Am I obligated to paint my rental house?

kitty-kat_5

We've been in this house for about 4.5 years- naturally there is going to be some wear and tear with regards to the carpet/paint etc. Am I responsible for re-painting or cleaning the carpets? Shouldn't the landlord assume those responsibilities, assuming we leave the house in a generally tidy condition?

Cissi

You're obliged to leave the house in the same condition as when you moved in, as per your inventory - minus normal wear and tear, but this doesn't include carpet stains or marks on walls from picture hooks etc. Assuming that the inventory states that the house was fresh and clean when you moved in then yes, you'll need to get the carpet professionally cleaned and you may need to give it a quick lick of paint.

nikki_angel

In some contracts it may say that professional cleaning needs to be undertaken of the carpets before the end of the tenancy although I don't know if this is enforceable. Don't think it would be down to you to repaint the walls although you would need to do as much as you can to ensure that marks etc are rubbed away as much as poss.

happy to be corrected on these points though.

chewmylegoff

kitty-kat wrote: »

We've been in this house for about 4.5 years- naturally there is going to be some wear and tear with regards to the carpet/paint etc. Am I responsible for re-painting or cleaning the carpets? Shouldn't the landlord assume those responsibilities, assuming we leave the house in a generally tidy condition?

you have to clean the place so yes, you have to clean the carpets to the same standard of cleanliness that they were in when you moved in.

you don't have to repaint as long as there is no damage above what could reasonably be considered wear and tear (although obviously what wear and tear actually looks like is a grey area).

kitty-kat_5

ok- so it looks like we'll need to get a professional carpet cleaner in. The house was newly remodeled (however in a cheap diy sort of way) when we moved in, so obviously we'll need to fill in picture holes on the walls, etc. I'm happy to put some paint over those areas, but then won't it look a little funny next to the 4 year old paint? We've periodically touched up areas of the walls when the kids have messed them up, and though it is the exact same paint, the newer paint always looks obvious as it's lighter.

N79

kitty-kat wrote: »

ok- so it looks like we'll need to get a professional carpet cleaner in. The house was newly remodeled (however in a cheap diy sort of way) when we moved in, so obviously we'll need to fill in picture holes on the walls, etc. I'm happy to put some paint over those areas, but then won't it look a little funny next to the 4 year old paint? We've periodically touched up areas of the walls when the kids have messed them up, and though it is the exact same paint, the newer paint always looks obvious as it's lighter.

Talk to your LL first. They may be happy for you to leave the picture hooks if they are put up well and not excessive in number.

Otherwise, if the walls were freshly painted when you moved in and your LL enforces the letter of the law, you are likely to have to paint the whole walls to make good because, as you have indicated, it is almost impossible to make good small areas after 4 years.

theartfullodger

Cissi wrote: »

You're obliged to leave the house in the same condition as when you moved in, as per your inventory - minus normal wear and tear, but this doesn't include carpet stains or marks on walls from picture hooks etc. Assuming that the inventory states that the house was fresh and clean when you moved in then yes, you'll need to get the carpet professionally cleaned and you may need to give it a quick lick of paint.

Nope: Professional cleaning is not needed if the carpets are OK, allowing for fair wear 'n tear. Tenants do not need to have professional cleaning. [Consider the case of the inordinately house-proud person who nevers drops food or drink, dusts & hoovers every day, keep the place immaculate, indeed better than when they moved in: Do they need professional cleaning??]

It might be advisable to hire a carpet cleaner mind... that's your decision..

Cheers!

Artful (LL since 2000)

moromir

kitty-kat wrote: »

obviously we'll need to fill in picture holes on the walls, etc. I'm happy to put some paint over those areas, but then won't it look a little funny next to the 4 year old paint? We've periodically touched up areas of the walls when the kids have messed them up, and though it is the exact same paint, the newer paint always looks obvious as it's lighter.

As others have said, you need to return the property to the condition it was in at the beginning of the tenancy. Leaving the landlord with splodgy walls because you drilled holes in them isn't fair wear and tear if he provided you with freshly painted walls. If you can't match the paint you need to repaint at least the whole wall, if the wall doesn't match you will need to paint the whole room.

theartfullodger

nikki_angel wrote: »

In some contracts it may say that professional cleaning needs to be undertaken of the carpets before the end of the tenancy although I don't know if this is enforceable.

It's not enforceable: (See my previous post)

See also OFT356 (Google it) - OFT unfair terms on tenancies etc, page 48 section 4.4..

cleaning charges - a requirement to pay for cleaning at the end of the
tenancy may be unfair if it is vague or unclear about the basis on which
money will be demanded, or the extent of the cleaning involved. Such a
term is more likely to be fair if the amount of the charge is expressly
limited to reasonable compensation for a failure to take care of the
property (see also our views below on excessive charges)

nikki_angel

Thanks AD. I am still trying to get my head round what's what in contracts. It's a minefield! You think that as you are signing that you HAVE to oblige regardless.

kitty-kat_5

I'm pretty surprised to hear that I may have to paint whole walls, or even whole rooms! Isn't there any law here stating that a landlord has some obligation to repaint at certain intervals? I know in California (where I'm from) landlords have a responsibility to repaint every few years, and there is some assumption that they will have to repaint and replace carpet. Surely a landlord can't paint a house once, and then through various tenants, have it painted to a new standard forever?