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Can tenant demand redecoration?
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It's just a coat of emulsion. Or let her paint it to her own taste. You seem to want her to stay, so would a pot of paint be that extravagant?0
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It's at least 2 coats of emulsion, throughout the whole house, plus gloss. Estimated at a 4-figure sum. That's a lot of money - not the single, unextravagant pot of emulsion suggested.
If you let T redecorate there is the risk of damage and/or poor standard, requiring rectification. Given that there are already rent arrears, the deposit sounds increasingly unlikely to cover such costs.
I was in a rented house for 12 years and it didn't need redecorating after 5 years - probably after 10 but I didn't see the need, so it was only done when I left after 12.
Unless you really want to do it then I don't see the need.0 -
You said you have a deposit protected. Why not agree with the tenant to release the deposit to pay off some or all of the arrears (depending which is greater) then the cost of redecoration will not hurt you financially. It does mean the deposit won't be there in case of future damage, but you've written off the arrears, so nothing to lose.I'm a Forum Ambassador on the housing, mortgages & student money saving boards. I volunteer to help get your forum questions answered and keep the forum running smoothly. Forum Ambassadors are not moderators and don't read every post. If you spot an illegal or inappropriate post then please report it to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com (it's not part of my role to deal with this). Any views are mine and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.com.0
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Interesting. In my last rental (rented as "furnished"!!) it took months of begging before beds were provided! It took a further 5 years of complaining before the garden fence was repaired. After 7 years of requests the shower was replaced.
In my current rental (very, very tired and dated - plus it was filthy when we moved in) it was made clear to us from day one that the landlady would not spend a penny on the place (not entirely true; a would-be burglar damaged the front door lock and this was replaced). We are moving in a few months (after 3 years) and gather that it will be redecorated at last.
You should pop over there and have a look at what REALLY needs doing, and attend to urgent jobs, and invite the tenant to do easy tasks (i.e. repainting) if you supply paint and brushes in exchange for writing off of some arrears.0 -
Cambridge32 wrote: »You should pop over there and have a look at what REALLY needs doing, and attend to urgent jobs, and invite the tenant to do easy tasks (i.e. repainting) if you supply paint and brushes in exchange for writing off of some arrears.
You have to joking!!! What on earth makes you think that some of the rent arrears should be written off in exchange for the tenant doing some of the redecorating? :eek:
Personally, I wouldn't give the tenant the option of doing any of it themselves, and wouldn't redecorate until they moved out. Sounds to me like the tenant is getting a good deal anyway.0 -
We rent privately. The house we are in was fully decorated (neutral) when we moved in.
When we moved in we asked the LL if he had any spare paint so we could touch up as needed. He was happy to supply this.
I can see the point that really the LL should be responsible but in reality it is easier for the tenant especially if they want it to their taste.
In the case of the OP though I would not be doing much until the arrears were cleared. Either that or supply a couple of tins of cheap paint.
As regards the HB, this puzzles me. We were on the old system but still had our HB dropped in January. Surely it was changed for everyone?0 -
outofmoney wrote: »
As regards the HB, this puzzles me. We were on the old system but still had our HB dropped in January. Surely it was changed for everyone?
Unless you come off housing benefit for more than a week your claim remains on the old system for those with a tenancy before April 2008.
Although this link isn't my council, it explains it well - though from a landlord point of view:
http://www.bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=39390 -
You said you have a deposit protected. Why not agree with the tenant to release the deposit to pay off some or all of the arrears (depending which is greater) then the cost of redecoration will not hurt you financially. It does mean the deposit won't be there in case of future damage, but you've written off the arrears, so nothing to lose.
Good idea, the arrears are greater than the deposit, so using up the deposit would be worthwhile and would save on the paperwork of keeping it protected.0 -
Most of the more recent tenancy agreements say it is up to the tenant to do the inside of the property as long as they run it past the LL first, probably to avoid outlandish colour schemes and so on. If yours has an older tenancy - does it state who is responsible.
In your shoes I would probably figure that I have a long term tenant, who is now paying rent on time every time and that is guaranteed to you under the local authority housing benefit payments. 5 years of rent, with a small amount of arrears which you seem to have effectively written off. I'd give the paint a lick of magnolia and some white gloss. You could consider asking for a contribution from her if you think she should/could pay something towards it. I personally feel a reliable tenant is worth their weight in gold and a coat of paint is also going to help maintain the place, you can use the opportunity to check out to see if any maintenance or repairs need doing. Also can you offset some of the cost against tax?0
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