Tenant want new kitchen and bathroom

[Bram Stoker]

No money to pay the rent arrears, but plenty of money to redecorate & buy new carpets etc?!?!?!?!

[islandgirl]

Yes I think it would be a no from me on all counts!

[Nikki Brown]

You need to be stern with the tenant, you do not have anything in the tenancy agreement saying you would provide a new kitchen and bathroom so you do not have to, unless its in unfit living conditions. If the tenant has been in the property for a year then its very unlikely it would have changed drastically, if she wasn't happy with the tenant when she first viewed the property then she should not have moved in. You could also suggest to her buying a bathmat? My little boy uses one to stop him from slipping and they are supper cheap to buy.

[Claymore]

Berlingo

Please be very careful with these tenants. I would write a letter, send it with proof of posting etc, informing them you do not want them to replace the carpets or redecorate. If the bath needs sorting, fair enough but don't replace the kitchen. If tenant wants more modern, let her go and find a place with a more modern.

My gut feeling is these are not decent tenants and are going to cause you all sorts of grief.

[Jon66]

I'm waiting for a photo. Having the bath repainted is something I've offered to do. I know it's not the easiest of baths to get clean as the enamel is worn. Within 2 weeks of moving in they'd asked for a free week saying they'd spent a week cleaning it! After 3 weeks they replaced my new carpet with laminate without telling me. So that'll be the carpet and underlay gone and it's a big room Then they told me they'd be paying the rent late every month to fit in with their payday, then in December they couldn't pay any of the rent and said they'd pay it off over 3 months. January's rent repayment was short. T is saying they will be redecorating and putting in new carpets in the near future!

Having said all that - they're not bad tenants.

What's your idea of a good tenant?

[Berlingogirl]

Berlingo

Please be very careful with these tenants. I would write a letter, send it with proof of posting etc, informing them you do not want them to replace the carpets or redecorate. If the bath needs sorting, fair enough but don't replace the kitchen. If tenant wants more modern, let her go and find a place with a more modern.

My gut feeling is these are not decent tenants and are going to cause you all sorts of grief.

Yes, I did suggest she look elsewhere. I know a local LL who has some really nice properties and cheaper - not in such a nice area. T and Mr T got my tenancy on his wages but he left after a couple of months. T was only working part time but I don't know what T's income is now.

I've got a feeling T only said they would recarpet and decorate in the hopes that I would see them in a good light and replace the kitchen and bath.

[Berlingogirl]

T has texted to say she's happy there but wants things to be up to date for the money she's paying (she's in arrears) and feels that I've let her and her children down and the children have to have a bath that isn't sanitary even after she's cleaned it and it's got dirt up the sides from the previous people! Argh! they've been in there a year. I've offered to have the bath repainted!

Give me strength! I need to calm down!

I'm revving up to give her a S21 and tell her I'm selling up.

[jpucng62]

Why not suggest you don't have the money to upgrade anything at the moment because she hasn't paid her rent

[DPT57]

She needs some incentive to look elsewhere, so I would take a firmer line and say that I don't intend to anything other than essential repairs in the property and forbid the tenant to do anything either.

[Hudson01]

She needs some incentive to look elsewhere, so I would take a firmer line and say that I don't intend to anything other than essential repairs in the property and forbid the tenant to do anything either.

This......... she sounds unhinged, so the tenant expects you to totally replace a bathroom and kitchen whilst she is not paying you rent ???? She needs to be assessed by the mental health services.

Be very firm with this one and tell her that you will get the bath '' fixed '' , but that is it, if she is not happy then you will let her go with no penalties.

[Lots on]

I’m having similar with a current tenant, real Princess and the Pea stuff. I’ve had to grow a backbone and say no and in the nicest way, if this isn’t the property for you then why not move out before the 1st year is up, no hard feelings. I’m sure she’ll be back with more wish fulfilment stuff, but boy it felt good to say no.

[Berlingogirl]

This......... she sounds unhinged, so the tenant expects you to totally replace a bathroom and kitchen whilst she is not paying you rent ???? She needs to be assessed by the mental health services.

Be very firm with this one and tell her that you will get the bath '' fixed '' , but that is it, if she is not happy then you will let her go with no penalties.

I have to admit I am feeling a bit , well very, confused. On the one hand T isn't happy with the rent she is paying and doesn't feel she's getting good value for money, wants a new kitchen and bath (this bath having apparently, cut the kids' bums), but on the other hand she's happy living there. On one hand T is saying they're going to replace carpets and redecorate but on the other hand they're behind in the rent.

T was happy to rent it as a 4 bed with the 4th bedroom being downstairs bed/dining/office, and is now saying something about it only be 3 beds and she's lost her dining room. I don't quite get this because there are 2 bedrooms upstairs for the children so T can use the other downstairs room as a dining room. (It's let a s a 4 bed because there is a shortage of 4 bed rentals so a big family could rent it without it being overcrowded, and is let at below the LHA 4 bed rate. )

I suspect T is revving up to ask for a rent reduction, or hoping I'll offer one.

I'm happy (ish) to have the bath repainted as I agree it's difficult to get nice and clean due to the worn enamel, but I'm not going to replace it. It's a nice sized bath - narrow, to fit in the narrow space, but nice and deep. If you have a bath in it and you've got wide hips, when you pull the plug out only the foot end of the bath empties, and your hips act as lock gates - ask me how I know

[Hudson01]

and your hips act as lock gates - ask me how I know

Go on then........... i am sat down

[Berlingogirl]

Go on then........... i am sat down

When the property was empty and my bathroom was being done, I had a bath there and the water would not go down the plughole until I shifted my backside. There! Now you can't get that image of a fat lady's backside stopping the water draining from the bath! Serves you right for asking!

[Berlingogirl]

Ah! Just has a thought. T is in arrears, by less than one month. I'm wondering if this is a ploy to claim disrepair to prevent a S21 should T continue to struggle with the rent. Hmmmmm.....