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Original poster

Should we ask landlord to pay, or is it cheeky (and up to us?)

27 replies

TennesseeDays · 29/03/2016 20:19

We rent, have recently moved DC1 into a different bedroom.

Room has a very large velux window without a blind. We have now realised that we will need to get a blackout blind to use the room as a bedroom (was used as a study before).
I have checked and a proper velux blind is well over £100, cheaper brands are still around £80 at the least.

Would it be reasonable to ask the landlord to provide a blind, given that we will leave it behind if/when we move out, since we are very unlikely to move somewhere with the same size and type of window ? Or do we have to just suck up the cost?
(If it's relevant, other rooms were also curtainless/blindless when we moved in, but we had brought our own curtains with us anyway so it wasn't a problem).

OP posts:
Drinkstoomuchcoffee · 29/03/2016 20:26

No harm in asking.

Landlord is under no obligation to do this as you rented the property as it was. But if you are good tenants s/he may well say yes.

ReallyTired · 29/03/2016 20:30

I would be very surprised if the landlord would pay for an expensive blind that the contract does not specify as his responsiblity. If the property is unfurnished then blinds are your responsiblity. Many landlords deliberately do not provide furnishings so that that they are not held responsible if there is a health and safety issue.

lamiashiro · 29/03/2016 20:33

I would certainly ask and make the point that it will be something most future tenants would want. If my tenants asked me for this, I'd pay for it.

In a place I once rented, it had the most godawful 80s curtains which were falling apart. I contacted the landlord (who lived overseas) and offered to buy some new curtains. Priced it all up and sent her the info, she gave me the go ahead and paid for it. So it's worth asking, especially if it's an improvement to the property. If the LL says no you may have to suck it up, and remove the blind at the end but at least you've asked.

Whyhellodaffodil · 29/03/2016 20:35

Can you just use something like the gro-blind? It's meant to be a temporary measure but has done us well for the last 2 years!

Whyhellodaffodil · 29/03/2016 20:36

About £20 I should have said

KP86 · 29/03/2016 20:45

I was about to suggest a gro blind as well. Just bought one over the weekend for DS and it's wonderful. He has slept in an extra hour the last two mornings.

Easy to put up and down if you want light during the day as well.

ItsALuigi · 29/03/2016 21:00

Personally I would find it cheeky to ask!

Fair enough if it was something like a washing machine needs replacing or a leak needs fixing but a blind definitely cheeky!

Buzzardbird · 29/03/2016 21:06

The landlord has no idea how long you will stay though, and probably won't benefit from it having a blackout blind. I would look into cheaper alternatives and failing finding something you could offer to sell it to the landlord at a used price when you leave.

dontcryitsonlyajoke · 29/03/2016 21:06

I'm a landlord. Provided you were a good tenant (paid rent on time, kept property in reasonable nick) I'd pay for this if you asked. I can offset the cost against my income reducing my tax bill, and it benefits any future tenants.

A landlord doesn't have to but it's worth asking. Hope they say yes :)

Zampa · 29/03/2016 21:08

I'd ask, definitely. Word it as you have above and I'd be persuaded.

I let an unfurnished flat but provide curtains as windows are a unique shape and size.

lamiashiro · 29/03/2016 21:11

Luigi It isn't cheeky, it's a reasonable request. It just depends what kind of a landlord Tennessee's landlord is.

northernlostsoul · 29/03/2016 21:16

We've been in a property for 3 years and are moving- we provided all blinds - would it benefit the landlord to buy them from us?

To the OP the landlords I've had would probably say no as there is a blind in place - worth a try tho x

Buzzardbird · 29/03/2016 21:24

I would say 'yes' to that northern as we usually have to buy or find new curtains every time we get a new tenant as they mysteriously disappear sometimes. I would rather buy them off you already fitted.
We have bought a lot of things for our tenants when they are good tenants but buying a black out blind is a little akin to buying you a thicker duvet for your bed IYSWIM? If the window actually needs a new blind, then I wouldn't hesitate to buy one that suited tenants needs more though.

NameAgeLocation · 29/03/2016 21:26

Never hurts to ask. I once wanted security locks on all the windows (for insurance) and the landlord and I went halves. Everybody happy.

Original poster
TennesseeDays · 29/03/2016 22:23

Just to be clear, window doesn't have a blind at all currently, it's not that we want it to be replaced with a better one.

I think we will have a go at asking and hope that we can sort something out.

OP posts:
northernlostsoul · 29/03/2016 23:55

But we were given the property blindness so would stop the LL giving the next tenants the flat in the same condition?

If there was no blind there in the first place OP then you have a better case.

Needmoresleep · 30/03/2016 00:47

I am also a landlord. I agree with don'tcry. Ask politely. As well as the tax deduction a landlord might prefer you got something good so the property shows better next time. At minimum they may meet you half way and pay some of the cost. I would stress the enhancement to the property.

And buzzard I too have wondered about the curtain thing. What do tenants do with curtains? The last lot left much nicer living room curtains than I remember, so I did not mind the trip to B&Q to replace some very odd bedroom ones.

Buzzardbird · 30/03/2016 12:11

Oh, in that case OP (for some reason I thought there were already blinds) I would definitely pay to put one up. I believe curtains and blinds are a basic requirement for a property. The last thing I would want is someone having to use sheets or something if they didn't have any curtains.
Yes, sleep apparently the quite expensive black out curtains we left made excellent dust sheets when they decided to paint the bedrooms...or they attempted to paint around them instead of taking them off. So they just threw them away...along with the 2 months rent they didn't pay and the massive hole in the kitchen wall they left...lovely.

Katarzyna79 · 30/03/2016 12:17

we dressed one property with voiles because the windows were huge floor to ceiling types Georgian property. buses used to stop right outside our door so felt we needed them. But it cost a fortune we were only there a year before we outgrew the place.

in subsequent properties we haven't used voiles, left the windows bare. fortunately they had huge front porches so cant really see inside, looks dark from outside, They had curtains and shutters too. i don't really like voiles and blinds anyway easier to clean the windows without all that, plus looks clean and minimal.

property we are in right now is semi rural huge drive leading to the property so we are fortunate they aren't required either. Curtains are there for sleep so its fine.

i don't think I'd ask the landlord, id buy something cheaper. Wont most landlords say no because they don't know how long you are staying? If i was there a few years i would ask then.

KeyboardMum · 30/03/2016 12:23

Your landlord has no obligation to buy it for you.

If you are intending to leave it there, it does count as an improvement however. What you could do is suggest going 50/50 on it.

MissWimpyDimple · 30/03/2016 12:26

The landlord may well fit one for you. They won't want you to damage the walls etc by installing something incorrectly.

It's worth a try.

I work in property and it's certainly something I would say you have a 50% chance to get paid for, particularly as its a "specialist" window.

Tanito279 · 30/03/2016 12:27

As a tenant I wouldn't ask he landlord to pay for the blind, but I would definitely ask them to put it up. I'd be worried about damaging the wall - my landlord doesn't even want me to hang a clock in the kitchen!

ReallyTired · 30/03/2016 12:27

"If you are intending to leave it there, it does count as an improvement however. What you could do is suggest going 50/50 on it."

I don't think the landlord is under any obligation to pay for "improvements" especially as many people will not share the idea that a blackout blind is either needed or an improvement.

MovingOnUpMovingOnOut · 31/03/2016 14:33

I'm fairly sure improvements are not tax deductible.

I would be surprised to get this request and would say no. I would be incredulous to get a request to fit a blind. Labour costs are much higher than the cost of a blind so I would say no to that too.

Our tenants requested two days after moving in that we pay to have draft excluders fitted down the middle of the French windows. It costs about £5 for the strip but doesn't last long and needs to be replaced annually/bi-annually. Paying someone to come and stick the stuff on would have cost £60 and it would have cost me even more in lost work time and travel to come and do it. We said no but feel free to buy some and stick it on yourself.

I personally wouldn't ask my ll to buy a new blind after I'd been living somewhere for a while. Totally different if you're in negotiations to rent somewhere but once you're in other than repairs I think you have to accept you agreed to no blind being supplied when you agreed the tenancy.

Cressandra · 31/03/2016 16:44

I think it's fine to ask politely, offering to do the installation yourselves.

Try blinds2go if you haven't already, their prices on veluxes seem very reasonable. And a groblind as others have said is also a viable option, even long term.