New tenant asks for maintenance work that is financially not viable

[Amadeaa]

My tenants moved in this week. They’ve asked me to undertake maintenance work which they believe are in my responsibility as a landlord, but these works are financially not viable. The costs would exceed the yield of a whole year’s rent with no guarantee that the problem might not reoccur within 6 months. I also don’t have this kind of money available right now. What are my options? They are at the start of a 1-year contract. I don’t think I can terminate the contract without any fault at the tenants side.
Should I offer them money if they agree to terminate the contract early?

I have only ever needed to wipe condensation when there is another known problem causing it. For example my boiler failed and leaked everywhere and while I had no heating at -8 at night I had to wipe in the morning but we are talking a couple of more exposed windows and 1 sheet of kitchen towel not a vac. The lengths the op went to is not normal.

Whether or not it’s common in the uk to use a vac for windows isn’t the point. It’s about whether or not you can rent it out like that. Many landlords make the mistake of renting out a home they lived in and think because they were happy with it, the tenants should be. It doesn’t work like that.

You don't have to do this work straight away, it would take time to organise in any case, and it will be disruptive for them.

Buy them a decent humidifier and say you will understand if they want to look for somewhere else. Could you agree to a lower rent, that's maybe what they are hoping for.

Get an independent to look at the damp and look at the mortgage as the cheapest way to raise the money.

I used to rent a property which was very prone to damp, it was a small flat though and the whole block had the same problem.

I had a huge amount of damp work done but it still doesn't completely solve the problem and the tenants had to carefully manage ventilation.

I'm afraid it can be the lifestyle of the tenant which causes these problems to get worse. One tenant moaned and moaned from the minute he moved in (actually it was hi mum who moaned!) and it turned out he had an exercise bike in there, and May have been using it with the windows shut and the heating on! Happily he agreed to move on, and the next tenant stayed there happily for 5 years and never complained.

They took the property as seen and are trying it on. Some new tenants will test the water (in various forms) , then seek a rent reduction or other concessions. Its a CF tactic; they've shown their colours.

Reply telling them with proper management by themselves to control condensation should soon solve the problem . ( Provide full printed advice / instructions about ventilation etc). Emphasise that you recently lived there yourself, and this worked. You note that the place had been unoccupied for several winter months since you moved out, and offer to provide a dehumidifier. (chosen, supplied and paid for by you).

This!

I've never had to wipe windows daily (nor do most people) until my current house.
I don't believe it's a normal issue and with decent windows shouldn't cause I'm the problems.
I know I had all vents open in my old houses, in this one with no vents, all windows on the catch for air 24/7

I should add. I don't have to wipe daily here either, in the winter use a dehumidifier which was collecting 6+ litres of water a day. But windows on the catch helps.

’take it as seen’ doesn’t mean the landlord hasn’t got a duty to repair. It’s in the landlords act. There’s also new laws on damp, leaking and mould and landlords cannot ignore it. This landlord already experienced it when they lived there.

Had this problem when I rented my flat out to a young mother. She told me about water running down the windows etc, and ended up getting a quote from a company that sorted out damp issues.

They told her it was condensation, as she was drying clothes directly on the radiators.

I had lived there myself and never had this problem!

You really think the tenant is trying it on even though you acknowledge the op had the same problem when living there?

That in the few days they have been living their the op has managed to somehow get quotes for 15k in repair work?

If you’re wiping down windows or having to use a dehumidifier ( extremely expensive on electricity bill ) there is a problem.
Only single glazing has an issue with condensation
Double glazing should not have this issue if the double glazing is intact and the windows have trickle vents.

The op had the issue when living there. Had to vac the windows daily. The cost to repair is 15k which is surprising as the new tenants have been there less than a week.

I agree. Far too many "accidental" landlords who seem to live in the past and don't realise that modern standards are required these days. Heaven knows how many people would be injured and killed if we didn't have the most basic of safety standards required by law, such as annual gas inspections!

Same happened with the old boarding houses, same happened at first with holiday cottages, etc., with many of them left like they were when Great Aunt Edna died in them - go back 20 years and lots of holiday cottages were dire, full of granny's old nick-nacks, knackered old TVs, etc.

We've been looking around for a flat for our son to rent when he starts a new job in Summer in a different city. Some of them are shocking and reflects very badly on the letting agents who allow them on their books!

Then there are also the "pile em high and rent em out" type of multiple landlord seen doing up auction properties on Homes Under the Hammer - I cringe at the shoddiness of so many of the "renovations" - such as putting panelling over a wall to hide huge damp patches with flaky plastering, or putting laminate wood flooring over an existing floor that was riddled with dry rot!

Oh I know, that's what I was explaining, it's not normal to need to do it.
When I moved into the current house I was surprised to find damp/mould in a bedroom wall and stuff growing on the window seals, none of which i saw in the 3 x 10 minute visits i had, unfortunately when you have 2 months to leave 1 house, a housing crisis and a budget sometimes there is only 1 house available.
I contacted my landlord and he is aware the windows are double glazed but rubbish. Condensation between the panes 🤦‍♀️

‘They’? All tenants? Did you read any of the OP posts? They knew they had an extensive problem. You cannot rent out a house that needs that kind of effort to reduce damp and mould. This sounds like a structural problem. To say tenants don’t look after their homes like owners do is a bit much. Some may not but then almost every LL I’ve had doesn’t look after their property properly either.

Is the property damp? Has that been tested? You might be surprised to find it's not damp but something lesser.

By agreement, you can both exit the tenancy agreement with no money exchanging hands. Noone can ask you to do work that is unaffordable, but if it is damp, you will need to sort it.

Not nearly always, that’s not what data says. Landlords are a much bigger problem and the balance of power is only recently starting to move so it’s more even. Most tenants are good tenants and look after the homes they rent.

Condensation should be a huge flag to an issue. Could a better bathroom fan and/or air bricks be an option?

Im a landlord and wouldn’t expect a tenant to go to the lengths you did to deal with condensation. It’s clearly an issue.

Actually , tenants just want to rent properties that are free from disrepair, where they can be reasonably warm, where the boiler works properly and they don't have to constantly worry about what is going to go wrong next. Surprisingly enough, if Environmental health visited then they would be looking at all the issues and would, in all likelihood, be far fussier. I've known them instruct the landlord to renew the kitchen for example. So, yes, sort out the issues.

No I'm just fed up of stuck up people assuming that all tenants are scum. All tenants I know are decent, there are bad ones but there are bad landlords too, who knowingly let their houses full of damp and damage peoples health and lives. But hey, yep always the tenant.

I did the same with one of my dc’s because in their words, didn’t know really what to look for. Some of the shit holes we saw were despicable. One we went to open a built in wardrobe to see if it was just a rail or whatever. Never seen someone move as fast trying to usher us out of the room. Mold was everywhere.

And that’s what these shoddy landlords look for. The inexperienced and the desperate.

All landlords should have a license, that has to be renewed and the only way to get it is a proper exam based on all the legal requirements a ll must uphold. And as part of the tenants pack their rights including who to complain to.

Yea I realise that tenants should be also responsible for knowing their rights, however many are so worn down by the ll/agents and fear getting evicted if they make a fuss.