Rent increase

Homeagain

ACG wrote: »

Raise it with them.

Personally I would try to speak to the landlord rather than the agent, agents normally get a percentage of the rent.

If you do not ask, you do not get. No harm what so ever in trying and reminding them that you have spent £x on decorating/carpets etc.

Thank you, I think I will raise it with them, the Agent that is. I have no contact details for the LL, not even on the lease and have never even met them. However if they came in now they would get a surprise.

Homeagain

PasturesNew wrote: »

He agreed to the rent remaining low, not it remaining the same.

If he'd rented it in pristine condition there'd have been regular rent reviews and it'll have gone up a bit in line with what others locally are doing.

How much would it cost to rent a house like yours that's the same/better condition?

True regarding the rental remaining low. However I could get a property for approximately the same price now but it would be hard for me to up and move now as I do not have the necessary funds to move. Rock and a hard place. It would be lovely to get a house in better condition though.

Homeagain

parking_question_chap wrote: »

Sadly thats the reality of renting, the landlord is not obliged to redecorate under the Landlord and Tenant Act.

I rented for about four years, never did any paintwork as I didnt want to waste the money, nor had any been done before I moved in. By the time I moved out the skirting boards were all flaking away and the ceilings all needed freshening up.

If the property is in dire need of cosmetic attention, I suggest either contacting the landlord (or managing agent) and tell them you will stay but would like financial contribution (you dont have to actualy adhere to this as you are not providing it in writing). However, I doubt this is the case just 4 or 5 years after the last decorating. It might just be that you have higher standards than many others, and on that basis I doubt they will contribute.

Thank you, I have tried my best (it was just my 16 year old daughter and I painting and cleaning) but I can assure you that I don't have 'higher' standards than many others. I just want a clean, comfortable home. Truly, the condition of this place was dire. In any event, I will call the agent to discuss but I won't put anything in writing.

FBaby

The rent remained the same, so taking inflation into consideration, lower each year for three years. That was quite a bargain. It sounds like your LL felt that it was fair to start raising the rent after that period. Only he and you know whether you are getting a good or bum deal. YOu have the option to refuse and hope he accepts. Maybe explain that you can't afford another £20 and will have to move. He might decided that he would rather keep you for the sake of £240 a year.

AdrianC

Homeagain wrote: »

We have lived here for four years.
the landlord said that I could pay a reduced rental of 600 pm ... if I attended to all the decorating etc.
...a year ago the LL raised the rental by 15.00...
I have just had an email regarding the renewal stating that the LL is raising the rent by a further 20.00.

The Retail Prices Inflation (RPI) index was 248 in March 2013, and is 265.5 for March 2017. So £600 in March 2013 is now equivalent to £642.34 - so in "real terms" (ie taking inflation into account) you are paying less after this increase than you were when you agreed the deal.

You say "the renewal" - so this is a new tenancy you would be signing, not an increase under the terms of your existing tenancy? If so, then all bets are off as to what the landlord can ask for. You can refuse to sign a new tenancy, and move to a statutory periodic tenancy, with rent increases limited to whatever is detailed in that tenancy - which will probably be RPI...

Homeagain

AdrianC wrote: »

The Retail Prices Inflation (RPI) index was 248 in March 2013, and is 265.5 for March 2017. So £600 in March 2013 is now equivalent to £642.34 - so in "real terms" (ie taking inflation into account) you are paying less after this increase than you were when you agreed the deal.

You say "the renewal" - so this is a new tenancy you would be signing, not an increase under the terms of your existing tenancy? If so, then all bets are off as to what the landlord can ask for. You can refuse to sign a new tenancy, and move to a statutory periodic tenancy, with rent increases limited to whatever is detailed in that tenancy - which will probably be RPI...

Thank you this is an increase under the terms of my existing tenancy. Moving to a statutory periodic tenancy is an option I suppose.

Cakeguts

The situation is this. You agreed for a lower rent to do some decorating and cleaning. You didn't agree to modernise the property. If you did more work than was necessary that wasn't in the original agreement that was your choice. It is a two bed house and you could probably decorate it and clean it easily for a £15 pcm reduction on the rent for the first year. I don't know how much a tin of paint costs but it is only a small house and you probably wouldn't need many tins plus a roller and a couple of paint brushes. Cleaning is often cleaning products plus water so just over £100 should cover this easily but since you didn't have a rent increase for the first 3(?) years that would be £300 for a few tins of paint and some cleaning products. Seems a very good deal for you for that area.

You always had the choice of not renting that particular property and paying the market rent for somewhere else. The landlord has obviously decided that the rent needs to be raised to keep it more in line with local market rents. Could you move to a cheaper area?

ACG

Cakeguts wrote: »

The situation is this. You agreed for a lower rent to do some decorating and cleaning. You didn't agree to modernise the property.

What are the chances that there was someone from this site sat in on the meeting when agreeing rent and terms!

It really is a small world.

parking_question_chap

Homeagain wrote: »

Thank you, I have tried my best (it was just my 16 year old daughter and I painting and cleaning) but I can assure you that I don't have 'higher' standards than many others. I just want a clean, comfortable home. Truly, the condition of this place was dire. In any event, I will call the agent to discuss but I won't put anything in writing.

By the way, I didnt mean to imply high standards are a bad thing. Quite the opposite.

Good luck with the agent, and please keep us updated.

G_M

Whenever a tenancy is renewed (eg when there are repeated 12 month fixed term contracts), the terms of the new contract (for the next 12 months) are open to negotiation.

the LL may propose a new rent, or some other new term, and the tenant can either
* agree
* make a counter-proposal
* leave, or
* let the tenancy move to a periodic basis (monthly) on the same terms (rent etc) as the previous 12 month contract.

Of course, in that last option, the tenant then has less security. The LL can evict at any time subjec to correct 2 months notice.

Best advice for the future, if negotiatig a low rent in return for decorating/improving the property, is to request (insist on) a longer fixed term (ie 24 or 36 months).

That guarantees security of the tenancy, at the agreed rent, for a longer period which might justify the tenant's time/expense in improving their home.

See also:

* Ending/renewing an AST: what happens when a fixed term ends? How can a LL or tenant end a tenancy? What is a periodic tenancy?

* Rent increases: when & how can rent be increased?