest, if your landlord is going to repay on receipts that's unusual and a very good deal.

So the fact she's being kind and even considering paying is amazing.
I don’t think it’s amazing or particularly kind. The LL hadn’t decorated or carpeted the property in ten years! That’s remiss. She ought to have done so and paid for it years ago. If the tenant was a long-stay tenant, they could have agreed the paint and wallpaper years ago, within reason, and the LL should have done it then.

She sounds more than reasonable, wouldn’t doubt her. You do need to know what’s happening, formally in writing though. Hopefully, you’ll just get a new landlord.

I would write to her and copy in the EA and send her copies (not originals) of all the receipts you do have.

"Further to our discussion of x date and your agreement to refund the refurbishment costs of the bedrooms please find copies of the receipts attached (originals to be handed over on receipt of monies)"

I would write a list of all the work carried out and costs and whether their is a receipt or not and include approximate room sizes.

Then a total of receipted costs and a total on unreceipted costs. Merely to emphasise that you aren't getting a 100% reimbursement.

This would make it easier for her to claim it as a legitimate cost against rental income which is why she needs the receipts and why she is paying the money to her tenants rather than trades people.

Just keep it all in writing and the EA in the loop.

This happened to us 3 times.. Ime try and make it to the dc a positive thing to be moving. My ds cried for weeks he wanted our old house back. We spent ££ doing stuff in our new area to make some fun memories very quickly... The last move ruined the early years of my ds's life for me-been here 5 years and love it now though .
The very down side of renting...

I'm waffling but some landlords would be so spiteful they would ask you to put the rooms back to how they were

mellowgreenspring If you haven’t asked permission to redecorate and do any work, it wouldn’t be spiteful for the landlord to insist on it being put back exactly as it was at your own cost.

A tenant may live there but it’s not their property, so any work requires permission.

I did ask permission . She said it was fine . Just to clear that up .