3 ms·

What is a home? Why can't you negotiate improvements with your landlord?

jlokier 7y ago
Have you ever tried negotiating improvements with a landlord? Often what happens is one of (a) they don't like it so you can't - "I think no, let's stick with white for the walls so the next tenants won't be put off". Or (b) it's a disruptive improvement with no obvious benefit to them while you're there - "no, let's keep the useless and ugly blocked-up fireplace that nobody can use but takes up a wall, I agree it's in the way but the next tenant might like it". Or "I'm not going to invest in solar panels, this is a business not a charity, and it's you paying electricity bills not me". Or (c) it's a genuine improvement they go for, which makes the property more valuable to rent. So they kick you out at the next renewal (no reason given), and raise the rent by 30% when they advertise next. Sometimes you're lucky. Most times, you're lucky to have working facilities and no mould, be grateful scum etc. I once had a wall knocked down onto my bed by builders while I was away. When I got back there was rubble on my bed, big chunks of wall on the floor throughout the house, old plaster dust in the food in the kitchen, and my bike which was kept indoors was making a grinding noise. The landlord's representative turned up and said they saw nothing wrong with the place, what was I complaining about... It was cleaned up eventually, but the cockroaches remained. Did I mention my friend whose landlord-provided bathroom has no floor, only broken-up rough crumbly concrete, no hot water, mould throughout the house, no door on the bedroom, etc... And my other friend who moved out of one place and into another, only to be told after getting there that she would need to "stay away at the weekends because we use your room to 'have girls over'"; we had to move her stuff out and get her to safe, temporary accomodation very quickly. Then there was that time I was about to fly home for Christmas, and my landlord told me he had sold the flat and I had 2 weeks to find somewhere else, which of course was impossible. Such landlords do not budge when it comes to improvements, unless they think it will make them money. I personally live in a nice enough place these days. But honestly, in 30 years of renting about 15 different places, negotiating anything but negligable improvements has been unrealistic most of the time. Even with the nicest landlords, who can be very kind, negotiating is usually limited to minor, cosmetic things. I've known some exceptions, but it's rare. Curiously, commercial landlords (business rentals) are different. They will do all sorts of major works as part of a deal with the tenant.

Have you ever tried negotiating improvements with a landlord? Often what happens is one of (a) they don't like it so you can't - "I think no, let's stick with white for the walls so the next tenants won't be put off". Or (b) it's a disruptive improvement with no obvious benefit to them while you're there - "no, let's keep the useless and ugly blocked-up fireplace that nobody can use but takes up a wall, I agree it's in the way but the next tenant might like it". Or "I'm not going to invest in solar panels, this is a business not a charity, and it's you paying electricity bills not me". Or (c) it's a genuine improvement they go for, which makes the property more valuable to rent. So they kick you out at the next renewal (no reason given), and raise the rent by 30% when they advertise next. Sometimes you're lucky. Most times, you're lucky to have working facilities and no mould, be grateful scum etc. I once had a wall knocked down onto my bed by builders while I was away. When I got back there was rubble on my bed, big chunks of wall on the floor throughout the house, old plaster dust in the food in the kitchen, and my bike which was kept indoors was making a grinding noise. The landlord's representative turned up and said they saw nothing wrong with the place, what was I complaining about... It was cleaned up eventually, but the cockroaches remained. Did I mention my friend whose landlord-provided bathroom has no floor, only broken-up rough crumbly concrete, no hot water, mould throughout the house, no door on the bedroom, etc... And my other friend who moved out of one place and into another, only to be told after getting there that she would need to "stay away at the weekends because we use your room to 'have girls over'"; we had to move her stuff out and get her to safe, temporary accomodation very quickly. Then there was that time I was about to fly home for Christmas, and my landlord told me he had sold the flat and I had 2 weeks to find somewhere else, which of course was impossible. Such landlords do not budge when it comes to improvements, unless they think it will make them money. I personally live in a nice enough place these days. But honestly, in 30 years of renting about 15 different places, negotiating anything but negligable improvements has been unrealistic most of the time. Even with the nicest landlords, who can be very kind, negotiating is usually limited to minor, cosmetic things. I've known some exceptions, but it's rare. Curiously, commercial landlords (business rentals) are different. They will do all sorts of major works as part of a deal with the tenant.