Unhappy with rental kitchen, vinyl wrapping?

[Namechangeforpom]

ive just got the keys to our new rental, I’m not very happy with the condition of the kitchen and it’s veryyyy dated.
has anyone vinyl wrapped/ used self adhesive on kitchen worktops and cupboards and was there any damage when it was removed eventually?

For the amount of rent many landlords charge these days it shouldn’t be too much to expect the property to be in good condition when a new tenant moves in, especially as they don’t want tenants to make changes or decorate.

Taking photos and listing problems now means there can be no argument if something does break due to age and lack of maintenance.

I’ve replaced cookers in rentals. Get a nice second hand one from Facebook marketplace or eBay. I had a beautiful johnlewis freestanding one I kept in storage for years on the off chance I needed it for my next rental. That was brand new from a returns auction. I paid about £20 for it.

The landlord doesn'thave to fix anything with a retained deposit, although it is good practise.
Ask the Agent if anything can be done and check carefully what The Inventory says (although if you have been there 7 days its too late to amend that).
Then if you want to do anything ask permission but be aware that even if it improves the kitchen you could still be penalised when you move out if you make any changes that you can't reverse

@Hoppinggreen they don’t HAVE to but they should! I would never rent a property out in its current condition.
no only been 1 day so that’s why we are getting permission etc now!
they’ve agreed to send a decorator out to paint the mould ridden room. Apparent they ‘ran out of time’ even though they stated it was all freshly painted which has really annoyed me
and currently waiting for permission for the vinyl… fingers crossed!

Thats good
A decent Landlord updates and refreshes between each Tenant but they don't have to,

The kitchen is in a damn sight better condition than the rental that backs onto my garden! The kitchen in that is the original from when the house was built in the mid-1980's!! It's had many many tenants through it that time, and desperately needs replacing. Unfortunately, like most things, some landlords look after the property, make sure it's upgraded and maintained. Others are only interested in the rental money (like the landlord who owns the rental near me), and don't give two hoots about maintenance, let alone replacing or updating!! You are expecting others to have the same standards as you, and sadly they don't. The cooker just needs cleaning, not necessarily replacing.

Make sure all the close-up damage/defects match what’s on your check-in report, even though you’re emailing photos through (definitely agree with) at the end of the tenancy the inventory clerk will just compare with the check in-report. Try to get the agent round to discuss. You are right that a tenant who is concerned at the start of the tenancy is one who cares in the long term!

Look up Katherine Ormerod in insta, she’s the Queen of vinyl wrapping. https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MjUwODkzMDcwMTc2NDgy?story_media_id=3035134173542801526&igsh=Ym9reDhyb204ZWZv

I would agree but if the LL upgraded the kitchen the house rent would be increased. The rental price reflects the condition of the house when you viewed. You can't agree to accept it after viewing them demand everything gets upgraded to suit you but rent remains the same.

@caringcarer wrong. If you withhold some of the previous tenants’ deposit for the damage and then use it for some new vinyl then what’s the issue? We pay and extortionate amount for rent. The property is so old that I can’t find its records of sale (so no mortgage) then it’s just upkeep? Which would be paid out of the rent right? £1500 for a tiny terrace with a kitchen from the 80s/ 90s…

also like I said earlier, the issues I’ve stated were not visible during the viewing due to the sheer amount of stuff the previous tenants had EVERYWHERE

You're wrong. What the owner prices the property at for viewings reflects what they want for the property in that condition. Whether the owner owns the house outright or has a mortgage is none of your business. The owner will advertise the property at market value reflecting it's condition. If I was your LL I'd ask if you wanted to terminate the contract and give you your deposit back or accept the property as it was at viewing. I'd be hoping you terminated the contract because you sound like trouble.

@caringcarer they asked US!!!! They said we have 7 days to ask for any changes… I offered to PAY for the vinyl ourselves? How is that trouble?! Hilarious you think US offering to do up THEIR kitchen is a lot to ask.

@caringcarer and if you’re referring to the cooker, severe corrosion to the hob plates can be really dangerous. Hence asking if we should also bring this up. We have these 7 days to ask these sorts of questions for a reason! I hope you’re not a landlord because I would HATE to be your tenant. Our previous landlord wrote us an amazing reference, especially commenting on how well presented we’ve kept the place over the last 7 years. We always let him know if things were going wrong/ needed replacing in good time and he always really appreciated that, this is no different! Sorry if caring about our home offends you 😂

Sorry to disappoint you but I am a LL and have 12 rental properties. Most of my properties have had a new kitchen over last 4 or 5 years. I wouldn't be happy with a tenant who viewed a property and signed a contract to rent it only to immediately send a long email of complaints. As I said I'd be offering them a dissolution of contract if they were unhappy with property. I wouldn't accept a tenant wrapping or painting the kitchen units or painting walls without permission, hence I have this in my contracts. Most of my tenants have been with me for 5 or more years so I can't be a terrible LL as you imply. During my time as a LL I've been invited to 3 weddings and been asked to be a Godparent to a tenants child.

@caringcarer I HIGHLY doubt that Lol, someone’s pants are on fire 😂 now I know you’re pulling my leg.

so this is what we put forward to the landlord:
“please can we vinyl wrap the kitchen as there’s quite a lot of wear to the work tops? And please can we paint over the mould in the second bedroom.”

that’s it? Long list where? 😂 I think that makes us an EXCELLENT tenant. Showing we are willing to pay out of our own pocket to improve THEIR house WITH permission.

we aren’t asking for a new kitchen, not asking for a new oven ( I haven’t even mentioned the oven to them despite the dangers, as I imagine it won’t last very long anyway, given it’s age)
I’ve said it about 20x now. the damage was hidden by the previous tenants crap. So I signed agreement WITHOUT knowing.
if you want good tenants, maintain your property.

and if you do have 12 properties, that’s gross. Greed at its finest

Mould needs addressing not painting over. Believe me or not but I am Godmother to a tenants DD and I have babysat her many times as her single Mum has no family in the UK and during COVID I dropped her over toilet rolls, Calpol and groceries. I have cared for my Goddaughter when her Mum had to go to A&E and didn't want to take her with her. I have attended 3 weddings one only last year. In your post you said you sent owner a long email. Those were your words not mine. I wouldn't want crap wrap on my worktops. I do maintain my properties as all repairs are tax deductable. I wouldn't want a new tenant trying to get me to replace or wrap items that were in same condition during viewings. If you chose not to look under the other tenants boxes that's your lookout. I think we can agree we wouldn't want to have a LL/tenant relationship.

I've wrapped two kitchen worktops using sticky vinyl (DC Fix). One was a stone worktop and it was on for two years, and one was a vinyl covered chipboard worktop and it was on for about 5 years.

There was no damage to either when I took it off.

I would not use that cooker , I’d be buying a freestanding hob. Hob plates like that will short out. Not a good idea.
If The inside looks the same I’d be using an airfryer.

@caringcarer I can tell very easily that you are a liar and are just trying to wind me up.

Yeah I did send a long email, a very polite one, I asked questions about which rooms had been painted and which hadn’t etc because it was listed as fully painted though out- which wasn’t true. I asked about bins, -they are different in this area-, I asked about how to enter the loft etc all things that weren’t previously explained to us. But was I asked in terms on repairs and what we are allowed to do was exactly what I sent you previously: can we vinyl and can we paint the room with mould. (I’m aware it can’t just be painted over, OBVIOUSLY we would treat the mould, use a special damp seal/ anti mould paint etc, im not stupid.)
As a landlord you would know that you are asked within the first 7 days to list anything you want added to the inventory which isn’t listed already and any changes we might request. Which is exactly what we are doing. So sorry but you clearly ARENT a LL

Additionally some minor things I mentioned on the viewing, I was told would be rectified after the tenant left (some things have others not) so you’re wrong again. You’re not allowed to PICK UP other peoples belongings. Again more proof you aren’t a landlord

Now get off my thread.

It is a bit concerning. I was planning on using the other 2 rings that are less damaged. But I honestly think the cooker won’t last very long based on its age and condition

I am a landlord. Only one other property. There is no greed in being careful with your money and owning more than one house. You don't know the circumstances around someone owning more than one house. Mortgage costs and legal expectations have increased on landlords. If there were no private landlords, how would you have housing for the last few years? Where would you have lived?

Surely the kitchen cabinets etc were visible during your visit? Things like bin days etc are usually left by my estate agent or our councils have it all online. Tells you which bins which days.

The cooker is grim, I wouldn't cook on that and if my tenants left it like that I'd replace it.

The cupboards.... Dated but functional. However, I wouldn't have said no to someone vinyl wrapping something that dated.

Mould, cannot be painted over, it needs dealt with.

Painting, is it all neutral? If it's really marked, mark it up in the inventory. I don't think it's unreasonable to let long term tenants paint and personalise if it's fairly neutral. Could that be an option for you?

We have had our fair share nightmare tenants but equally lots of lovely ones! We had tenants who kept secret rabbits and they literally ate our house from top to bottom and they did a moonlight flit!

The deposit didn't even cover the sofa they are. The ones after that were absolutely amazing. Did their own thing. We deal with all our tenants once they move in ourselves. Id honestly not be offended if they'd asked those couple of things.

If you are planning on staying long term, even if they provided paint you could spruce it up? Just a thought.

There isnt always huge profit to be made in renting.

You'll soon settle in your new place. But hopefully they'll give you the opportunity to make it a wee bit better 😊

You sound pathetic and very immature. I am a LL and have been for over 19 years. You keep calling me a liar. Read my past history. I have stated many times over the years I am a LL. Btw painting over mould with anti mould paint would only work if the problem that caused the mould had been addressed. Typical problems could be guttering on outside of house blocked, tenant drying clothes inside with no ventilation, condensation forming as tenant cooking with no pan lid on, no extractor fan and poor ventilation. Mould needs sorting and often replacing affected plaster in area before repainting over.

That will scrub off VERY easily with a Brillo pad!

I refurbed the kitchen in my rented-out house from the same era. Cost about £14,000 but I was then able to increase the rent significantly because the kitchen was "modern" - so be careful what you wish for.

If the main requirements are a new worktop and/or new doors, but the cupboards are OK, it might be worth checking how much it would cost to do and pay yourself. Your LL is unlikely to refuse but you do need his consent.

Oh my god that cooker is disgraceful - I hope they are not charging you a lot kf rent for this place ? - I would be embarrassed to rent this out if it were my property!