John Scurlock
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4 Posts
Hi. I rent out a three bedroomed property to a family who have been my tenants for eight years. I’ve not had any problems with them at all. They asked me about three years ago about wanting to improve the patio at the back and that they would carry out the work. The husband relaid it with new slabs etc and he did an excellent job. He's a builder/ground worker and does this kind of work for a living anyway. He refused to let me pay for anything. Now he has asked to do the same on the front garden including a dropped kerb in order to park his car on it. Again doing the work for nothing.
The house also needs a new boiler and I will arrange for this to be done as it is dated but safe. The tenant has said he’s willing to install a new bathroom if I agree to this. The house does need it as it's also dated - avocado style with 4 inch tiles. He's offered to do the work himself at his own cost - but his expertise isn't in this. So I have reservations. I haven't agreed to any of the work yet and just thinking it all through. The advantage for me is the work carried out may increase the value of the property and the disruption will be at the tenants own convenience.
I was just wondering if anybody else has come across this before where the tenant wants to carry out renovations at their own cost. Are there any pitfalls? How does that affect things if selling the house? Especially if I wish to sell sooner rather than later. Does the tenant have a claim or some come back to recover his costs at a later date? What about putting up the rent? On moral grounds can I still do this?
I would welcome views and opinions.
