Who should pay - landlord or tennant?

One_Fine_Day_2

Hello - looking for some perspectives from you wise lot, as my husband and I are at odds about whether or not it'd be reasonable to ask the landlord to stump up for a couple of biggish jobs.

Backstory may help - we've rented the house for the last two years, take very good care of it, rent always paid on time. We're about to sign the lease for another year, with the view on both sides being that it may well stretch on for several more years to come.

First job is the re-painting of the hallway. When we moved in it was already painted the vilest shades of yellow you ever did see (mustard beneath the dado rail, BRIGHT yellow above), and so it has remained. Nothing 'wrong' with it, in the sense that it's a decent paint job, but it's foul and we are loathe to continue to live with it. It's a huge three storey house with very high Victorian ceilings so would need someone in to do it really; it's beyond our scant DIY skills. Suppose the re-paint would add value, but as he's not currently selling...

Second job is the chopping down of an enormous fir tree in the front garden. It is easily 60ft tall and restricts so much sunlight from the garden and front rooms of the house. We've spent a fortune on the garden, but everything in it dies due to this monster; it would definitely need a pro totake it down.

All thoughts appreciated - many thanks in advance.

nomoneytoday

Why not ask the Landlord? It's in his interest to keep long standing tenants happy

BitterAndTwisted

Sensible landlords want to ensure their tenants are happy and continue to pay the rent. Have an informal chat with your LL

tbs624

One_Fine_Day wrote: »

Hello - looking for some perspectives from you wise lot, as my husband and I are at odds about whether or not it'd be reasonable to ask the landlord to stump up for a couple of biggish jobs.

Backstory may help - we've rented the house for the last two years, take very good care of it, rent always paid on time. We're about to sign the lease for another year, with the view on both sides being that it may well stretch on for several more years to come.

First job is the re-painting of the hallway. When we moved in it was already painted the vilest shades of yellow you ever did see (mustard beneath the dado rail, BRIGHT yellow above), and so it has remained. Nothing 'wrong' with it, in the sense that it's a decent paint job, but it's foul and we are loathe to continue to live with it.

Its bargaining time then isn't it? If you are signing up for a new FT , is the rent staying at the current level or is an increase likely? Most LLs would not want to repaint before they actually needed to but may be open to negotiation - it's a case of how desperate they are to keep you in situ and on your own part, you perhaps need to look at the fact that you paying for a paint job (all or maybe a 50/50 split) would be cheaper than the costs involved in moving on elsewhere. Either way, it needs to be discussed with the LL.

One_Fine_Day wrote: »

Second job is the chopping down of an enormous fir tree in the front garden. It is easily 60ft tall and restricts so much sunlight from the garden and front rooms of the house. We've spent a fortune on the garden, but everything in it dies due to this monster; it would definitely need a pro totake it down.
.

Have you checked whether there is a TPO on the tree? Why not get two or three quotes for having the tree's height reduced and then, again, discuss it with the LL.

Generali

If it were me I'd offer to do the painting if the LL paid for the paint and had the tree chopped down or at least reduced to a more manageable size. That way you give a little and get a little.