Tenants redecorated

Halle71

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Yes why should tenants be allowed to feel at home?

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

This comment is mental :rotfl:

'Come, in. Make yourself at home. Replace the light fittings if you don't like the ones currently fixed to the wall. Milk and sugar? I'll just fetch some biscuits and a screwdriver'.

We had a lot of house guests at Christmas and yes, I wanted them to feel at home. However, that hospitality did not stretch to allowing them to rip up and dispose of my nearly new carpets or lay cabling in my lounge wall. Funnily enough none of them tried this.


I don't think anyone who has responded would deny them the right to 'make themselves at home' but any damage they cause doing so needs to be rectified. There is a reason for the inventory - the house should be left in the same state as when they moved in less wear and tear.

CharlieRabbit01

FR_262 wrote: »

My T repainted the bedroom red and white with a black GLOSS wobbly line where a dado rail would be. Good thing I'd only woodchipped and it'll come off easily. Oh yes, and the baby put it's hand down it's nappy and smeared poopy all over the walls.

I do feel sorry for you. I hope you get it sorted.

I did something similar as a teen in my parents rented house without telling anyone.

I just shut myself in, painted a black and white spiral on the ceiling, radiating out from the central light fitting (my room was a perfect square) followed by 2 black walls and red one and a white one. With red gloss skirting.

BigAunty

ACG wrote: »

When i was a landlord i had a tenant who decorated... or attempted to. She had painted the walls light brown with dark brown circles... the circles were not round they were all slightly off. The paint had bits where she had clearly missed or hadnt put enough on... this mean i had to then put it right (as she did a runner).

Meet you and raise you.

When my partner let out their property to Brighton and Hove council under their private sector leasing, their last tenant 'improved the property' by boarding up the chimney, smashing 2 windows, breaking wall lights, punching holes in doors, ripping off window catches and door handles, scratching the hardwood floors, scoring the plastic bath with a knife, throwing their pet excrement in the front garden and nailing a shelf to mantlepiece.

Their piece de resistance was glueing shiny gift wrap onto the kitchen cabinet doors to make them 'pretty' and painting one of the rooms but only around bulky wall furniture,not behind.

The tenant also refused to leave at the end of the tenancy and the council said they couldn't evict their own tenant (they had the tenancy with her) because the local council would not award possession to them under the Human Rights act legislation.

They also installed a lock on the outside of one of the bedrooms so they had a nice line in either domestic or child abuse by locking one of the occupants in. Our plumber reported that both parents smoked drugs in front of them. The neighbours complained about the noise. The council dismissed all reports of anti social behaviour as hearsay and never opened up a case against their tenants - they sought reports from the neighbours and the property owner but just filed them away while giving us the impression that they were collating them for action.

RuthnJasper

I'm on a long term tenancy from a Housing Association, and they (according to their terms) are reasonably free about what I can do. However, it would never occur to me to do something so major without clearing it with my HA rep. first - just for politeness' sake, quite apart from any other legal issues...

Even speaking as a tenant, I am with Trebor01 on this. It sounds like a nightmare.

Best wishes, OP.

Prothet_of_Doom

Can you be pragmatic about it?

They should (and I expect it's in the tenacy agreement) have obtained written agreement before making changes. If they altered light fittings they should have used a qualified person (although it's not hard to get it right and I've changed a few in my own house and that of my extended family).

But be pragmatic. Remind them nicely by post, that you want them to feel at home and that you would normally agree to most changes if they ask before, and that whilst you would normally expect the house to be put exactly as it was before, you understand that because of the extent of the changes made, and the possible costs to them involved you would like to agree now, which can be left, and which will need to be returned to as it was before or when they move out.

Prothet_of_Doom

Our old next door neighbour was renting, and spent 1000's and did improve the place, but one day just suddenly left and up sticks. I think the LL was bemused, to find a brand new kitchen and bathroom, professionally fitted.

Mind you their gardening was a bit weird. The bloke used an angle grinder to cut down a hawthorn bush, and then spent 2 days taking the remains to the tip. When asked why, he said he hated gardening and didn't want to be having to trim it every year.

Very odd.

ACG

BigAunty wrote: »

Meet you and raise you.

When my partner let out their property to Brighton and Hove council under their private sector leasing, their last tenant 'improved the property' by boarding up the chimney, smashing 2 windows, breaking wall lights, punching holes in doors, ripping off window catches and door handles, scratching the hardwood floors, scoring the plastic bath with a knife, throwing their pet excrement in the front garden and nailing a shelf to mantlepiece.

Their piece de resistance was glueing shiny gift wrap onto the kitchen cabinet doors to make them 'pretty' and painting one of the rooms but only around bulky wall furniture,not behind.

The tenant also refused to leave at the end of the tenancy and the council said they couldn't evict their own tenant (they had the tenancy with her) because the local council would not award possession to them under the Human Rights act legislation.

They also installed a lock on the outside of one of the bedrooms so they had a nice line in either domestic or child abuse by locking one of the occupants in. Our plumber reported that both parents smoked drugs in front of them. The neighbours complained about the noise. The council dismissed all reports of anti social behaviour as hearsay and never opened up a case against their tenants - they sought reports from the neighbours and the property owner but just filed them away while giving us the impression that they were collating them for action.

I think you win, even her little cannabis factory was pale by comparison. A 6 inch hole repaired for £20-30 wasnt that bad - although i had to spend the day fixing it. 3 days with the decorating tops and maybe £50-60. I imagine yours was much worse.

My point being though a tenant decorating is not a good thing. A tenant renting a house they went to see and being happy and content with it as it is and paying on time is a good thing.

A_Couple_In_Love

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

Our old next door neighbour was renting, and spent 1000's and did improve the place, but one day just suddenly left and up sticks. I think the LL was bemused, to find a brand new kitchen and bathroom, professionally fitted.

Mind you their gardening was a bit weird. The bloke used an angle grinder to cut down a hawthorn bush, and then spent 2 days taking the remains to the tip. When asked why, he said he hated gardening and didn't want to be having to trim it every year.

Very odd.

Not weird at all, I don't enjoy gardening myself and like to keep things basic. Things that don't need keeping on top of. However, I keep my garden clean.

A_Couple_In_Love

ruggedtoast wrote: »

Yes why should tenants be allowed to feel at home?

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

However much you don't like it, its true.

Your renting, make yourself feel at home, but don't turn it into your OWN HOME.

If you want your OWN, buy one.

CharlieRabbit01

A_Couple_In_Love wrote: »

However much you don't like it, its true.

Your renting, make yourself feel at home, but don't turn it into your OWN HOME.

If you want your OWN, buy one.

I see your point but buying your own home is not always an option.

I totally get the OP's frustration with carpets and light fittings being changed but I see no reason why a tenant can't redecorate and put up pictures as long as it is agreed and returned to the original colours etc when they move out.