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Rental home improvements

Question

I am currently in a rented home for 5 years now, and had a verbal agreement when signing the lease to make a few improvements in the rented home - mainly in the bathrooms which were pretty nasty. The landlord didn't want to upgrade the bathrooms because they didn't want to invest the money as opposed to saying the improvements weren't necessary. So we sank about 2.5k into the renovation of the bathrooms so they were nice, but now I'm worried the landlord will be nasty about it. Is there any law or common understanding about improvements to a rented home? I see a lot of info about damages and wear&tear, but not much about what to do with an improvement when leaving the rented home. Thanks!

Mikek1300gt

I know of no rule about improvements, particularly if they are not written in to the contract. I have left two homes in better condition than when I moved in and in both cases they still found something petty to charge me for.

Apr 27, 2016 13:12
becasse

The main problem is that what YOU view as an improvement may differ from the landlord's (and his/her expert's) view of an improvement.

Just to give a possible example since you mention bathrooms, you might have put a power shower in because you like them, but the landlord might consider that a power shower is actually a disadvantage in the rental market because they consume more water and thus increase a new tenant's water bill.

Your obligation is to give the property back in the same state that it was in when you took it on and to bear any necessary cost in meeting that condition. If you had written permission from the landlord to undertake the changes you made, and those changes were carried out than adequate standard, then you have nothing to fear. If you don't have written permission then you are in the hands of your landlord and his/her expert remembering that, from their point of view, an improvement is only an improvement if it increases the rental value or rentability or both, and that they don't have to accept ANY change for which formal written agreement hasn't been given.

Apr 27, 2016 13:34
Mikek1300gt

Oddly enough, I have tenant who fitted a new bathroom. He had to remove one from a customers brand new house because she did not like the colour. As the bathroom in my house was a little tired, he asked if he could install it and did. Very nice job indeed.
The agreement was that I would not raise the rent for two years or ask for the property back, but when he does leave the bathroom stays. Purely verbal but as we are all reasonable people, it will be just fine. And that is the bottom line, is the landlord reasonable?

Apr 27, 2016 14:17
anon

OK well you potentially have a problem here as you have nothing in writing.

Do you have an "etat des lieux" from when you moved in?

If No - then you are fine, they can do nothing.

If Yes - Then technically the landlord can ask you to return the property to the state it was in the original report. It's unlikely that they would ask you to do that, but it is quite possible. They have every legal right to take back the property when you leave and charge you for the cost of returning the property to it's original state. They could quite easily argue that your "improvements" are not to their taste, or that they didn't agree that you could do them, or even that they don't like the color.

You haven't said why you think the landlord "will be nasty about it". Without knowing that, I'm not sure anyone here could advise what you should do next.

Apr 27, 2016 15:50
CC_R

Depends on the landlord.
We had a house where the walls were so dirty they were grey not white we repainted them to pale blue with VERBAL permission. BIG mistake in the exit survey the expert insist since they were no longer white we must pay the difference to repaint them! So should have got it in writing is the truth. In my experience many landlord think expats are a cash cow and you will pay through the nose to leave

Apr 28, 2016 16:53
J

Oops - silly you. NEVER put your own money into a rented property. NEVER be that awkward tenant that wants "improvements". Neither situation ever ends happily.

Apr 28, 2016 23:11
Mikek1300gt

I think my situation is going to end happily. Some things just work out. House needed a new boiler, heating engineers sister needed to rent a place with a little dog so immaculate and newly decorated was not required, heating engineers boyfriend also a heating engineer/plumber asked to remove brand new suite from a new house and he installed it in mine. No rent rise and no chance of me asking him them to leave for at least two years. Everybody happy. You really are an old cynic, J. ;-)

Apr 29, 2016 11:25