Tenant has asked us to fit carpets.

[fatnfrumpy]

We are new to being LL,s and our first ever tenant has been in for ten months now.
They always pay on time and seem to be a nice young couple.
However we seem to have several texts from them asking us to fix this and that.
so far month one, say shower is leaking. We have a new electric shower fitted.
month three, they report a smell in the bathroom. we unblock the drain that is filled with cooked onion from the kitchen sink.
Month five, they use the brand new fitted intregated dishwasher for the first time ever! (£7,000 brand new fitted kitchen when they moved in) they report that it leaks. The reason it leaked is the door was too tight against the cupboards. Had they used it before we could of got the kitchen fitters to rectify the problem but after five months we pay a carpenter to do it. BTW the tenant is a qualified carpenter but wanted us to pay some one to do it. It meant planeing the side of the intregated door!!!
Month eight, reports that the spare unused bedroom radiator is not getting hot and needs bleeding.
Month nine, their bedroom radiator is now also not getting hot, we call a plumber this time who bleeds the whole system and puts in chemicals.
Month ten, tonight I receive a text as follows,
Hi fatnfrumpy,wonder if it is possible to get some carpet,it,s so cold here even with the heating on. I would be willing to put some money towards it?
We have the original floorboards downstairs that we had varnished before they moved in. We also installed a wood burner inthe front room as he is a carpenter he access to wood to burn!
We rented the house to him at approx £150 pcm under the going rate for the road as we didn,t use an agent. We also saved him agents fees.
AIBU to think he is starting to take the mike or is this normal.
Thx in advance to a virgin LL.

I'm a LL too and think ll is ok except for the carpets. My house has wooden floors, they were ther when the trnants viewed the house and still there when tey moved in. I would not most definitely not change them now.Wit regard to the other requests - completey normal, I do not want my tenants repairing or doing other works to the house. I am happy to pay a tradesperson to do it though.

that draping wet washing around the house, so causing condensation, damp and mould is one of my bugbears.

Some people insist on doing it. It they won't stop, and won't open the windows, the house is doomed to be damp and no-one can help them.

Maybe the draught through the floor will help ventilate it.

TBH your remarks about varnishing the floor, providing carpets and washig machine are irelevant. A rented house is expected to be nicely fitted out, either that or cheap. If you think you set the rent too cheap, that was your decision.

Sorry.

In the lease I use there is a clause about ventilating the house.

I asked my last tenant to scrub and bleach the walls when she did this. I lived in the flat for 8 years with no mould, 6 months and it was black!

Tsk tsk.

She did it too. And repainted it.

Tbh I would expect them to bleed the radiators themselves because it's such a simple job, but if it needed done a lot then like PigletJohn says there probably was a problem with the heating anyway.

The dishwasher should have been sorted before they moved in; whether they used it or not isn't an issue.

If the windows are getting condensation on them then there's a problem with ventilation - sure, they could open windows, but sometimes that isn't enough - have you put extractor fans in the kitchen and bathroom?

I wouldn't bother putting in carpets though especially if you've done the floor nice for them. I can see why they would ask for it, but to me that's asking a bit much of a landlord. Apart from anything else, carpets in the living-space is just one more aspect that can cause problems when it comes to the time for giving back the deposit.

They do sound a bit helpless - and I don't get the washing machine - if it worked I would not have replaced - they could have done another spin if they wanted to!

Our rental contract clearly stated what things we were responsible for we had to do minor repairs - I guess it depends what you define as minor.

There is lots of guidance online and the term that comes through is "reasonable" - yes the door may stick in wet weather, lots do and it is in reasonable condition. This leaflet from shelter may prove useful

And as for the front door sticking, that is a reasonable complaint and I'm sure you wouldn't want them fucking around with it trying to fix it on their own.

Oops x-post. I personally wouldn't be happy with a door that stuck.

carpets - no. They rented the property as they saw it. Give them a list of options that will not damage your property; rugs or loose carpet.

the other stuff is ok. Don't EVER let tenants do DIY, especially not these two.

these two sound very gormless and need gently taking in hand. That means educating them as to the difference between a sink and a dustbin, and that condensation needs to be wiped up daily.

our rental contract had a list of minor repairs we were expected to do ourself. but it was a short list (no central heating, so no radiators to bleed) including changing light bulbs and descaling the shower.
I wouldn't agree to the carpet. they can get rugs.
wrt to lack of ventilating, can you send them an annex to the contract that they are required to ventilate the property and that hanging clothes on tha radiators is not good practice and to use the (presumably) provided line and airers instead.

I haven't a clue how to bleed a radiator. We didn't have them growing up so I never had reason to learn.

Also, I think if you wanted him to fix your dishwasher/kitchen problem (because it is your problem. You own the property. When they move, they aren't taking this lovely new fitted kitchen with them) then you would have to expect to either pay him in his professional capacity or reduce their rent that month. And of course, you might have someone you know who might do it better, or cheaper than he would charge.

My DH is an engineer and can fix many things around the house, but as we're paying rent to someone else, we would expect compensation if he did. And if something went wrong in the process of fixing something, he would probably be liable for whatever the damage was, and we don't see the need to have that potential problem.

Our front door also had this sticking problem. It wasn't just "stuck" as in, oh it takes a bit of a nudge to open, I literally couldn't open it without fully putting the force of my entire body on it. This is not fun when you're trying to get in with bags of groceries or a baby in your arms, etc. It's not just a minor inconvenience.

Anyway, I wouldn't get them carpet unless you want the house carpeted. If you do want the house carpeted, then maybe offer to share the cost.

You're a first time LL so it's a learning process for you. If you resent the amount of rent you are charging him, then you should increase it, or consider an increase for the next tenant.

And definitely test major purchases before their warranty runs out. I'm surprised 5 months was too long to get the fitters to fix it, surely it would have been obvious it was their mistake?

Everything seems acceptable to me but do not provide carpet. They rented the property as seen. Like someone else has said, gripper will ruin the floor and the next person may want floorboards, you can't keep swapping things around. Also as a LL myself, carpets are the bain of my life, we now have a clause that says all carpets must be professionally cleaned when vacating.
We have had some very demanding tennats over the years, they are usually first time renters.
Even had a family view one house three times, which was marketed as unfurnished, decided they loved it and then try to demand it be furnished for the same rental value....jog on !

i am a tenant def wouldn't ask for carpets as it was rented as seen!

They did offer to contribute to the cost of carpets so are not being unreasonsable.

I would not put carpets.

The rest they have asked is fine. I hope you file all the expenses so you can put it against the profit for tax purposes?

Piglet however they are not offering to pay for the carpets themselves and repair the damage to wooden floors when they leave (and nailing gripper in would damage a floor) If a tenant wants to make changes to a house, then they should expect to pay themselves and return it to original condition on leaving.
We have a tenant up north (tenants tend to stay for longer periods for some reason) she has redecorated everyroom which we agreed to but she also signed to say she will return to Magnolia on leaving. I don't expect her to live with 3 kids and not be able to choose her colours I do however expect it put back to a more neuteral colour on leaving.
OP has rented a house with wooden floors, tenant has agreed to rent house with wooden floors, why would OP now want to shell out towards carpet when in 6 months tenants could well move on ?

Tell them to buy some good thick rugs!

All reasonable except the carpets. Our tenants are complaining about damp (and the agent has said that there are patches of damp/mildew) but they never air or ventilate the house - they never open windows, have sealed up the air vents with tape and have stuffed paper up the chimneys. Apparently they want compensation for having to live in a damp flat . They have also, apparently, been without heating for two months, but have only just told the agent - they want compensation for this as well (and it was fixed within two days of the agent being notified). The joys of moving back to a flat with a big damp problem next year don't exactly fill me with excitement, I must say.

You don't have to give them carpet - they knew it had no carpet when they chose to rent it)

All of the other things you listed in the OP are things that should work.

I can see why a tenant would not want to do small jobs even if they were capable of doing them (e.g. planing a door). If it is being done by a professional who is hired by the landlord then the tenant cannot be blamed for anything that is wrong or that the landlord does not like.

If you choose to rent our your house at under the going rate that is up to you but your tenants will expect the same level of workingness that they would if you were charging the full rate.

If you feel these tenants are too demanding (and the house is in an area where housing is in demand) then you could give them their notice and get new tenants with the "going market rate" £150 a month would go a long way towards paying for the little things that go wrong.

The reason they ask if it would be possible to have carpet, and offer to contribute to the cost is stated in the original message, and in this cold weather is perfectly true and reasonable.

Have you never lived in a cold house?

I think everything sounds fair enough bar the radiator bleeding (always did that myself when I was a tenant) and the request for carpets.

BTW, we have a flat that we rent out so I have seen the LL side of things too.

I think anyone using the word "homeless" when talking about giving someone their notice as stated on their contract is being ridiculous.

We have some tenants that don't phone once in ten years and just get on with it, unblocking sinks etc because they see it as their home and their responsibility, some that phone twice a week, and one that phoned to have a lightbulb changed... Guess what ones we like?

But I would say no to carpet. They can get rugs.

Carpets, nope. Matter of personal taste.
Everything else? Yes.

If you resent it, then when they leave ramp up the rent for e next lot.... That shojld not come into it imo.

If a tenant is being given notice, then they will lose their home, and are homeless. Whether or not it's in the contract is beside the point. The trouble with the UK is that it's very easy to do this, which is why people don't think it's such a big deal but that doesn't make it any less than what it is.

How else would you describe telling a person to move out of their home? A 'glitch in the client relationship' perhaps? Ffs.

What 32 year old can't bleed a radiator?

Ahem, I am 42 and cannot bleed a radiator

In our house, I call a plumber at the start of winter to sort out the system and make sure each radiator has no air, pressure is fine, top up antifreeze etc. and in March/April to switch it off and clean the boiler.

I don't understand how stuff in the kitchen sink was impacting the bathroom and clogging up the bathroom drain...how did that happen?