Landlord/tenant situation. How would you approach this?

[suiledonn]

We have been living in our current house for 2 years. The rent is very reasonable, the location is great and there is a lot about the house we are very happy with. On the other hand the house has not been redecorated for years (think decades in terms of carpets) We obviously knew this when we agreed to move in but we were under pressure to find a place and I was 7 months pregnant and unwell at the time so we didn't make any demands. We are on a very casual basis with the landlord as he is a local where dh grew up and we don't have a lease or rent book or anything. I have come to the stage recently where I am fed up with the shabby carpets, curtains and furniture and we considered moving but didn't see anywhere that suits us so well. I wouldn't be adverse to covering some of the cost of improvements but we know we aren't going to be here forever and our financial situation isn't great so we couldn't spend a whole lot.
We would also be ok with an increase in rent if the landlord made some improvements.
What is the best way to approach the landlord about this? Some of it is just cosmetic but there are things such as the kitchen flooring which is in a very bad state. Should we offer to finance some of the work or just tell him what we would like and see how it goes? I keep putting it off as we are in a small community and don't want to cause any bad feeling.

What about asking for a rent reduction if you did some of the improvements?

I'm no expert but you absolutely need to get a formal tenancy contract which can help to define what you expect from your landlord and what your landlord expects from you. It will give both sides better protection and IME informal arrangements can so easily go sour if you fall out over anything. There are standard conctracts that you can get without needing a solicitor to draw anything fancy up.

Personally I think a rent increase would be reasonable but I wouldn't offer to fund the improvements any other way.

Sorry if I wasn't clear - we have been here 2 years but house hasn't been redecorated for many years before that. I don't know how long previous tenants were here but doesn't look like anything was done while they were here. The carpets are positively psychedelic (sp)

Hmm, tricky - but can be straightforward if you are prepared to step back and be clear within your mind about what you expect him to do, and are Ok with if he doesn't - then approach him once you are clear what is fair. That way you shouldn't be taken off guard and will know whether to argue more or accept what he offers!

Fwiw a lot of rented places are like this - I've always liked the freedom to do up a place a bit, without the pressure of keeping painty handprints and cat hair away from the pristine refurbishments

But it can get really annoying when everything is dirty.
Two things - if he wanted to do the place up, he could then presumably charge new tenants much more money - you said you had a good rent? - so he could do that if he wanted. Then you might be out of a home.

OTOH he might just be being lazy, using you as an easy tenant, because he can't be bothered to do it up.

I think in most cases you do get what you pay for but structural things, flooring, etc if it needs repair, really ought to be sorted as he can't expect you to live with that sort of damage - that's just unfair.

So find a premise on which to approach him - I would offer to contribute, myself, or get cheapest quotes etc. See what he says, there is no harm in asking.

I'm just taking on another place in a state - but I enjoy the refurbing myself, am a bit weird!! And it is very cheap

There's no reason to think there will be any bad feeling ime.

What I really mean is try to keep the friendship and any personal feelings out of it - it is a business arrangement, and has to benefit you all, so try to keep it separate iyswim.

Thanks for the replies. I think what I need to do is make a list and prioritise what needs to be done. At least that way I will have some idea of how much it might all be.
flllight You are right. I think he likes having us here on a good rent as it means he doesn't have to do anything but I do worry that if we ask for too much he will think 'whats the point?', get rid of us and get in someone else who won't complain.

Also, do you know where we stand in terms of dirty/worn carpets etc. Are we entitled to have them changed as long as it isn't just cos we want to change the colour scheme or something?

I think you're not entitled to anything at all, if you haven't a TA (agreement)...it depends on what basis the property is let, as to whether he has to provide certain things. But no, in most TA's the tenant is responsible for furnishings and decor (interior) and also probably carpets.

The flat I'm moving to has the most filthy, 70s carpets you ever saw - probably older in fact! We had to get written consent to remove them ourselves...he wasn't going to replace them unless NObody took the property, ans seeing as it was on for about £150 below average round here, someone would have. I guess I felt sorry for it - though it's going to be stunning once it's been decorated. Location and structure, space etc are the crucial things. Sounds like it's a good place despite manky carpets!!

It is tricky being a tenant - I complained that water was pouring through our ceiling last summer, and the landlord just said, Oh well, I'm selling it when you leave so just let me know when you want to go'

He is an odd b*gger though. I made him put in central heating 4 years ago. That was a result!

flllight thanks for your help on this. It can be tricky being a tenant but in some ways I quite like it. Our landlord is good in terms of fixing any major problems that arise - for example the central heating stopped working a couple of months ago and he got a plumber in and had it sorted in no time where as if it was our own place it would have cost us to fix it and I'm sure it was expensive. It's just that without knowing where we stand it is difficult to consider spending a lot doing up the place.

Hope this helps. I'm a landlord. As a landlord I need to not only repair but maintain the property (eg : if the outside needs painting to protect the house we just have to do it because we care about the house whether or not it looks shabby)

If I was your landlord and you asked me to do up the place when it was taken "as is" I would not be at all offended by the request but would not automatically agree.

I'd consider, firstly, is it a necessary maintenance.

If not I would consider a shared arrangement, where payment and labour are shared.

If it was really shabby, I would say I don't mind if you paint it yourself -- as quite frankly to get another tenant I would need to do it up and repaint anyway.

When it comes to floors and more permanent refurbishment, I would be cautious and I would definitely want more rent: and if there's no tenancy agreemetn I would definitely want a tenancy agreement with a deposit and security for damage. You should also be cautious: because brand new equipment/floors/freshly repainted walls etc need to be treated with care and not a lot is considered under "fair wear and tear". For example on a wooden floor scratches are tenant's responsibility whereas dents are FWT. (or is it the other way round?) Anyway the point is, if you are going to have an active time you really don't want to end up paying for another whole new floor when you leave.

If I was you, the tenant, I would investigate first -- find cheap but durable flooring options (boring colours) and offer to paint up yourself. Give the landlord a few options eg you buy the paint, we'll do it. Have something to talk about when you see him, so it's not just an "ask", it's more of a deal.

Hopethis helps

That's a great post Llama.

I think Suiledon you might be best looking at the options yourself, as she suggests, and then approaching the LL with a plan and asking if he might want to contribute.

Forinstance I always go and look for cheap carpet remnants (local paper has ads for warehouses, stock clearance etc which are usually really cheap) and source the stuff then get quotes for fitting. I think about what I can afford then ask LL if he would help as it will improve his property.

Keep it cheap though in case you do move soonish - also this helps if your children do spill stuff and it needs replacing again.

I've bought some lovely carpet before that was pretty cheap, from these places.

Have you considered just taking it up and having floorboards? He might agree to this esp if you offer to replace carpet (with cheapo cord stuff maybe?) when you leave, but do be careful about asking first!

I'm doing this with my next place - floorboards and lots of (my own - so I can take them with me later) rugs.

I more or less agree with llama. I too am a landlord. I have frequently offered (and unfortunately my tenants rarely take me up on this) to pay for supplies if they do the work of things like repainting or renovating bits and pieces.

If I were you, I would make a list of what you would like to replace. Price out cheap/reasonable materials and labor for the bits. Figure out what you could do yourself (ie painting, landscaping, etc.). Then go to the landlord with a proposal. ie. We would love to see all of these things done. We figure it would cost this much to have them done professionally in an economical fashion. We are capable of doing these items and propose to do them in our free time as long as you pay for materials. We are willing to live in the house and not complain about the disruption while this work is being done. We expect the rent to remain the same for at least another year after this work is done.

As a working landlord with young children, my number one issue is lack of time and my number two issue is lack of money. If I have a tenant who is offering to improve my property (shows that they care about where they live) and do so on their time (saves me time and energy) and do so economically (saves me money), I am more than willing to bend over backwards to accommodate them.

If I have a tenant who whines about the run down place they are living in needing a renovation without proactively participating in the solution, I am quite happy to tell them to go rent elsewhere.

By the way, I make a point of renting my places at a under-market price, so that I have my pick of tenants and so that they don't feel that they are entitled to immediate action on non-emergency items, since this isn't a possibility when you have two kids, a job and a dh who lives in another country.