Is this petty?

Fireflyaway

When we moved into our rented house it had white good included. The washing machine however was really old and smelly so we suggested we use our own. Then the fridge / freezer broke after a few months so again rather than wait for a repair we used our own. Neither of them were purchased specially, we had them anyway.
Now I'm thinking we have saved the letting agent / landlord a bit of hassle and money and the rent was set with white goods included.
Would it be reasonable to ask for a small discount in rent? I don't know if rent is lower if the property doesn't have white goods?
So is this petty or a real issue?!

G_M

A reduction in rent is not warranted. You chose this course of action. However

1) where are the LL's white goods now? I hope you are storing them somewhere safely.

2) You need to act in a 'tenant-like' manner and report, in writing, any break-down.

Fireflyaway

Yes I guess we did choose this. I didn't want stinking clothes or to be eating beans for weeks!
Yep the broken stuff is there taking up space in the garage....
I feel fortunate we had our own spare stuff to deal with the situation quickly.
Was interested to get opinions as a few people have said it doesn't seem fair.

Guest101

Fireflyaway wrote: »

Yes I guess we did choose this. I didn't want stinking clothes or to be eating beans for weeks!
Yep the broken stuff is there taking up space in the garage....
I feel fortunate we had our own spare stuff to deal with the situation quickly.
Was interested to get opinions as a few people have said it doesn't seem fair.

Life is not fair....


However, you chose to use your own - there is no discount here. The LL does not have to supply you with either washing machine or fridge.

Fireflyaway

Yes the LL doesn't have to supply white goods, I know. Was interested to know if a house without white goods rents cheaper than one with? Kind of feel I'm doing him a favour but hey it makes my life easier.

LuckyG

I don't think you have much chance in a reduction in rent, the washing machine in the place we're currently renting broke a few months after we moved in.

We bought a new one and have stored the old one to put back when we move.
The LL knows the old one is broken, he didn't really care to be honest.

Guest101

Fireflyaway wrote: »

Yes the LL doesn't have to supply white goods, I know. Was interested to know if a house without white goods rents cheaper than one with? Kind of feel I'm doing him a favour but hey it makes my life easier.

It depends. I wouldn't rent one with white goods in it, I have my own and don't want to store the LLs junk

martinsurrey

Fireflyaway wrote: »

Yes the LL doesn't have to supply white goods, I know. Was interested to know if a house without white goods rents cheaper than one with? Kind of feel I'm doing him a favour but hey it makes my life easier.

If you came home from work tonight and found the landlord had left an old hot tub in the garden, without talking to you, would you agree to pay him extra rent as the house is now better?

No.

Often you find the answer if you reverse the rolls.

Fireflyaway

My long term plan is I hope to buy and rent out property in the future and be a much better LL than some I hear of. The actual house we are in is really nice and in good repair etc but I know if I supplied white goods I ensure they work and are in a good state. I'd feel guilty otherwise! I don't know why tennant's seem to be looked down on in this country. If you don't have a house by 30 you are seen as a bit of a loser.... That's another post! Thanks everyone for your opinions.

saajan_12

Fireflyaway wrote: »

The washing machine however was really old and smelly so we suggested we use our own. Then the fridge / freezer broke after a few months so again rather than wait for a repair we used our own.

Did you report the issues in a timely fashion though? My tenants recently told me the dishwasher I'd provided at their request last summer never worked. If they had mentioned it at the time, I could have pursued it via the manufacturer's warranty, but it is now too late for this. For older appliances, if you don't report issues for a long time it could get harder / impossible to find replacement parts.

Even if the tenants weren't bothered about it, I would have had a working dishwasher for the next tenants but will now have to pay for a repair.

amateur_house

Fireflyaway wrote: »

My long term plan is I hope to buy and rent out property in the future and be a much better LL than some I hear of. The actual house we are in is really nice and in good repair etc but I know if I supplied white goods I ensure they work and are in a good state. I'd feel guilty otherwise! I don't know why tennant's seem to be looked down on in this country. If you don't have a house by 30 you are seen as a bit of a loser.... That's another post! Thanks everyone for your opinions.

I actually can't see any harm in asking for a reduction in rent for saving the landlord hassle in replacing the broken white goods, the worst that can happen is they say "No". I've never rented privately though, or been a landlord. Nice to hear you say you plan to be a good landlord. If the program on BBC 1 - The week the landlord moved in - is anything to go by a lot of landlords seem clueless! They used the phrase 'let it and forget it' to sum up their approach to being a landlord