Tennants demands/requests?

fastdave · 12-04-2011, 09:33 PM

Hi you guys

A tennant moving into my house has sent a list to letting agent saying she wants new carpets, painted walls, new laminate floors etc..., the property was trashed by last tennants but is getting sorted by last tennants, but decorating and flooring isnt part of there or my plan, it isnt a nice house and in a bad area, but as my funds are really tight at the moment i cant really spend a penny, plus shes a lHA tennant so not sure if she will treat the property with respect, Should i do some work to show im prepared to meet them halfway, or just refuse outright? (i can afford paint and my time thats it)

Dave

Jase · 12-04-2011, 09:59 PM

Hi Dave,
I had a similar situation with one of my properties, although the area is a decent area and the tenants werent HB.
Anyway, the letting agent told me of their demands, I asked for the tenants number so I could contact them direct. I found the tenant wasn't as demanding as I thought and explained that I could not afford new carpets/paint etc as the money for that would come from her rent.
To cut a long story short, we agreed that she'd front the money and I'd pay her back, we picked the carpet together (over the phone) and she painted the Walls herself.
If your tenant has a genuine interest to keep the house in good condition I wouldn't dismiss it, I say speak with them and meet half way.

Rob West · 12-04-2011, 11:16 PM

Sounds like some of my places!

Presumably she saw the property before she agreed to move in or did the previous tenants trash it between her seeing it and her moving in? Either way, she didn't have to move in. Having said that, it's always a good idea to open a dialogue with the tenant. If you genuinely can't afford any repairs/improvements at the moment but are prepared to do something to help then I'm sure she will understand. Painting is a good start but maybe you can contact a few of your local carpet firms and see what off-cuts they have. Carpets don't have to match and you could do them room-by-room as it becomes available at a knock-down price. I'm sure she would rather that the case than do nothing.

There's always compromise to be had in these situations but I wouldn't just ignore the tenant.

fastdave · 13-04-2011, 09:39 PM

Ok some great replies, i will offer a compromise

Thanks guys

karispirit · 11:07 AM

Hi fastdave,

Sorry this is a long post but I thought you might be interested to learn of my recent experiences similar to yours.

I had a very similar situation about four weeks ago except the day my tenants were due to move in, they sent me an email saying they were refusing to move in as they'd picked up the keys and had another look around and hadn't realised it needed so much work doing to it. They gave me a long list of problems for me 'to fix' and were not going to move in until I had them all sorted. The list of complaints put me in an immediate state of panic as the way they were going on, I had the impression the house had been broken into and completely vandalised.

I phoned the NLA and they were no help at all and in fact made me feel really bad. They said I had the tenants from hell and if I didn't fix all the problems my tenants would get a solicitor and sue me for damages for failing to repair.

I refused to be made to feel like I was powerless so I called the tenants up and called their bluff. I told them how important it was to me for them to be happy and it was clear they weren't and had changed their minds about renting my house so I was giving them the opportunity to walk away from the tenancy and I would find new tenants. They immediately told me they definitely wanted the house and they were only pointing out the condition of the house in case I didn't know and they would take care of some of the probs themselves as they wanted to live there long term. I realised they were very young and were having some problems settling in as they didn't seem to have any support from family or friends. I also agreed to take care of a few things myself as I had asked them to send me some photos of some of the problems (I live quite far from the house) and when I saw what they were complaining of, it made me realise repair work was needed and really should have been spotted at the end of the last tenancy by my agent. So in that respect it wasn't really the tenants fault and it wasn't mine either. It was the fault of the agent for failing to do a proper move out inspection.

I get on absolutely fine now with the tenants and the rent has been set up to be paid direct to me (LHA). So far so good.

fastdave · 16-04-2011, 05:20 PM

Hi karisprint

Thanks for your reply also, i live quite far from this property too its hard to get a proper idea on the issues when so far away, glad your all sorted.

Iv sent an email to agent stating im prepared to comprimise and do some painting and tidying up, but as its a lease option i dont want to sink alot of money into the property as im concerned on the legal side of things, as in the option could get over turned etc.. as L/O's are fairly new in this country, but i do want to show willing and provide suitable accomadation.

Agent is getting redirection sorted before they move in, i have to say im ver very unimpressed by my letting agents so far, the first L/A in liverpool nearly got my house repossesed (long story), this one is slightly better, but things like over due gas certs by 1 month are just unacceptable, plus i wasnt informed the tennents had moved out for 1 month after they moved out, and bearing in mind the L/A had been given 4 weeks notice, so thats 8 weeks they new and said theyd tryed to call me (i had changed my num but sure i told them) anyway thats irrelevant i told them as they should have informed my by post and email!, very sloppy and frustrated with them!

Is there such a thing as a good Letting agent!

Paul Galbraith · 16-04-2011, 07:39 PM

I don't like dealing with prospective tenants who are fussy whingers at the outset as they chew up too much time & can sometimes be a problem later on... I stay away from those who are pedantic to deal with or start 'changing their mind'.

* However, if a property needs work, then fair enough - however I've always managed to do a deal with properties needing a bit work & explained to potential tenants that things WILL eventually happen... (& they do). Usually buying them paint & stating I'll re-do the flooring once they've repainted (that way I couldn't care if the carpets are trashed from messy painters) works a treat. Waiving the bond/ rent upfront also works wonders.

All my houses are now mint (finally) from taking this approach - takes about 3 years to sort out every little niggle a rental property has.

* My staff tell potenatial tenants - 'you get what you see', but your more than welcome to put your own stamp on it. If you want pink bedrooms, you pay for it or cough up another £500.

Glenn_Ackroyd · 17-04-2011, 08:44 PM

Generally - if you have a property in poor condition, you are limiting your prospective tenant pool, to poor tenants who will take a poor house.

Place the house in good condition (like Paul) - Then you will get a selection of good and poor tenants, and you can cherry pick the best.

Here are the top tips to get good tenants;

1. Credit check - Find out their rating and how many times they've moved in the last 6 years - Don't get a perennial mover
2. Get home owning guarantors
3. Credit check the guarantors and make sure that they are home owners
4. Make sure (even for LHA) they pay the first months rent before moving in
5. Get photo and address ID from tenant and guarantor (helps avoid cannabis farms)
6. Before moving in - check out the tenants IN THEIR OWN HOME!

The last is the most important aspect. Within 2 minutes of walking in you will see how your property will look in 3 months time. If you don't like what you see, choose another.

Oh - do video inventories as well...On move in/out. Prevention is better than cure.

Hopefully your agent will be doing all these and more to protect you.

karispirit · 09:09 PM

All my houses are in good condition apart from when letting agents get involved and they do a rubbish job. I've learnt my lesson now and would never trust an agent to go anywhere near any of my properties anymore. I self manage all my own as well as find and vet my own tenants now and use inspection agents to do interim inspections and check outs. I am very happy with the systems I have in place now and I have found in my experience its only when agents get involved that I start getting lots of problems. I would also add to your list to make sure rental insurance is taken out as well which is possible even though the tenant is in receipt of HB provided they have a home owning working guarantor.

Home - About Us - Forum Discussion - Blogs - Contact Us - Tycoons-Forum.com - Archive - Conditions of Use & Sale - Privacy Statement - Sitemap - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4 Copyright ©2000 - 2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.2.0 (c) Vadesha Properties Ltd Vadesha Properties Ltd, 314 Uppingham Road, Leicester, LE5 2BE