New rental property nicotine stained walls

Sherlde

Need some advice on where we stand with a rental property we moved into at the weekend. The landlord (just moved out) had new carpets put in, but there were over 70 pictures left on the walls. When we removed them the walls are heavily nicotine stained in every room plus all the nailsnand picture hooks. Paintwork is also yellow. I have contacted the agent and said they need sorting, surely we should have a clean and presentable property at the start of our tenancy ? They have spoken to the landlord and he says he will provide the paint but we will have to paint the house ourselves as he has no budget for the work. I have responded that we work full time, it’s not our responsibility and also there’s 70 holes to fill and new carpets not to get paint on. Where do we stand if he refuses to get the work done ?

need_an_answer

Was there an inventory provided when you moved in and what condition did it give to the areas you describe?

The pictures on the walls that you have removed ...what have you done with them?

did you notice none of this when you first viewed the property or were you told it would be sorted prior to move in?

HampshireH

How come you moved in whilst the LLs stuff was still in the property?

Thats quite unusual. What does your imventory say?

Also take lots of photos

Sherlde

The inventory listed and pictured all 70 of the pictures and we were told we could remove them and store them if we didn't want them up. Apparently the landlord hadn't had time to take them down. When we viewed the house was very full of "stuff" and the pictures hid the stains.

We picked the keys up on Saturday and were pretty shocked to find them all still on the walls and also a lot of old rusty garden furniture that we were told we could get rid off if we didn't want it. But the removal van was on its way and at that point there was little we could do, the agents were closed.

I took pictures and emailed them to the agent the same day.

lookstraightahead

I rented a flat like this once - food still in the fridge, boxes of stuff everywhere - basically the landlady was too lazy and too penny pinching to move it, as though we should be grateful for being able to rent her home.

I'm not sure what the answer is as some landlords haven't got a clue about etiquette or business/customer services.

FBaby

The issue is that you agree to an inventory that states you were taken the property as it is. As such, your LL doesn't not have to paint the house. This is something you should have queried and requested before you signed the contract and paid your first month rent.

As it is, I think that's as good as you are going to get, so I would get on with it over the week-end, although make sure you have it in writing that he is agreeing to you painting the room.

Comms69

Sherlde wrote: »

Need some advice on where we stand with a rental property we moved into at the weekend. The landlord (just moved out) had new carpets put in, but there were over 70 pictures left on the walls. When we removed them the walls are heavily nicotine stained in every room plus all the nailsnand picture hooks. Paintwork is also yellow. I have contacted the agent and said they need sorting, surely we should have a clean and presentable property at the start of our tenancy ? They have spoken to the landlord and he says he will provide the paint but we will have to paint the house ourselves as he has no budget for the work. I have responded that we work full time, it’s not our responsibility and also there’s 70 holes to fill and new carpets not to get paint on. Where do we stand if he refuses to get the work done ?

Its not his responsibility either. Get over yourselves. That's the property on offer.


I doubt anyone offered to redecorate when you had a viewing.

MovingForwards

We viewed our flat whilst tenants were still living in it. Signed on the dotted line, paid rent/deposit and got the keys a week ago together with the inventory (we had 7 days to notify the LA of any issues).

I could have laughed reading through the inventory as I was walking round the flat. Walls described as good and painted, cupboards described the same (looked like a kid had been let loose with crayons in the cupboards and the was a huge mark in the lounge which happened to have the LL's mirror propped against it, rubbish paint jobs in the bedrooms and had clearly run out of paint, paint over the doors, coving, skirting, dents, paint peeled off - just to give you an idea). I had a shower, upon looking to adjust the temperature the dial came off (could tell it had been broken for quite a while).

Needless to say I went through the flat with a fine toothcomb, including checking every socket, light, door handle etc and I listed EVERYTHING wrong on the inventory and returned it to the LA; I made it clear I was only concerned with the shower being sorted and they have advised the LL will sort the shower and the electric sockets which are not working.

I am not, nor never would, expect someone to come in and repaint the flat.

A 'trade white' tub and 'trade magnolia' tub, cost about £30 for big tubs will be purchased in 6 months and we will give it a tidy up. In the interim we will go around getting all the overspray and overlap off, buff the walls and generally make it look nicer. WHY? Because it is our home hopefully for a few years whilst saving to get our own.

AlexMac

Dear S, not only has no one sympathised that you have an idle, incompetent and amateur landlord with no sense of natural decency (for the record, and speaking as an amateur landlord myself, I do feel they are totally out of order!), but no-one has given you a straight answer to your Q:

Sherlde wrote: »

Where do we stand if he refuses to get the work done ?

Although I guess by now you have your reply; you probably don't have the right to expect clean, decorated walls, free of picture hooks or nails. And although you could follow SHELTER's advice and call in the Environmental Health Officer of your local Council,
https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_advice/repairs/complain_to_environmental_health_about_rented_housing
they'd probably take the view that nicotine staining isn't actually a sufficiently severe health risk for them to enforce?

So unless you are prepared to paint the walls I guess you'll just have to put up with it until you quit in 6 months time (assuming a six-month AST). But I would record the condition of the flat on occupancy, ideally with photos, and advise the agent IN WRITING of your dissatisfaction and of every other smear, chip or defect, in case they start being silly about witholding the deposit. You can even make the point that you have, carefully and with their agreement, had to remove and store the pics.

I guess its too much to hope that the Agent is also so incompetent as not to have registered your deposit as they are obliged to (see the sticky at the head of this forum, above and
https://england.shelter.org.uk/search?query=deposit+protection&type=Advice
for how you can get the Landlord if they screw up o this)

My grand daughter is about to go into her first rented flat and I hope she never experience a shyster like your landlord!

Take comfort in the fact that the landlord will have a new set letting agent fees and hopefully a void after you leave and before the next mug (sorry, tenant) moves in. I find that if you treat tenants right they stay for ages, thus saving me thousands in fees and void over the years.

And I'm sure you're not so vindictive as to go round loosening all the picture hooks, replacing them in blu-tac or putty, then painting over them so that the pics fall off next time the landlord hangs 'em up? Life's too short to sink to their level!

Cakeguts

The thing is that the paint work was yellow and the walls nicotine stained when you viewed the property so nothing has changed. This is why you view a property you look to see if it suits you and if it doesn't you move on to the next one.

bris

You viewed the property and got what you viewed. If you wanted a freshly painted house you should have negotiated it before the tenancy started not after.


How long do you expect to live there? If it's for a while then take the LL's offer for the paint. Bottom line, it's you who has to look at the walls, the LL doesn't care as he's not living there.