Carpet covenant on leasehold flat - family advising to ignore, sure they are wrong...

[xxxIntergalacticxxx]

Hi, so I’ve never owned a flat before but now I’m in the lucky position of buying one and have been looking at options for decorating prior to moving in. Will have a new born around the same time as moving in. All family have advised that new born plus carpet does not mix and would be expensive for cleaning so myself and my partner have been considering vinyl flooring, the cushioned type, for our lounge and dining room (where there is currently a mix of laminate and old carpet that needs replacing). Going to keep the old carpet in the hall and bedrooms though as the condition is fine. It’s a ground floor flat and the living room has no floor above it. The dining room where there is laminate currently has 4 floors above it.

Only problem is there is a covenant on the lease which says that all rooms apart from the kitchen need to be fully fitted with carpets. It’s an old flat and my family think we should just ignore the covenant and do what we want with the vinyl... my dad works in the building trade and my mum is a legal assistant... so they think they know everything and can be quite persuasive. However, I’ve got doubts and am wondering whether we’re walking into a tricky legal situation if we lay the vinyl.

Experience? Thoughts?

I think carpets are much nicer for babies! Soft and warm, also better on your knees for changes etc. ignores main point of thread

Depends on how the rest of the flats, but these often aren’t enforced.

We are in an upper floor flat which has carpets in the lease - there were none when we moved in, and from the layers of paint when we sanded it, it had been painted floorboards for years. Our downstairs neighbour has the same covenants, and also has no carpets, so the freeholder obviously all decided to ignore it at some point.

You probably wouldn’t know that until you spoke to the other leaseholders though.

Another one who thinks carpets are much nicer and softer for babies.

My block has this.
The ground floor are different but all the other floors can't sell without a carpet in place. Also if the neighbour below complains the non carpet person has to pit carpet down.

We can however obtain "special permission" which negates the selling thing but if the neighbour below complains then we have to put carpet down.

Oh wait I just remember we are allowed carpet or vinyl as standard just not wood

I'd definitely go for a carpet for little ones.

We bought a ground floor flat with laminate flooring, were told the carpet covenant had never been enforced. Replaced laminate with lovely engineered wood. Six months later got a letter saying we were in breach and our lease would be forfeited. After trying every angle we could, we had to put in carpet. Expensive mistake. Obviously every building is different but I wouldn't risk it again!

Ground floor flat. Crack on.

Your choice OP, but I always had carpet when I had a baby & toddler, I found it serviceable. In fact the new carpet we put down in our old home was still down when we sold it, 17 years later.

If it’s an old lease and you get a modern proper floating floor with soundproofing insulation you can defend it. If you want to do it legitamately just ask your managing agent for permission. You may need a licence to alter obviously this will cost but helps in the event of a sale anyway.

As for being on the ground floor, noise can travel upwards through vibrations.

The chance of being caught out for this are slim but hard flooring is noise with kids.
Carpets nowadays are practically indestructeable we have a very pale one you can clean it wth bleach and vax carpet cleaner (£80) run over with that every few months looks like new.

Cushioned vinyl is prone to tearing and damage from heels. It’s cold to sit on, especially if there are any draughts. Carpets are warm, you can get bleachable ones, get a shirt pile one as it’s more scrubbable.

Also, if you’re old enough to have a baby and your own flat, you’re old enough to make your own decisions about having carpet! You’re a grown up

The only way a covenant like that would be invoked is if one of the other flat owners complained to the freeholder about noise.

I had a flat with gorgeous old waxed floorboards, it was like that when I moved in. I took care to not be heavy footed, wear hard soles in the flat etc and it was fine.

If I lived in a flat with a toddler charging about all day above me I would probably request that they comply with the terms of the lease.

I also think carpets are much nicer for babies. Would you rather lie on a warm, soft carpet or colder, harder Lino?

But yes with you being ground floor I can’t see anyone bothering.

Carpets are SO much nicer with babies. I’ve got 3 children and carpet all the way. More protective and soft, kinder when they fall etc.

I strongly disagree with the premise that vinyl is better than carpet with a baby. We have always had a mixture around the house and whilst yes there are advantages and disadvantages to each kind of surface there is nothing especially terrible about having carpet that isn't balanced by positives.