We're moving out. Landlord wants to decorate while we still live there

FrankE

Hi all,

My partner and I have been renting a one bedroom garden flat for 4 years. We are in the process of buying a house (offer and mortgage accepted) and we have given the requested 2 months notice to our landlord.

Since we moved into the flat the bathroom has been an issue. It's old and looks as though there hasn't been much work done to it. When we moved in I asked him if he could complete some minor work. He did some but not all and I gave up asking. We then got mould in the bathroom which he blamed on us and asked us to clean it off which I did but it still didn't look great. He put an extractor fan in our flat and the flat upstairs which helped a lot. Our toilet has broken on two occasions which we always paid for. I asked him to pay for it the last time as the plumber stated it was old and didn't have a powerful enough flush but he refused and said it must have been us that broke it.

Now we are moving out he wants to do the bathroom up a bit - paint, new flooring, the door handle is broken. We've agreed to this work being done while we are living there as it is a state and needs to be done or no one will take it.

But now he wants to paint the whole flat while we are still living there. We don't want to do this and think he should wait until we have moved out. The flat wasn't painted freshly when we moved in and there were a lot of marks all over the kitchen walls and some cracks on the living room walls. Apart from that it's fine but could probably benefit from freshening up. We've never hung any pictures or anything like that unless there were already holes in the walls (mainly the kitchen).

He has stated that if we let the work happen while we are still there we won't be charged but if we don't allow it we will have to pay for it. Can he do this? We pay a LOT for rent (West London) and we feel like he's ripping us off. The flat is pretty dated (old kitchen, crappy garden, awful bathroom) and when we look at other properties now the difference in quality is pretty big.

Thanks!

Pixie5740

What does your LL imagine he can "charge" you for? He isn't entitled to betterment so if the property was in a poor state decoratively at the start of your tenancy then it's not down to you to pay for a full redecoration.

I think he is taking the pi55 trying to decorate whilst you still live there. Just say no and if he tried to deduct anything from your deposit once your tenancy has ended and you think the deductions are not justified then raise a dispute with the deposit scheme, it's what they're for.

kathrynha

You don't need to let him, and he wouldn't be able to charge you for the work as that would be betterment. If your deposit protected?

HappyMJ

BerryCat wrote: »

Hi all,

My partner and I have been renting a one bedroom garden flat for 4 years. We are in the process of buying a house (offer and mortgage accepted) and we have given the requested 2 months notice to our landlord.

Since we moved into the flat the bathroom has been an issue. It's old and looks as though there hasn't been much work done to it. When we moved in I asked him if he could complete some minor work. He did some but not all and I gave up asking. We then got mould in the bathroom which he blamed on us and asked us to clean it off which I did but it still didn't look great. He put an extractor fan in our flat and the flat upstairs which helped a lot. Our toilet has broken on two occasions which we always paid for. I asked him to pay for it the last time as the plumber stated it was old and didn't have a powerful enough flush but he refused and said it must have been us that broke it.

Now we are moving out he wants to do the bathroom up a bit - paint, new flooring, the door handle is broken. We've agreed to this work being done while we are living there as it is a state and needs to be done or no one will take it.

But now he wants to paint the whole flat while we are still living there. We don't want to do this and think he should wait until we have moved out. The flat wasn't painted freshly when we moved in and there were a lot of marks all over the kitchen walls and some cracks on the living room walls. Apart from that it's fine but could probably benefit from freshening up. We've never hung any pictures or anything like that unless there were already holes in the walls (mainly the kitchen).

He has stated that if we let the work happen while we are still there we won't be charged but if we don't allow it we will have to pay for it. Can he do this? We pay a LOT for rent (West London) and we feel like he's ripping us off. The flat is pretty dated (old kitchen, crappy garden, awful bathroom) and when we look at other properties now the difference in quality is pretty big.

Thanks!

Took me a while to find the question...

Can he do this? Yes he can do this (ask you to pay for repairs if that was the question). Although, you do not have to pay for any normal wear and tear. i.e the degradation in the paint work or the new flooring. Your rent paid for that during your tenancy. You don't have to pay for anything that broke through normal use. i.e the toilet or the broken door handle etc...

You only have to pay for things you accidentally (or maliciously) damaged which sounds like nothing. A few pin holes in the walls to hang pictures is acceptable whether you asked permission or not.

Hoploz

Frankly if you've been in there 4 years I'd say fair wear and tear would include full redecoration even if you have looked after the place. Tell him you aren't willing for him to do it while you're there. If he wants to encourage a new tenant it's up to him whether he redecorates. He's trying it on because you're nice.

ashleypride

Unless he is willing to reduce the rent, then say no to the redecoration and bathroom. He can do all his maintenance after you leave.

Guest101

I'd be telling the LL sure, as long as it's 50% rent

FrankE

Thank you all. And sorry for the very long rambling post. My partner agrees with the comments. He is all for telling him to pi55 off. Our deposit is protected. You've all been very helpful!

G_M

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* Deposits: payment, protection and return