Rent renewal reduction

lulaloo

My 12 month rental agreement is up in June 09. I'm currently paying £425 per month for a 2 bed flat in a nice area. The rent is about £75 cheaper per month than other flats in the area - but it hasnt been decorated since the 1970s (a guess but that's what it looks like), my kitchen appliances look about the same age - all working though.
However, recently every single flat in my street is up for sale or has a to let board outside. Am i in a position to ask my landlord for a reduction in rent to renew the contract in June?

terryw

Or alternatively why not point out the state of the decoration and ask him politely to update it?

terryw

lulaloo

The decor isnt horrific - I could really do with a new cooker and fridge though, not because they dont work, but the fridge has rust all along the door at the bottom and the cooker doesnt have a handle on - which means I have to use a tea towel to pull the door open.
He is quite reasonable, but I feel a new cooker and oven may be asking too much

MissMotivation

lulaloo wrote: »

The decor isnt horrific - I could really do with a new cooker and fridge though, not because they dont work, but the fridge has rust all along the door at the bottom and the cooker doesnt have a handle on - which means I have to use a tea towel to pull the door open.
He is quite reasonable, but I feel a new cooker and oven may be asking too much

But asking for a rent reduction isn't??

What level of reduction are you looking for? Let's say you were only asking for a reduction of £25 a month, this is £300 a year.......your Landlord could buy a second hand fridge and cooker for this! If you are there for another couple of years the LL has lost £600 compared to a couple of hundred quid for some second hand goods.

I think you are being a little unreasonable.

poppysarah

There's nothing wrong with asking for a new cooker and a new fridge and if you don't get then ask for a rent reduction.
And if you're still unhappy and there's shed loads of other rentals about for less - move.

rogerdodger007

Hi,
You've said that your rent is £75/month cheaper than the other flats in the area - so it sounds as though the landlord has already priced in the older style decoration into the rental price. I'd be inclined not to ask for a reduction, or if you do, expect him to say no.
There isn't any harm in mentioning the cooker and the fridge situation to him - at the very least, he could put a handle on the cooker door.

lulaloo

I don't really understand how I am being unreasonable in asking for advice on whether I should ask for a rental reduction. I haven't said anything to my landlord, I'm simply asking people's opinions.

To the others, yes, I think you're right in that he has priced the decor into the rental price. I was just wondering if, because of the amount of rentals available, that he may agree to a reduction because of less chance of finding a new tenant.

I'm assuming he wont increase, but maybe I'm being silly in my assumption. If he does then I'll be off

tbs624

There's nothing unreasonable per se in asking about a reduction in rent in return for renewing say for 12 months, but you obviously have to be prepared for the LL to say no to your request. You could just say that you'd prefer to stay on a statutory periodic contract running from one rental period to the next ( if paying monthly you have to give one month's notice and the LL would have to give you two) which gives you the freedom to look around & reassess what's happening with rents locally.

The LL is legally obliged to keep all equipment provided by him in a safe working order, so notify him in writing of that problem handle on the cooker and ask for it to be repaired/replaced.

If there are gas appliances/CH do you have a current gas safety certificate for the property btw?