Landlord + shed = stress

rufuschucklebutty

We have been given permission ( in email ) to put a non permenant shed in the garden of the house we are renting, however our neighbours have told us our landlord changes his mind about things like this and the last tenant left because of it, we have a three year contract which we pay in full annually, and putting up the shed will cost quite a lot of money to us as we live on pensions.

We got the shed base set up and he told us to remove it, we then had to show him the email where he gave us permission for it, now he has agreed to it again.

How do we stand legally ?

Getting the landlord to sign anything stating permission won't be rescinded without good reason is not going to happen.

DoaM

An email is generally as good as a letter, provided that the origin of the email can be proven. Print it out and attach it to your copy of the tenancy agreement.

However the House Buying, Renting & Selling Board is probably the best place for this question.

LilElvis

Bear in mind that it would be reasonable to make good the property when you finally leave, so if you have removed plants or turf etc in order to locate the shed then be prepared for remedial work or risk losing a proportion of your deposit.

Comms69

rufuschucklebutty wrote: »

We have been given permission ( in email ) to put a non permenant shed in the garden of the house we are renting, however our neighbours have told us our landlord changes his mind about things like this and the last tenant left because of it, we have a three year contract which we pay in full annually, and putting up the shed will cost quite a lot of money to us as we live on pensions.

We got the shed base set up and he told us to remove it, we then had to show him the email where he gave us permission for it, now he has agreed to it again.

How do we stand legally ?

Getting the landlord to sign anything stating permission won't be rescinded without good reason is not going to happen.

Frankly you can do ANYTHING you like (outside of criminal activity) whilst the house is in your possession.


the Landlord can not do a thing about it.


You neither need his permission, nor need to concern yourself with him rescinding it

unholyangel

Have you considered that the previous tenant or neighbour may have been economical with the truth?

For instance....perhaps the tenant told the neighbour they had permission when they didn't.

abssorb

OP, the terms of your tenancy are legally binding and generally modifications are not permitted. If you make changes without permission you will have a fight on your hands and there is plenty a landlord can do including giving you a section 21 notice.

You have permission in your email, so keep that safe. However it always helps to manage expectations. Whats obvious to you is not necessarily obvious to others.

No-one's going to agree on what a temporary shed is, so do write it out. If he was imagining a pop up tent-like structure, then his mind wasn't prepared for a base to be laid. Not saying that's what happened. But to many, a temporary shed is a pop-up shed.
https://diy.sheds.com/permanent-or-temporary-shed-answer-these-5-questions-first/

Detail all the things involved in the changes that you intend to make, definitely state the obvious, and say what you will take away afterwards at the end. It'll be helpful, and you can confirm in an email and get his agreement to the specifics.

Comms69

abssorb wrote: »

OP, the terms of your tenancy are legally binding and generally modifications are not permitted. - Incorrect. If you make changes without permission you will have a fight on your hands - what kind of fight? and there is plenty a landlord can do including giving you a section 21 notice. - do you understand how s.21 notice works?

You have permission in your email, so keep that safe. However it always helps to manage expectations. Whats obvious to you is not necessarily obvious to others.

No-one's going to agree on what a temporary shed is, so do write it out. If he was imagining a pop up tent-like structure, then his mind wasn't prepared for a base to be laid. Not saying that's what happened. But to many, a temporary shed is a pop-up shed.
https://diy.sheds.com/permanent-or-temporary-shed-answer-these-5-questions-first/

Detail all the things involved in the changes that you intend to make, definitely state the obvious, and say what you will take away afterwards at the end. It'll be helpful, and you can confirm in an email and get his agreement to the specifics.

It's irrelevant. The OP simply needs to remove the shed at the end of their tenancy.

abssorb

Wow. Reply in 3 minutes with loads of red pen. I imagine you would win such a battle with a landlord.

DoaM

Comms69 wrote: »

It's irrelevant. The OP simply needs to remove the shed at the end of their tenancy.

And revert the state of the property to the condition it was in when entering the property (less any fair wear and tear).

Comms69

abssorb wrote: »

Wow. Reply in 3 minutes with loads of red pen. I imagine you would win such a battle with a landlord.

I suspect I would, but then I understand tenancy law better than most LLs or letting agents

abssorb

Thank you for the professional advice you've provided. I'm sure the OP will be grateful and act accordingly.