Renting from a private landlord, whats reasonable to expect?

swingaloo

Looking at renting a house from a private landlord which has just become empty.

The previous tenants have lived like pigs from the state of the place as they have left it. Obviously he is going to clean and paint to get it ready for new tenants but whats reasonable to expect.

There are issues with cupboard doors, a loose window sill, carpet joining strips missing, a front door needs replacing or at least painting and a lot of other 'cosmetic' issues that I think need attention but Im not sure if Im being picky or not. There are internal wooden doors which look like kids have scratched badly and need rubbing down and varnishing and the garden is full of weeds and needs cutting back a lot. The garage is full of junk and the front gate is rusty. Most of the curtain rails have not been put on straight so need refitting. There are vertical blinds which need either taking down or having some of the strips replaced as some look like a child has been writing on them.

We are meeting the landlord to have a chat about it all but whats reasonable to expect him to do before we take the tenancy?

I like everything nice and the house has such potential if you can see past its current state and whilst I do want the house I want a LOT doing first but Im unsure just how far we should be pushing.

We have only rented a place which was brand new before and only dealt with an agent so have not had this issue dealing direct with a landlord so a bit unsure what we can reasonably ask for.

Any advice please?

AdrianC

"Reasonable" is whatever the pair of you agree on. It will depend on a whole variety of factors; not least the price, the area, comparable properties, and your and his attitudes.

If your idea of "reasonable" and his idea of "reasonable" can't meet amicably in the middle, then you're probably better off not moving there, for the sake of everybody concerned, because it will not end well...

FBaby

We are meeting the landlord to have a chat about it all but whats reasonable to expect him to do before we take the tenancy?

It all depends on the rent he is asking. If it is lower than similar house that would have everything you wish for, then no, it wouldn't be reasonable to expect it. However, if the rent is quite high, then it is open for negotiation. Be prepared though that what he agrees and what happens are two different things and there won't be much you'll be able to do about it, but the first question you need to ask yourself, would you still consider moving in if nothing was done?

Cardinal-Red

You could do as we have done in the past, and negotiate a lower rent in exchange for you undertaking some work on the house for him.

I should say this is not problem free so take some advice before you go ahead, but for us we got almost 30% of the rent off, and got to decorate the house the way we wanted it (within reason).

swingaloo

Thank you for the replies. The rent is in line with similar sized property in the area and it is a long term let. The landlord is keen to have us as tenants as he has had a glowing reference from our last landlord.

For the rent I would expect a house in clean condition and good repair. What I would really like to know (perhaps from other landlords who may be on here) is what is acceptable to request. For instance- if I asked for the curtain rails to be taken down and put back up straight would that be considered a reasonable request or would I look finicky.

I understand that 'reasonable' is what we and the landlord agree on, but before we have the meeting I would like a general idea of how asking for things such as that would come across.

AdrianC

swingaloo wrote: »

I understand that 'reasonable' is what we and the landlord agree on, but before we have the meeting I would like a general idea of how asking for things such as that would come across.

We have no idea, as we've never met the gentleman in question.

AlexMac

As a small LL I would consider it reasonable to remedy almost all the things you itemise back to, as you say "clean condition and good repair".

But then I also replace beds (which are only cheap ones) every 3-4 years and re-carpet or replace laminate flooring if that's worn or dirty. And if anything like washing machines, fridges, hobs or dish-washers fail, I replace them asap-- usually in a couple of days. And boilers too if not repairable. I obviously meet obligations for annual gas safety inspections and have put in hard-wired smoke or heat detectors in place of battery ones.

But that's me; I'm quite handy so I do minor works myself but use professionals for electrics, gas, etc. Prompt action sends out the right messages and saves me re-letting fees and voids on my two little BTLs as they are never empty.

Your prospective LL doesn't necessarily have the same attitude; did he even reference check the last tenants or periodically inspect and remedy faults?

As someone above says, if he or she's lazy, mean or amateur and the agreed defaults from your "chat" don't get done...? And if you offer to DIY, remember he can kick you out in 6 months, so be careful about spending too much on it.

Good luck

swingaloo

AdrianC wrote: »

We have no idea, as we've never met the gentleman in question.

Thank you for the valuable input!

swingaloo

AlexMac wrote: »

As a small LL I would consider it reasonable to remedy almost all the things you itemise back to, as you say "clean condition and good repair".

But then I also replace beds (which are only cheap ones) every 3-4 years and re-carpet or replace laminate flooring if that's worn or dirty. And if anything like washing machines, fridges, hobs or dish-washers fail, I replace them asap-- usually in a couple of days. And boilers too if not repairable. I obviously meet obligations for annual gas safety inspections and have put in hard-wired smoke or heat detectors in place of battery ones.

But that's me; I'm quite handy so I do minor works myself but use professionals for electrics, gas, etc. Prompt action sends out the right messages and saves me re-letting fees and voids on my two little BTLs as they are never empty.

Your prospective LL doesn't necessarily have the same attitude; did he even reference check the last tenants or periodically inspect and remedy faults?

As someone above says, if he or she's lazy, mean or amateur and the agreed defaults from your "chat" don't get done...? And if you offer to DIY, remember he can kick you out in 6 months, so be careful about spending too much on it.

Good luck

Thank you. So as a genuine landlord you would consider most of what Ive mentioned reasonable to put right. Hope he turns out to have the same mindset.

Thanks for replying, much appreciated.

booksurr

i would say that an un-level curtain rail if pointed out at the first meeting with the LL will set a tone that you are indeed a pernickety person

if the rent is £0,000s+ per month I would regard that as a perfectly acceptable comment

if the rent is <£500 a month I would regard you as having expectations that are higher than what you can afford and you will be trouble

there is no right or wrong way to approach the first meeting. If you don't mention it and then comment later that too will colour your ongoing relationship, whether for better or worse is impossible to say

personally I would rather you be clear as to your expectations/standards up front so I know what to expect from you in the future (and can reciprocate when it comes to the standard I expect you to return the property to me at the end (as documented by the very detailed inventory of course!)

warby68

I'd write of a list of the issues in priority order and start working through when you chat with the landlord. You will soon get a feel how receptive he is and whether you will get far enough down your list to be happy.

Its pretty impossible to say what 'standard' on a cosmetic/minor repair level any given landlord will offer. Even if you get a couple of 'nice' landlords on this board its not really a big sample.

Perhaps not a visible list with 30 things on it though !! You don't want the landlord to mark your card as overly fussy tenants before you even start.