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Original poster

Tenant and carpet issue. Advice welcome

42 replies

TrickyD · 03/07/2019 15:20

Our tenant will be leaving in August, after 11 months..Though the house was let furnished, he has removed virtually all our furniture and placed it in storage. We only discovered this when we went with the agent to make an agreed inspection.

One of the bedrooms has a stripped wooden floor, and every previous tenant has been quite happy with this. However current tenant has carpeted it, again without our permission.

He has now asked if we would buy the carpet from him. He has offered a receipt for £290, and wants £195 for it.

I am not averse to keeping it and paying something for it, but that seems a bit excessive. We have agreed to let him terminate his tenancy a month early, so I don't feel we owe him a favour. Any views on this please?

.

OP posts:
BubblesBuddy · 03/07/2019 15:25

Absolutely don’t buy it!!! Honestly, the regent should have bought a rug and taken it with them. It’s their fault and normally it’s clear in an agreement that they cannot make alterations without consent. They have presumably put underlay and the carpet gripper bars will be nailed into your floor. So you now have holes in the floor if you remove the grippers. I would charge this against the deposit. Why on Earth didn’t they buy a rug?

PrawnoftheShed · 03/07/2019 15:26

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BubblesBuddy · 03/07/2019 15:26

Regent ??? Tenant....

Original poster
TrickyD · 03/07/2019 15:35

Thanks bubbles and prawn. I have asked the agent to find out if it is glued or grippered. When asking for the money, he said if we don't want it he will take it or sell it.I doubt if he will get £195 for a second hand carpet though.

OP posts:
BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 03/07/2019 16:55

Have you seen your furniture in storage?

TheFlis12345 · 03/07/2019 16:58

Don’t pay and tell him that is he takes it with him, you will take any costs to reinstate the floor to its previous state out if his deposit.

Original poster
TrickyD · 03/07/2019 16:59

No, but I have checked out the storage company and they appear very reputable. I was obviously surprised and annoyed at the furniture being removed, but close look at tenancy agreement says items moved must be done so and stored carefully. It doesn't actually forbid it.

OP posts:
Original poster
TrickyD · 03/07/2019 17:01

Flis, yes indeed..I am awaiting info from agent.

OP posts:
Aquamarine1029 · 03/07/2019 17:01

He chose to carpet the room without permission. You are under no obligation to pay for something you didn't want. I wouldn't even consider paying him.

sotired2 · 03/07/2019 17:06

agree with previous poster if he does take it he will loose money from his deposit to put floor back to condition it was in when he 1st went in. also check all furniture before he gets deposit to check all there and not damaged and again deduct from deposit if damaged or missing.

Glasto · 03/07/2019 17:08

Depends what kind of wood floor it is.

Proper floorboards or DIY’d orange laminate? He doesn’t seem bothered if you pay for it or not so just tell him to take it

steppemum · 03/07/2019 17:23

to be fair, we put down carpet in 2 rooms in a house we rented. The living room and playroom were tiled floors and the cottage was freezing. The carpets made it much nicer.

But we simply bought felt backed carpets and loose laid them. They didn't mark the floor and didn't require and carpet gripper etc. They were even laid by a carpet shop, and they had a strip for doorways that was loose lay, but held the edges in place.

So he may not have used anything.
But if he has, he may be liable for an expensive repair bill.
Make sure you check the floor, and make sure you check that furniture, any furniture in store can do mouldy, it doesn't take much.

Original poster
TrickyD · 03/07/2019 18:18

Thank you, Glasto. The house is a very nice conversion of a chunk of an old church hall, lots of beams etc. We bought it because DH was offered a job in the city, but it was too far for a daily commute, so for about 12 years he lived in it during the week.It was featured in one of those 'homes' magazines, so I was a bit miffed when tenant decided it was not his thing. So why rent it ?

The floor boards in this bedroom, on the bottom floor, an upside down house, are the original wide, sanded and sealed, floorboards which DH and subsequent tenants seemed quite happy with.

Maybe, Steppermum he has used the system you used. A lot of checking to be done!

OP posts:
LIZS · 03/07/2019 18:24

If he takes it up he has to make good any damage - bet he won't bother to take it.

Artykitty666 · 03/07/2019 18:51

I'd be checking he didn't lay the carpet to cover damage he's already done!

Silvercatowner · 03/07/2019 18:55

Grippers will rip up a lovely wooden floor - I'd be furious if that is the case.

DobbyTheHouseElk · 03/07/2019 19:01

Do not buy it. At all.....

Check that your floor is ok and not damaged. LL here from bitter experience.

BentNeckLady · 03/07/2019 19:03

He’ll have nailed the grippers round the edges. Tell him that he has to take it up and remove it And make good the damage he will have caused or you’ll be keeping his deposit.

DobbyTheHouseElk · 03/07/2019 19:08

How much is the deposit, will it cover the damage?

Original poster
TrickyD · 03/07/2019 19:20

Dobby deposit about £1,650. Artykitty good point!
Waiting to hear from agent about method of fixing.
Thank you everyone.

OP posts:
Bluerussian · 03/07/2019 19:20

You really do not know how you are going to like living in a place until you're actually in it. Different strokes for different folks. Your tenant leaving is no reflection on you or your property, circumstances change and people do move on. Sounds as though he has been reasonable, I hope you find another tenant as good if not better.

If you don't want the carpet, don't buy it; he has said he's happy to take it with him. If you like it you could make him an offer, lower than what he is asking - £80?. It's not unusual to ask for more than you expect to receive when selling something.

DickZillaofTheVilla · 03/07/2019 19:23

Don’t buy it and I’d withhold what it costs to repair the floor when he removes it from his deposit

BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 03/07/2019 19:27

I definitely wouldn't offer him anything for the carpet as that gives him a reason to leave it and so keep the floor underneath hidden from view.
Insist that he removes it when he removes his furnishings

DobbyTheHouseElk · 03/07/2019 20:06

Ok, tell him he will need to have removed the carpet by x date. Made good any damage. Assuming you do a pre check out inspection a few days before they vacate. Then on the pre check out inspection you’ll have a chance to see how the land lies. I certainly wouldn’t but the carpet. I’d need to know what’s it’s hiding, I’m afraid.

That’s a good deposit, but depends entirely on how big the property is and how much potential damage has been done.

DobbyTheHouseElk · 03/07/2019 20:08

As a LL you don’t hold the deposit so you can’t “hold” anything back. It has to be agreed via the DPS.