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A few questions/opinions about rental house

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I'm going to use this thread to ask a few questions and also for peoples opinions while doing my planning for a house I'm about to move in to. Please bear in mind that the house is rented so please give any advice in line with that.

My first question is a typical 'guy' thing I guess....Would I be allowed to get Sky installed in the house or would I have to have the LL/LA's permission due to the Sky dish? What about if I had cable instead? Would that need the LL/LA's permission?

Also, I've been given permission to redecorate...What would you advise I do? Is it better to use neutral colours from the start or decorate to my taste, then decorate over it when I move out (in a good couple of years or more hopefully).
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  • you would need to ask permission for sky if it means putting up a dish. ive asked before and it wasnt a problem. i left the dish when i moved though as there wasnt any need to take it with me.

    decoration i would say as long as your taste doesnt run to anything offensive then go for what you like. you can always repaint over it at the end if the landlord wants it returned to neutral decor. although ive found that funky bedding and throws along with my pictures decorate the room and i dont really notice the cream colours of the walls.
    Debt free 3 years early :j
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  • gazfocus
    gazfocus Posts: 2,466 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    you would need to ask permission for sky if it means putting up a dish. ive asked before and it wasnt a problem. i left the dish when i moved though as there wasnt any need to take it with me.

    decoration i would say as long as your taste doesnt run to anything offensive then go for what you like. you can always repaint over it at the end if the landlord wants it returned to neutral decor. although ive found that funky bedding and throws along with my pictures decorate the room and i dont really notice the cream colours of the walls.
    Thanks - at the moment, the living room is a horrible brown but the wallpaper's falling off anyway and the master bedroom is black and dark red so those are the 2 rooms I'll concentrate on for now.

    My only feeling is I want the living room to feel cosy and not cold. I live in a student house at the moment and everything's painted magnolia and it just feels kind of unlived in (if that makes sense). Any suggestions would be good :)
  • cattie
    cattie Posts: 8,841 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    It's hard to give suggestions as to what colours to use for decorating without knowing your tastes.

    Obviously you're not a fan of magnolia ,but if you want to go the neutral way there are plenty of options on warm yellowish colours such as sand, or more beige toned such as caramel or mocha. If you want splashes of bold colour, you can add these with cushions, curtains or a rug, or else pictures & ornaments can contribute to colour splashes in a room.

    Good luck in the new home by the way.
    The bigger the bargain, the better I feel.

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  • gazfocus
    gazfocus Posts: 2,466 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    cattie wrote: »
    It's hard to give suggestions as to what colours to use for decorating without knowing your tastes.

    Obviously you're not a fan of magnolia ,but if you want to go the neutral way there are plenty of options on warm yellowish colours such as sand, or more beige toned such as caramel or mocha. If you want splashes of bold colour, you can add these with cushions, curtains or a rug, or else pictures & ornaments can contribute to colour splashes in a room.

    Good luck in the new home by the way.

    Thanks. At one point I was thinking one wall of terracotta (maybe the wall with the window on), but reading some other threads on here has made me think twice about that. Another option would be to wallpaper it as I saw some wallpaper with very spread out patterns of red (maybe in 4 places per ceiling to floor drop) but I've never wallpapered before so wouldn't feel hugely confident about it.

    I shall keep thinking.
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    It would be usual that you needed to seek the Lls written permission for either Sky or cable to be installed. Some cable companies will actually ask on the form who the LL is and whether you have their permission.

    On the subject of re-decoration - make sure that permission is in writing and take good photographs of how the property is before you start so that the Ll cannot claim your painting was done to a poorer stanadrd than what was already in place.

    As for a terracotta wall, don't let the magnolia lemmings in that other thread get to you.:grin: It was a different scenario - selling to buyers who may have no imagination to see beyond someone else's personal taste. If you're going to be living there for a while, you're renting so not worrying about resale, your LL doesn't mind what colours and you want an "accent" colour one wall ( interior designers talk such *******) then just go for it. Wallpapering is really not that hard.....Wickes and B&Q have freebie info sheets on DIY skills or go and trawl the DIY-not site online.
  • gazfocus
    gazfocus Posts: 2,466 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    tbs624 wrote: »
    It would be usual that you needed to seek the Lls written permission for either Sky or cable to be installed. Some cable companies will actually ask on the form who the LL is and whether you have their permission.

    On the subject of re-decoration - make sure that permission is in writing and take good photographs of how the property is before you start so that the Ll cannot claim your painting was done to a poorer stanadrd than what was already in place.

    As for a terracotta wall, don't let the magnolia lemmings in that other thread get to you.:grin: It was a different scenario - selling to buyers who may have no imagination to see beyond someone else's personal taste. If you're going to be living there for a while, you're renting so not worrying about resale, your LL doesn't mind what colours and you want an "accent" colour one wall ( interior designers talk such *******) then just go for it. Wallpapering is really not that hard.....Wickes and B&Q have freebie info sheets on DIY skills or go and trawl the DIY-not site online.
    Thanks, I'll have a look for some info sheets.
  • gismo1554
    gismo1554 Posts: 712 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    Oh we've just moved and have a lemon yellow living room with a lime green accent wall and it feels so much more homely than the magnolia we had previously.

    Also I would try for sky in the first instance as if you try for Cable then this could mean expensive cabeling of the property. Have you checked if there is cable in it already? I didn't think there was in our flat but we found it last night hidden in the living room. Now debating whether to go with cable for internet or BT
    Never give up the dream! :beer:
  • gazfocus
    gazfocus Posts: 2,466 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    gismo1554 wrote: »
    Also I would try for sky in the first instance as if you try for Cable then this could mean expensive cabeling of the property. Have you checked if there is cable in it already? I didn't think there was in our flat but we found it last night hidden in the living room. Now debating whether to go with cable for internet or BT
    I think there is but I'm not 100% sure - only looked round the house once. There was a brown box on the wall in the master bedroom which I remember having when I had NTL Broadband at my dads but didn't notice anything in the living room for TV. I think also, at the moment installation is free so that wouldn't be an issue.

    The house is in a cable area and the reason I want cable is I'm a web developer and the speed of the internet is quite essential. Sky's £55 package only has 2MB broadband (plus I'd need a BT phone line) whereas Cables £47 package has 20MB broadband and includes phone line with unlimited free calls....decisions.
  • gazfocus
    gazfocus Posts: 2,466 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Ok....next question :-)
    I'm a website developer so I will be spending most of my time in my study (when it becomes a study) and at the moment, the room I plan to use has wall cupboards at the top along one wall. They are quite shabby and look really worn.

    Would it be acceptable (without the LL permission) to take them down, put up new cupboards (probably Ikea Kitchen Cupboards) and then put the original ones back up when I move?

    I know this probably sounds really picky and I wouldn't have considered wall cupboards if they weren't already there, but now I think they're a great idea.

    Also, in the same room I am thinking of semi making my own desk (using Ikea Kitchen units - believe it or not they are really cheap compared to office furniture) - so drawers/worktops etc. I'm guessing because of the nature of kitchen worktops, these will need to be attached to the wall in some way. Would this be acceptable?
  • tbs624
    tbs624 Posts: 10,816 Forumite
    gazfocus wrote: »
    ...Would it be acceptable (without the LL permission) to take them down, put up new cupboards (probably Ikea Kitchen Cupboards) and then put the original ones back up when I move?

    ..........Also, in the same room I am thinking of semi making my own desk (using Ikea Kitchen units - believe it or not they are really cheap compared to office furniture) - so drawers/worktops etc. I'm guessing because of the nature of kitchen worktops, these will need to be attached to the wall in some way. Would this be acceptable?
    Gaz - why ask these things on a public forum? None of us own the property. Even if 50 of us said "yep it's acceptable", the fact is that the property belongs to your LL and it is his rules that matter on things like this.

    *Ask* him/her but, whatever is agreed, make sure that you have it in writing. The LL may for instance agree to your painting the wall cupboards or simply replacing the door fronts.
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