Tenant wants blinds, who pays?

74jax

We currently rent out an apartment through a letting agent. It's rented out until Summer next year - tenants have been in about 6 months already.

Our tenants had apparently requested blinds in the lounge (my OH didn't tell me) and OH instructed the letting agents to get a quote. We were on holiday 2 weeks ago when we checked our emails the letting agents gave us the quote of £190.00 and asked if they could go ahead.

I got the email and questioned it with OH. We never wanted blinds in the lounge, even when OH lived in it, as it's a 6ft picture window leading out to the balcony and he always said he didn't want blinds. The tenants took on the property with no blinds and didn't question it (blinds in all other rooms but not this picture window).

On return from our holiday, I asked the letting agent for the blinds company information so I could at least find out what kind of blinds it was. Letting Agent was very cagey, but eventually gave us details. On calling the blind people who were very unprofessional and not a company I would choose they said the quote was for silver metal blinds as the tenant asked for. The room is furnished cream and brown and I would not want silver metal.

I spoke to Letting Agent and said it was never our intention to put blinds up and that the property was taken on without blinds, however should the tenants want blinds that's fine,they can arrange it and when they vacate they would own the blinds and they can take them with them and make good any damage from the fixture of them.

OH thinks I'm mad and we should get the blinds.

He says he pays the letting agent to sort this (yes we pay a monthly fee, and they cover emergencies like burst pipes, etc, the tenant wanting blinds isn't an emergency) and now we are lumbered with the hassle of getting blinds, why doesn't the agent do it. Errrr because we don't want blinds and I don't want to be left with a property with silver metal blinds in anyway! Surely anyone would want to know what type, colour, is there a warranty etc on something decorative you are purchasing for your property?

Should I just go ahead and let the agents arrange for the blinds to be fitted? (although not with the company they have the quote from) What then if the tenants want a carpet in the lounge? if we've got the blinds, would we have to get the carpet, or could we say no to that?

It's the first time we've rented and so we're both unsure of the correct procedure.

The letting agent's aren't being that helpful, I suspect it's 'oh it's mr x and miss x again (roll eyes)' when we call.......

Sambucus_Nigra

What is covering the windows at the moment?

I would offer blinds to match the decor if there aren't curtains in there already.

BitterAndTwisted

For tenants who will be paying you continuous rent for a whole year without a void period I would say a couple of hundred quid would be money well-spent, especially if it persuades them to stay on once the current agreement expires. Although I would draw the line at a silver blind. Offer them a cream one. If you're paying for it, you get to choose the colour.

And no, you don't have to agree to have a carpet fitted if they ask.

lovinituk

Sounds like you need to sort out the differences between you and your other half first!

I would consider having blinds fitted but would arrange a quote from a company of my choosing first. (Actually I would buy some blinds from B&Q and fit them myself but I realise not everyone is capable of doing this). I would certainly not be dictated by the tenant or letting agent over the price and style!

We stopped using letting agents years ago (other than to find the tenants) and deal with our tenants directly once they are in place. From our experience, the letting agents are useless when sorting out problems and do not come close to earning the money you pay them month after month.

xyellowx

tell them you will pay for blinds but same colour as others and on condition they extend contract 6-12 months

if they wont agree to that let them put up what blinds they want at there cost ( but as you said they make good any repairs when they move out)

princeofpounds

Is the property let furnished or unfurnished? Do the other windows have coverings? This doesn't strictly matter, but it might help with understanding expectations.

You are not strictly obligated to supply a blind, but leaving windows without coverings can be unpleasant for a variety of reasons, to do with light, privacy and security.

If you do not supply one, the tenants will want to fit one, and as you have discovered it's often better to oversee the process. Not least because you don't want holes left in your wall - as it is a fitting you put the tenants in a real corner if you don't help, because they cannot put their own in without causing damage to your wall.

For tenants not to start to hate your guts (and to aid retention) it is better to be respectful of the fact that it is their home and working cooperatively to make it a pleasant place for them and future tenants to live. It is not a doll's house for you to dictate interior design standards, even though you might have certain powers in that respect. And it is always good practice to expect some reinvestment into the properties for each tenancy.

If I were you, I would agree to blinds, but make sure they fitted in with the scheme in place.

If you are an amateur landlord, I think you need to be careful in terms of your expectations from letting agents. There are no industry standards to adhere to, quite often they will 'manage' a property until something problematic actually occurs. They will look to their own interests first and yours second. And all responsibility for any decision rests with you as landlords, so they will often need to refer to you and you shouldn't switch off to what is happening with the property.

74jax

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

For tenants who will be paying you continuous rent for a whole year without a void period I would say a couple of hundred quid would be money well-spent, especially if it persuades them to stay on once the current agreement expires. No they won't be staying on, it was to cover a period at uniAlthough I would draw the line at a silver blind. Offer them a cream one. If you're paying for it, you get to choose the colour. That is what I though, silver just wouldn't go at all and when they leave would look out of place.

And no, you don't have to agree to have a carpet fitted if they ask. Even if we've agreed to make an alteration already (blinds)?

lovinituk wrote: »

Sounds like you need to sort out the differences between you and your other half first! I know, we agree on soooo much but whenit comes to money, he just thinks, we can afford it we'll pay. When I looked into the blinds company I was horrified with their feedback, customer satisfaction etc but OH was just 'we pay the letting agent to sort this out'.

I would consider having blinds fitted but would arrange a quote from a company of my choosing first. (Actually I would buy some blinds from B&Q and fit them myself but I realise not everyone is capable of doing this). I would certainly not be dictated by the tenant or letting agent over the price and style! OH is more than able to fit blinds - he did the others int he apartment, but he doesn't want to see the apartment rented or meet the tenants.

We stopped using letting agents years ago (other than to find the tenants) and deal with our tenants directly once they are in place. From our experience, the letting agents are useless when sorting out problems and do not come close to earning the money you pay them month after month. I think it was because we'd never ever done this before, we said we would use them this time, but do it ourselves next time.

xyellowx wrote: »

tell them you will pay for blinds but same colour as others and on condition they extend contract 6-12 months No they wouldn't do this, they end uni next summer so will be moving away.

if they wont agree to that let them put up what blinds they want at there cost ( but as you said they make good any repairs when they move out)

Thanks for your comments, we have arranged another quote for this Thursday, but I am still of the opinion we didn't want blinds so why are we getting them..... However if OH insists at least I will make sure they're are cream and from a reputable firm and have a warranty.

74jax

princeofpounds wrote: »

Is the property let furnished or unfurnished? Do the other windows have coverings? This doesn't strictly matter, but it might help with understanding expectations. The property is rented furnished. All other windows have blinds. We were asked at the start of the rental to fit blinds and we stated no we didn't want them. Tenant signed an 18 month lease and has been in several months, due to leave next summer.

You are not strictly obligated to supply a blind, but leaving windows without coverings can be unpleasant for a variety of reasons, to do with light, privacy and security. The reason we don't want blinds is it is a 6ft picture window, with a view of the river on the quayside, we appreciate people do like blinds or at least some curtains, but we never intended to fit any, and stated this to the letting agent when they took the property on their books.

If you do not supply one, the tenants will want to fit one, and as you have discovered it's often better to oversee the process. Not least because you don't want holes left in your wall - as it is a fitting you put the tenants in a real corner if you don't help, because they cannot put their own in without causing damage to your wall. We don't mind that, and as long as they remedy any wall damage when they leave, I expect the letting agents do a final inspection before releasing their bond.

For tenants not to start to hate your guts (and to aid retention) it is better to be respectful of the fact that it is their home and working cooperatively to make it a pleasant place for them and future tenants to live. It is not a doll's house for you to dictate interior design standards, even though you might have certain powers in that respect. And it is always good practice to expect some reinvestment into the properties for each tenancy.

If I were you, I would agree to blinds, but make sure they fitted in with the scheme in place. The tenants want silver metal though, I have request cream which the letting agents have said isn't want the tenants want.

If you are an amateur landlord, I think you need to be careful in terms of your expectations from letting agents. There are no industry standards to adhere to, quite often they will 'manage' a property until something problematic actually occurs. They will look to their own interests first and yours second. And all responsibility for any decision rests with you as landlords, so they will often need to refer to you and you shouldn't switch off to what is happening with the property. I agree, my OH said this is what we pay the letting agents for but it isn't. We pay them to manage the money, arrange tenants and to sort out emergencies, I don't consider this an emergency. However OH does not want to speak or see the tenants or even set foot in the apartment. When I asked the letting agent what warranty their quote came with I told 'none'. I would at least want some kind of reassurance to a blind costing a few hundred pounds.

Many thanks for your comments, we'll see what the 2nd quote brings.

lovinituk

74jax wrote: »

OH is more than able to fit blinds - he did the others int he apartment, but he doesn't want to see the apartment rented or meet the tenants.

Shame, as it would probably cost less than £50 and his time to do it himself!!

74jax wrote: »

I think it was because we'd never ever done this before, we said we would use them this time, but do it ourselves next time.

If your other half doesn't want contact with the tenants you might find it difficult to manage it yourselves!! It can be a pain sometimes dealing with the tenant but we are happier being totally in control and it saves us so much money by not having to pay the letting agent who to be honest, did very little in our experience.

lovinituk

74jax wrote: »

The tenants want silver metal though, I have request cream which the letting agents have said isn't want the tenants want.

In the politest way possible I would personally be saying 'tough'! Its blinds to my spec or none at all.

I also wouldn't let them fit blinds themselves. They will either be drilling into the lintel above the window which can cause a right mess if not done properly, or they will be fitting them directly to the window frame - if this is UPVC then you can never really put right the holes that are left.

princeofpounds

Even if we've agreed to make an alteration already (blinds)?

Yes, there is no slippery slope of alterations. Judge each on a case-by-case basis.

but I am still of the opinion we didn't want blinds so why are we getting them.....

Because your customers want them, future customers might want them, you are not living there. I don't know the exact circumstances of your parpartn

When I looked into the blinds company I was horrified with their feedback, customer satisfaction etc but OH was just 'we pay the letting agent to sort this out'.

It was smart to check up like this. Agents do not always hire the best workers but the ones that give them the best kickbacks. Select your own if you have time.

No they wouldn't do this, they end uni next summer so will be moving away.

Whilst it is best to consider tenant-directed reinvestment for long term lets, I don't think this is an especially expensive thing and I stuggle to see that many people would share your enthusiasm for a naked window, so I suspect you always run the risk of people putting a covering up if you don't.