long term renter, thoughts on refurb

bitsandpieces

londonlass001 wrote: »

I don't want any comeback about doing unauthorised work especially if something were to go wrong.

If you want to DIY, why not ask LL if you can do the work? So long as you're clearly improving the property, they may be pleased - you're saving them money! If you definitely don't want to move, you may also want to agree a certain period where you'll stay there on the same rent - you don't want LL to see the upgrades you've done and think 'that looks nice: I'll have a 10% rent rise please' :eek:

Sue_S

As a landlord I'd be very happy for the tenant to come to me and ask if I'd be prepared to refurbish the property. We've had tenants in our property for 3.5 years and I'm a bit concerned about the state of the carpets because they were (in my view) due to be replaced when the present tenants moved in. The agents advised us not to worry about them until the end of the tenancy so we didn't do anything - we didn't imagine that the tenants would stay so long.

Anyway, they're brilliant tenants in that we never hear from them and the rent is always paid on time. I'd happily replace the carpets/bathroom fixtures, etc if it kept them happy. I've suggested it to the agent but they say not to rock the boat and that if I refurbish the house the tenants may get edgy and think we want to increase the rent which isn't true at all.

So my advice is to approach the landlord, they might just be waiting for you to ask...

roses

Sue_S wrote: »

As a landlord I'd be very happy for the tenant to come to me and ask if I'd be prepared to refurbish the property.

I wouldn't. A friend of mine rented out his house when he changed jobs. The tenants painted the bathroom pink!

poppysarah

clutton wrote: »

poppysarah says
and no, its not ok for ANYone to live in a slum, but OP has not described her home as a slum

It was something I'd read here I think ... I just thought it was an interesting point about how much "not niceness" people are prepared to put up with for a lower rent.

But OP wants a nicer home. Landlord might want more rent for a nicer property...

clutton_2

any landlord who has had this tenant for as long as this, and with lower mortgage interest repayments, would be mad to do anything to make OP want to leave !