House inspection.. should I worry?

31 replies

shouldofgotamortage · 22/01/2026 10:42

Been living at the property for nine years, and have a house inspection next month.
The carpets on stairs & upstairs are frayed by the doors, carpet must be at least 15 years old as they werent new when we moved in as already had the start of being frayed in places!
The floorboards underneath are gappy and some have broken off in small places so some floorboards need replacing anyway. Our place was to replace all carpets this year anyway, couldn’t do it last year due to a very close breavement and before we knew it was christmas!

whats the chances they will moan about the carpets on house inspection? They will be cleaned by my carpet washer so its not a cleaniness issue, just a case of wear & tear (very cheap carpet & underlay!) or would they be more understanding if I say we are changing all the carpets & underlay anyway?
I am really stressed!

OP posts:

HarvestMouseandGoldenCups · 22/01/2026 13:56

The carpets are exhibiting normal wear and tear… they should be replacing them for you after 15 years.

Original poster

shouldofgotamortage · 22/01/2026 13:59

AlohaRose · 22/01/2026 13:35

What are you going to do if you re-carpet the house and the landlord serves notice on you a month later?! I don’t know which area of the country you are living in but it truly is not the norm for tenants to redecorate, re-carpet etc. We are landlords with a number of properties and currently we can barely get departing tenants to clean properties to the state they were in when they arrived – which is always professionally cleaned. We unfortunately now live some distance from our apartments but seem to constantly be having callouts for issues such as a faulty window catch, a loose door handle, a smoke alarm which needs replacing etc. It’s costing a fortune, but it’s just part of being a responsible landlord! We certainly would not expect, nor would we be particularly happy, to find that tenants had repainted or redecorated to their taste. I hope that your deposit is protected in a proper scheme, and that the landlord has been meeting his responsibilities with regard to electrical/gas checks etc?

Is the landlord an individual or more of an institutional investor? It seems that for whatever reason they have now changed from the previous letting agents who have been very lax and unprofessional, to a more switched on agent who has realised that the landlord hasn’t been meeting their responsibilities. The visit could be a good thing as you can easily prove (or rather the landlord can’t prove) that any redecoration, carpeting or any major works have been done on the house for years. A general rule of thumb is that rental properties need to be repainted every five years and carpets replaced every 10 years, although this may depend on the turnover of tenants. Any which way, you are definitely entitled to have your carpets replaced and redecorating done now.

there are large gaps in the checks, but everything seems to be more professional and sorted now. By taste I only mean beige so nice netural colours.
im not painting it black or red or something silly. 😂
Thats good to know, i think im worrying about nothing in all honesty!

OP posts:

rainingsnoring · 22/01/2026 22:28

shouldofgotamortage · 22/01/2026 12:13

Im happy to paint, it doesn’t cost much and its the norm for renters to decorate and at least it’s of my own choice & taste, rather than the LLs choice. I have been here a very long time and know he will never offer to paint.
I will speak to them at the inspection and see if he will replace all the underlay & carpets when they fix the floorboards, should do really cant see them wanting to put new floorboards down & then leave a crappy carpet.

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It's honestly not the norm for renters to do the painting and decorating in a property owned by someone else! I appreciate that you say that your area is full of useless LLs who are too tight/can't be bothered to arrange and pay for the upkeep of their own property, which is their legal obligation.
Carpets are expensive and presumably you don't have an endless supply of £££ if you are a v long term renter so you need to point this out and ask the letting agent to tell the LL that new carpets are needed. You have a contract. You are paying (presumably) for a service. Good luck!

TallulahBetty · 23/01/2026 09:04

Just to check - he HAS had the gas safety check done every year, yes?

RoosterSpud · 24/01/2026 08:42

You would be foolish to replace the carpets and redecorate out of your own pocket! I used to do these inspections; after that length of time it's pure "fair wear and tear" on pretty much EVERYTHING that was there when you moved in; from flooring to paintwork, skirting, ceilings, fixtures and fittings etc. It's the landlords responsibility to replace.

You should have had a check in inventory done when you moved in and your deposit held by a scheme? Usually (in England at least) DPS/TDS etc. The inventory should outline everything in the property from the start of your tenancy and it's condition, ie the carpets being in place and condition. That's the document the inspector should work from, unless there have been any midpoint inspections during the tenancy at another time, where the document should have been updated to reflect current conditions.

Don't worry about the inspection unless you've trashed the place. Wear and tear like the fraying is expected after so long. And please don't spend thousands redecorating someone else's asset - new tenancy agreement for a year or not, it's not your asset to improve and your landlord will be laughing all the way to the bank.

Edited to add: no check in inventory from your tenancy start date, signed by you? Excellent. Nothing can be held against you or taken from your deposit as damages can't be proven against you.

Friendlygingercat · 24/01/2026 12:35

Imagine if someone tripped over that frayed carpet and hurt themselves badly! Possibly an older person with brittle bones. Landlords have a duty of care which they often conveniently forget.

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