LANDLORDS what would you think about this?

[BooyhooRemembering]

i moved into my house in july and i'm never leaving! (thank you to all who convinced me to go for it). we love the house, it's in the perfect location for school and shops and the park and family. it's also very cosy and very easy to heat. the only thing is that it's old and dated inside. not stuff that would need to be replaced/repaired by the LL but decor is dated and tired. i want to update it. ideally i would replace the bathroom suite, replace wall tiles in bathroom and kitchen, possibly add a few more kitchen cupboards, tile the floor from hallway through bathroom, kitchen and utility room, replace all the internal doors, replace carpet on stairs and landing and my bedroom and decorate throughout. i have an inspection tomorrow and was considering asking about this. if the landlord was to agree to this i would like to have some sort of guarantee that he wouldn't suddenly put the rent up to reflect the improvements or put the house up for sale. would that be just wishful thinking?

i'm really interested in LL opinions before i go to my own with my request. am i mad to be considering this? i really want to make it our home. he hasn't placed any restrictions on decorating (knows i wanted to repaint etc) but i know this goes beyond just decorating.

hi thanks for latest responses. a good deal to think about.

the quality of the fittings in the house are not good quality. the doors are those very thin brown doors that have a honeycomb pattern made of cardboard inside. all the doors have dodgy catches and handles (which has been noted on the snag list given to LL). the carpet on the stairs, landing and my room is cheap quality and threadbare in places. the toilet cistern is plastic that has yellowed and cracked at the top, the seat a cheap nasty lime green, the bowl is white but the handbasin is champagne coloured. none of it matches. the flooring in the bathroom is some sort of wooden stuff that is rotted where it meets the bath panel (also wooden and this is also on the snagging list and i'm guessing would have to be replaced anyway at some point due to rot) the grouting is missing between alot of the wall tiles.

wrt to the tiling (and most of the other work) my dad is a tiler by trade and i know i am biased but he is a perfectionist. his work is impeccable. he also served his time as a joiner and would be doing the fitting of the doors. his brother is a painter and decorator and again, very professional. i would only be painting skirting and doors white and tbh only really want to have wallpaper on one living room wall. the rest of the house would be freshening up what is already there apart from the dcs rooms where i would like to paint one wall in each room ( i would of course return it to a neutral colour if i moved out)

good points wrt the LL may not be willing to agree to lease for a fixed time frame if he doesn't see the work as necessary and yes i dont want to be putting myself at risk after spending a lot of money. lots to think about.

thank you all.

Our tenants have up-dated the property at their own expense, we are delighted, mind you he is a painter and decorator. They are in for the long haul which is great for us.

However, if 'things' break down/wear out etc. we do replace them, i.e. gas fire, plumbing, taps - you get the idea.

i wouldnt unless it was my tradesmen doing it.

Op, it sounds like a lot of the things you mention especially in the bathroom is something the landlord should do anyway. If I was told this about my property I would fix it, especially if it relates to rot, damp, mould.

I think you need to talk to your LL and find out their long term plans. I don't think you need to go to the extremes you are planning either as it seems very serious and from your posting it really doesn't sound like your LL has very high standards.

Why don't you talk with him/her and see if you can meet halfway on some cheaper improvements in the house and also see if you can agree on a long lease if this happens.

Be careful - it is not your house, however much you might feel like it is. The last house we rented we hoped we would be there for the long term - painted throughout when we moved in (for which we had agreed a small rent reduction), then decided we couldn't live with the carpet and replace it at our expense. Spent small amount on the garden, maintainging, planting things etc. We were only there a year and a half and the landlords decided they wanted to move back in.

thank you all for comments. i've had a good think and decided not to bring up any alterations (or to do any) for the time being. i think you are all right that i chould be cautious. i will ask today what the LL long term plans are and if they expect to be selling in the near future. depending on the answer i will then ask about decorating the dcs bedrooms to begin with (painting just the one wall) i think i will also ask about the toilet (for them to replace the cistern) and the floor that has rotted.

thanks again everyone.

Good decision :)

It does sound like the LL should be doing some stuff - it sounds in a pretty bad state (but still 100x better than your old place!!). If your Dad & Uncle are prepared to do the work for you, then why not see what the LL is willing to do? If he's willing to pay for/put a chunk of money towards a new bathroom suite/tiles etc then it might be worth it?

The carpet - is it unsafe anywhere (trip hazzard)? If it is the LL needs to get it replaced.

Tiling place near me had some nice white tiles for £6 per square meter - so there are some deals to be had.

Paint is pretty cheap though, so if they are happy for you to do it, painting the kids rooms isn't a big deal is it? Especially if your Dad will do it for you

However, I wouldn't believe anything they say - no-one is going to be honest enough to say that they might sell it/move into it/whatever - they will say what you want to hear - sadly.

I FORGOT TO ASK ABOUT DECORATING THE BEDROOMS! ARGH!

doh!

ah well, it's just a phonecall to ask.

the carpet isn't unsafe anywhere, where it joins the laminate at ds2's room it is frayed and threadbare but not a tripping hazard.

tiles i cant get at trade prices (though i've put those plans on hold)

i also asked what the LL longterm plans were (it was the agent inspecting), he said he hadn't been made aware of any plans to sell or move back in but that it has been a rental property for about 8 years. i told him that i am keen to stay long term and he made a note and said he will let the LL know. i also asked him if he could ask the LL his long term plans and let me know if there were plans to sell/move back in so that i could be prepared. he took lots of photos, i reminded him of all the existing snags and he took some photos of those and i showed him the floor and cistern. he made lots of notes.

You dolt! If you ring him first thing in the morning he'll be able to add it to his report :)

Let us know if/when he gets back to you!

Either way, it's better than the mouldy hole other place you were in!

i will do chipping. i've just gone and read my thread where you all gave me the nod to go for this house. made me feel all warm inside. best decision i have ever made. i really love it here. and yes, so so much better than the last place. never so happy to see the back of a place in all my life!

I wasn't saying don't do anything - just exercise a bit of caution. A couple of tins of paint won't cost a lot and can make a big difference. Maybe think about spending the money on things that could make it feel nicer but are portable - rugs, lamps, pictures, shower curtain. Enjoy your new home!

As a LL I'd not be keen - I keep my rental property in a good state of repair, and neutral, as that is what lets well. I wouldn't give a tenant free reign to decorate and update at will, as I have no idea what I would end up with. For example anything other than a white bathroom suite would have to come out again.

If my tenant came to me and discussed necessary upgrades, I might agree on some provided I had absolute control over what was done/colour schemes etc, and I would pay. I would not agree on many though, as the price reflects the quality of the decor. I carry out full refurbs fairly regularly (and always between lets), and when I do so the rent is adjusted to reflect this.

Why are you wanting to pay for upgrades to someone else's property? It is madness.

Did you bother to actually read the thread panic?

I did Chipping, and I was answering the question 'LLs what would you think about this?' As I LL I'd say no, it's too invasive, it isn't the tenant's property, if I make upgrades I want control, and I want freedom to re-let/sell/put rent up to reflect them. I would not want to be tied into a contract which did not allow me to do this. I've been letting property for nearly 20 years, and at the start I was very naive and probably Ok-ed something like this. I wouldn't now as it creates murky ground for both the LL and the tenant. e.g.

What if the OP spends a lot of money, and the property is re-possessed and sold from under her? Any agreement she has with the LL about the property not being sold will be completely nullified. She has no idea of the LL's circumstances, and the fact the property is not well maintained does rather suggest he is short of money.

What if OPs renovations are bodged in some way, or do not conform with building regs (e.g. regarding electrical work sign offs, gas pipe safety etc)? If the LL is paying they have some come back, of they aren't they are stuck with an expensive repair job, and possibly a non-compliance insurance requirement before they can sell. It all adds up.

That has all been covered, by many of us.

I wish my LL like you lot. My house has carpets that are at least 40 years old, decorating that is old and has been done on the cheap, one coat, cheapest paint using a brush, flaking paint on kitchen ceiling which was there when we moved in four years plus ago.
We offered to get the landing and stairs repainted in neutral colours by a decorator if they would pay 30% but they won't do anything as they are planning to sell at some point in the future when the economy perks up.
They are quite happy for us to do it and pay for it ourselves though.
We're saving up to move, think they might find it difficult to rent out again without doing some decorating which they could of had done for less money.

Life - that's a shame, it's a lose/lose situation and so silly :( I hope you find somewhere lovely!

I know, and it could be a lovely house, we're good tenants and always pay our rent on time but they want to knock it down and build flats. Spoke to the planning office and they say they haven't a hope in hell of getting permission in the near future as the area is stuffed with new blocks of flats some of which are mothballed due to lack of interest.
We've painted a couple of rooms ourselves (with permission) as we couldn't stand the acid yellow with green underneath showing through.

Our tenant has suggested a few changes to decor that she'd like to make. Her taste is a little less plain than mine! We have said that we'd like to see anything that she plans to do. Necessary decorating will be paid for by us, changes due to personal taste should be paid for by her and carried out by a qualified tradesperson.
We try to accommodate her as much as possible because she is a fabulous tenant and we'd like to keep her!

Chipping what is your problem with me? . I'm not into the whole MN let's have a go at each other thing, and this isn't AIBU, so wtf have I done? I answered the question, and yes, probably repeated some stuff (but read the thread.... everyone is repeating everyone else), and I did raise some new stuff not mentioned before. Sale due to re-possession nullifying any tenant/landlord agreement, and non-compliance insurance costs for example. I'll bow out now, and leave you guys to it. I hope OP sorts something out and is happy in her home.