Private landlords and replacement carpets

middlesis

I,m not begrudging the landlord. I just dont understand why he wouldnt want to keep his own property in good nick.  The rent he charges is his choice - not ours.  If he had increased the rent incrementally over the years we would have paid it. 

Transparent? Not really, just cant be bothered.  He owns all of the 10 properties in a small cul-de-sac. Other residents all have niggly issues too. Leaky taps, smells coming from kitchen plugholes( outside blocked drain), dodgy toilets and showers that have two temperature settings, very hot or freezing, squirrels nesting in the loft space, constantly blowing lightbulbs.  All inside, so not his problem.  If pressed about a problem, he directs us to one of the neighbours who has a "jack of all trades" family member and we have to ask them to fix it.

Maybe an old carpet is a bit petty, but I think he should look after his properties and tenants a little better.

middlesis

But thats the whole point, brett1985.   We have 'put down a lick of paint', renewed some fixtures and fittings, upgraded blinds etc.  We are quite prepared to pay to make the house nice and comfy.  But the landlord doesnt seem willing to do anything at all. We have upgraded his property for him.  It would be nice if he could at least meet us halfway on this.

We are not alike when it comes to expenditure. We spend money. He does not.

[Deleted User]

I suppose then that a lot depends on how desirable the property is to you (or to other potential tenants).

If there's nothing special about it and there are plenty more like it out there, then this sort of landlord would be annoying.  And in the long term you might think about moving.

But if there was something especially good about the location, layout, price, or if alternative properties are in short supply, then you might decide the positives outweigh the negatives of having an indolent landlord.

[Deleted User]

middlesis said:

But thats the whole point, brett1985.   We have 'put down a lick of paint', renewed some fixtures and fittings, upgraded blinds etc.  We are quite prepared to pay to make the house nice and comfy.  But the landlord doesnt seem willing to do anything at all. We have upgraded his property for him.  It would be nice if he could at least meet us halfway on this.

We are not alike when it comes to expenditure. We spend money. He does not.

Sorry if i misunderstood. Frustrating as it is, you probably wont get blood from a stone.


 By the way, a nice large rug can transform a room if that is suitable and vastly cheaper.

yksi

Just pay for the carpet yourself. I see that it isn't your responsibility, but this is the path of least resistance. You have a low rent, let's imagine he should have charged you even just £10 extra - over the time you've been there, that's a bigger saving than the cost of new carpet for one room. You're winning here. Get the carpet replaced and keep enjoying living in a bargain, with a hands-off landlord who leaves you in peace and lets you keep living there for years on end. And leave it behind when you go, it's the much simpler option, just consider it a small price to pay for having nicer flooring underfoot.

As an aside you seem a bit frustrated that he isn't regularly visiting and updating the inside. I don't know what kind of other landlords you've had but I've never had one that painted my place while I was living there or updated anything, unless it was broken. Repainting is another job you could certainly do, at low cost, if you think the inside walls need redoing, and with no rent increase in the past 7 years is another thing where you would still be winning if you paid for.

Providing you don't install lime shag carpet or paint the walls bright orange... there is no WAY you will lose even a penny of your deposit for doing these two things. The test is whether you left the place in the same condition, allowing for wear and tear, and he would never win if he disputed these two things done tastefully with decent quality. And you need to let go of the idea that you're "improving his property". You're not, realistically. One room of replaced carpet makes virtually no difference to the value of a property in the scheme of things. It's just maintenance.

lookstraightahead

@ he is. Has he done the electricity check needing to be carried out prior to 1 April.

middlesis

yksi - yes I totally get your point, if we bought a new carpet, it would be us getting the benefit from it. The whole of   the downstairs is one big open plan space so we will start putting some £s away as it wont be cheap.  My frustration comes from his "manyana" attitude and his reluctance to engage with us (and the other tenants) on any issues at all.

lookstraightahead - no, no electrical check done recently - or ever in fact

AdrianC

middlesis said:

I,m not begrudging the landlord. I just dont understand why he wouldnt want to keep his own property in good nick.  The rent he charges is his choice - not ours.  If he had increased the rent incrementally over the years we would have paid it. 

Transparent? Not really, just cant be bothered.  He owns all of the 10 properties in a small cul-de-sac. Other residents all have niggly issues too. Leaky taps, smells coming from kitchen plugholes( outside blocked drain), dodgy toilets and showers that have two temperature settings, very hot or freezing, squirrels nesting in the loft space, constantly blowing lightbulbs.  All inside, so not his problem.  If pressed about a problem, he directs us to one of the neighbours who has a "jack of all trades" family member and we have to ask them to fix it.

Maybe an old carpet is a bit petty, but I think he should look after his properties and tenants a little better.

If you don't like the way he runs his lettings business, vote with your wallet. Move.

martindow

middlesis said:

yksi - yes I totally get your point, if we bought a new carpet, it would be us getting the benefit from it. The whole of   the downstairs is one big open plan space so we will start putting some £s away as it wont be cheap.  My frustration comes from his "manyana" attitude and his reluctance to engage with us (and the other tenants) on any issues at all.

lookstraightahead - no, no electrical check done recently - or ever in fact

Presentable carpet is not that expensive.  I think you may have a figure in mind that is greater than the actual cost.  You could take

measurements and get some quotes from local carpet suppliers to get an indication..

saajan_12

middlesis said:

Sorry Justworriedabit, but dont totally understand your post.  If we buy a new carpet, we will  most definitely take it with us. Surely what condition its in is irrelevant if we paid for it.

This is why we think both sides sound cheap.. people don't usually move carpet because it wouldn't fit properly in a new room, already partly damaged / worn in certain areas from a different layout, much of the cost is fitting and not materials unless its super plush carpet, etc etc. 

Comparing to the LL.. yes he doesn't spend money, but he also keeps a low rent, so economically it nets out. 

Note the LL does not have much of a claim at the end of your tenancy if you removed a carpet near the end of its life. But at the same time he doesn't necessarily have a duty to replace or upgrade during your tenancy it if its vaguely fit for purpose and doesn't create a hazard.