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Original poster

Tenant wants us to put in a shower

31 replies

astragirl · 06/02/2009 18:14

We have a newly refurbished flat up for rent in London with an agency. It was originally on for £200 a week, and then got reduced to £185 as advised by the agency. We have now got a tenant who wants to pay £170 and has asked us if we could put in a shower instead of just having a bath. Should we do as he asks or tell him to sling his hook?

OP posts:

plantsitter · 06/02/2009 18:16

Depends how badly you want the tenant I suppose. I imagine since it has been reduced it's been empty for a while, and a shower is not an outrageous request, is it?

IotasCat · 06/02/2009 18:16

showers are more environmentally friendly

I can't remember the last time I had a bath TBH

Flier · 06/02/2009 18:17

tell him yu'll put in a shower if he pays £185 a week . I suppose it really depends whether you want a shower in there, I would think that most people would prefer to have a shower, so I think it makes sense to put one in

WhatFreshHellIsThis · 06/02/2009 18:17

Could you compromise? Say you'll put in a shower if he pays £185 a week?

MaryMotherOfCheeses · 06/02/2009 18:17

A shower seems reasonable.

expatinscotland · 06/02/2009 18:17

I wouldn't bother renting a flat that had no shower.

PortAndLemon · 06/02/2009 18:20

How did you come to newly refurbish a flat in 2008 and not include a shower? I think you're going to need a shower to rent it out at any price, so put one in. I'm not sure if you should take the £170 or hold out for more once the shower is in, though.

ramonaquimby · 06/02/2009 18:23

depends on how badly you need the money I think - not having a shower would put a lot of tenants off I think - seems just old fashioned

WEESLEEKITLauriefairycake · 06/02/2009 18:34

A newly refurbished flat with no shower?

In London?

For £700 quid a month?

Yes, put in a shower.

lalalonglegs · 06/02/2009 18:40

ditto Lauriefairycake. Why didn't you put one in when you were doing the work?

Original poster

astragirl · 06/02/2009 18:42

OK, thanks for all your replies. We'll go ahead and put in a shower.

OP posts:

Northernlurker · 06/02/2009 18:43

I know it's boring when everybody says the same thing but - why on earth didn't you put in a shower??

Pawslikepaddington · 06/02/2009 18:43

I would never rent a place without a shower-I have rented them without heating, but no shower would make me walk away! Saying that, the shower in the house I rent out is pretty dire water-pressure wise, so I should replace it really

Original poster

astragirl · 06/02/2009 18:45

We didn't put in a shower originally cos the bathroom is quite small and if you stand in the bath you can touch the ceiling! We did put in a shower hose attachment so at least people could rinse the bath out or wash their hair. I guess we were a bit silly....

OP posts:

eekamoose · 06/02/2009 18:46

I would not rent a property that did not have a shower so I understand your potential tenant's request.

The rent you want does seem very reasonable for London, though. Whereabouts is it? (just being nosey).

I think rents are falling because of more properties being available for tenants to choose from though.

MaryMotherOfCheeses · 06/02/2009 18:47

Aaah, now you didn't mention that.

When you say touch the ceiling, do you mean a tall person putting their arm in the air, or a normal size person with their head?

Northernlurker · 06/02/2009 18:48

Ah astragirl - you needed Sarah Beeny! Or to have asked mumsnet of course...

what2donow · 06/02/2009 18:48

I'd go for a compromise, you'll put in the shower if tenant will pay £185. I expect tenant may be prepared to pay that (Its only another £60 a month) but wants a 'perfect' flat - and therefore a shower - for that money.

in fairness to the OP, I live in a rented property which was fully refurbished last year. There is no shower as such, just a mixer tap thing on the bath. Most of the properties I looked at didnt have showers.

I will however be looking for a proper shower in my next house (ideally separate cubicle etc!) but am not sure I would be brave enough to ask landlord to put one in if there wasnt one....!

QuintessentialShadows · 06/02/2009 18:49

If the bathroom is small it makes even less sense to only have a bath, you would have freed up a lot of space with a nice shower enclosure rather than a bath.

Or do you mean that the bathroom has a really low ceiling?

If so, does the redecorations comply with buildidng regulations?

warthog · 06/02/2009 18:50

i would not rent a flat that had no shower.

so i reckon if you put in a shower, you will get takers for £185. doesn't matter if you'd hit the ceiling.

Original poster

astragirl · 06/02/2009 18:54

Yes QuintessentialShadows the ceiling is fairly low, I'm 5'8 and I can touch the ceiling without stretching to far. I didn't think we'd need building regs as the bathroom had always been a bathroom from when we first had it.

OP posts:

QuintessentialShadows · 06/02/2009 18:58

Oh, so you have not lowered the ceiling, or put up a fake ceiling, so I guess that should be ok. But it sounds rather unusual.

expatinscotland · 06/02/2009 18:59

'Only an extra £60 a month'?

It's a renter's market out there.

If it were me, I would just move onto the next property if I viewed a place to rent and it had no shower.

But this is a renter's market, so if I approached the landlord to put one in and they wanted to charge me an extra £60/month for that I'd be the one to tell them where to sling it.

plantsitter · 06/02/2009 19:16

I agree Expat, except it is a pain in the arse looking for flats so the shower + no reduction might swing it.

Jampot · 06/02/2009 21:41

put the shower in,

we rented a house that previously had 4 children and 2 adults with no shower AND a water meter!! The landlords offered to put a shower in and we agreed to take it for 6 months (maybe longer). When we got the keys there was no shower but as we paid 6 months up front the agent said they could only chase them. I was very annoyed. Eventually after nearly 4 months they agreed to put £200 towards the cost of the installation but no more - we had to buy the shower. It was very necessary though. Wouldnt have agreed without it.

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