Perhaps the Landlady just sees it as normal maintenance to redecorate every 5 years. Most Landladies or Landlords wouldn't bother. It will cause inconvenience but I would think that its worth it.
i wouldn`t like it at all either, not everyone likes change and upheaval, and then there`s strangers in the house, i would be extremely stressed out by the whole thing to the point of panic.
just move stuff in the middle of rooms like everyone`s saying and grit your [her] teeth till it`s done i guess but she has my full sympathy.
I would suggest that some sort of compromise is needed in the situation your family are in.
However:
What access rights does the landlord have?
The landlord or agent has the legal right to enter the property at reasonable times of day to carry out the repairs for which the landlord is responsible and to inspect the condition and state of the repair of the property. The Landlord must give 24 hours’ notice in writing of an inspection.
Quiet Enjoyment
The tenant has the legal right to live in the property as his or her home. The Landlord must ask the tenant’s permission before entering the premises.
Should these responsibilities and rights be included in the tenancy agreement?
Statutory responsibilities and rights will apply to you and the tenant even if they are not included in the tenancy agreement.
I think that you may be right. This is very unusual behaviour from a landlord/lady.
No it is not at all, it is the right thing to do.
I have a property and decorate it bi-yearly come what may, it is the right thing to do tp keep it in good order.
To be honest most tenants want to put their own stamp on a place they rent and I have to liaise with them as I prefer to keep it neutral.
The landlady sounds like a very good one, and if I were your daughter, I would put up and enjoy the nice newly decorated house.
The land lady's people person skills leave something to be desired, once she turned up unannounced with a workman, barely acknowledged my daughter & started discussing things with him as though daughter didn't exist.
She also drives past the house & then tells the letting agent there's bird muck on a window, or the grass is too long, while she's ignore comments about holes in the fascia boards , or tiles coming loose in the bathroom for months.
ie she tends to only worry about what's visible from the outside & ignore problems going on in the house.
Sometimes after my daughter has told the letting agent more than once that there's a problem, the message will come back implying that she's fussing, & then after a while when something more minor happens, my daughter will be asked why she didn't report it ! Also the land lady insists on a full house inspection every 3 months.
In her dealing with her, my daughter has found her landlady pretty abrupt & rude !
The land lady's people person skills leave something to be desired, once she turned up unannounced with a workman, barely acknowledged my daughter & started discussing things with him as though daughter didn't exist.
She also drives past the house & then tells the letting agent there's bird muck on a window, or the grass is too long, while she's ignore comments about holes in the fascia boards , or tiles coming loose in the bathroom for months.
ie she tends to only worry about what's visible from the outside & ignore problems going on in the house.
Sometimes after my daughter has told the letting agent more than once that there's a problem, the message will come back implying that she's fussing, & then after a while when something more minor happens, my daughter will be asked why she didn't report it ! Also the land lady insists on a full house inspection every 3 months.
In her dealing with her, my daughter has found her landlady pretty abrupt & rude !
That doesn't sound like a very good landlady. She sounds like a fussy old cow. She reminds me very much of a landlady that my husband had when he was at university. She came to inspect the house and moaned that they were 'treating it like their home by having personal items in the living room.
Unfortunately, if the landlady is the unreasonable type your daughter and her partner don't have many options. They could refuse to have the decorators in but that would probably end up with their notice being served. I completely understand that your daughter and her partner don't feel up to the decoration and any reasonable landlord would take that into account.
Has your daughters landlady protected her deposit and provided them with information of where it is protected? If not then they can't really serve notice.
Agreed, why would a landlord go to the trouble and expense of an unwanted redecoration?
Unwanted by whom?
If the landlord wants to redecorate then it's their house so they can do what they want. I'm not sure a tenant has any right to refuse maintenance being done on the property. I don't see redecorating every 5 years as being unreasonable or excessive.
That doesn't sound like a very good landlady. She sounds like a fussy old cow. She reminds me very much of a landlady that my husband had when he was at university. She came to inspect the house and moaned that they were 'treating it like their home by having personal items in the living room.
Unfortunately, if the landlady is the unreasonable type your daughter and her partner don't have many options. They could refuse to have the decorators in but that would probably end up with their notice being served. I completely understand that your daughter and her partner don't feel up to the decoration and any reasonable landlord would take that into account.
Has your daughters landlady protected her deposit and provided them with information of where it is protected? If not then they can't really serve notice.
She also strikes my daughter & her partner as fussy !
Is it just a fresh coat of paint or is she doing carpets/flooring as well?
I dont see the problem. People decorate their homes without packing everything up! I could understand the annoyance if the landlady had insisted the tenants had to redecorate the house but as shes paying for professionals i dont see the issue.
We have lived in our house for three years and the kitchen and hallway could do with a fresh lick of paint. I imagine after 5 years she just wants to freshen up the house.
Landlords take special courses in being power-crazed insensitive bastards you see. The only thing that get's (sic) through to them is money.
That insulting remark was unnecessary in my opinion. Bear in mind that this landlady wants to SPEND her own money to do this work.
I'm a landlord and, as such, I obviously have a duty of care to my tenants. I employ a letting agency so I don't have much personal involvement. Decoration will usually get done if and when my letting agent inspects the property and decides that it's overdue OR the tenant requests it because they have a problem with the existing decoration.
No way would I force it upon a tenant. I don't need to spend money unnecessarily and decorating ain't cheap!
There's also a health consideration in that many people are allergic to fumes from paint. Even some modern water-based paints can make a person feel sick. It would certainly necessitate, as a minimum, leaving windows open for ventilation so the paint could dry properly.
If the tenant is happy with the status quo - and provided that there's no maintenance problem (e.g. crumbling plaster or damp), or hygiene problem - I would leave it alone. All I would require is the tenant's signature to acknowledge that the work had been offered but was considered unnecessary for at least another year. In any case, for a long-term tenancy, if decorating was essential, I'd prefer to do one room each year, rather than all at once.
So, to answer the OP's question:
If the decor is fine, ask for it to be deferred. You can quote health reasons in view of your disabilities and in case of any allergies and the obvious need to leave windows open.
Suggest that decorating be limited to one room per year and that it be done only during the hottest week in summer (or while you are away on holiday).
Do ALL negotiating in writing and keep a copy. Do your best to appear reasonable and be prepared to accept a compromise. Deal ONLY with the Letting Agents and NOT with the landlady direct.
First of all the landlord is not being unreasonable re-decoration after a 5 year period is only to be expected in order to keep the house up together.
While I do understand the issues raised about moving items maybe a struggle given medical problems. I am sure the decorators / landlord would be understanding on this issue and provide some help. Otherwise could they not ask other family members or friends to help out. I know when moving home I normally rope my family or friends into helping me and reward them with lunch or a few drinks.
If I were the tenants I would be fine with this but I wouldn't be spending hours moving my rooms around. I'd protect the breakable / highly valuable stuff and expect the decorators to do the rest.
So if the tenants have a long term contract you think the landlord would have no reason to ever redecorate not even after 20 or 30 years?
Maybe its easier to do the house every five years than it it so leave it longer and then do it.
Op does you daughter or her partner smoke or have any pets? Maybe the landlord wants the house to be freshened up?
General maintenance and freshening up maybe but plenty of people (not me personally!) do not decorate their own homes for 20 years. I wouldn't say it is easier to do it every 5 years than every 10 or 20 as painting a wall is painting a wall
If I was a long term tenant and it was starting to look scruffy, I would ask the landlord to freshen things up but I wouldn't expect them to volunteer to do any work, in my experience it is difficult to get them to spend money!
Comments
They/you sound ungrateful.
just move stuff in the middle of rooms like everyone`s saying and grit your [her] teeth till it`s done i guess but she has my full sympathy.
However:
What access rights does the landlord have?
The landlord or agent has the legal right to enter the property at reasonable times of day to carry out the repairs for which the landlord is responsible and to inspect the condition and state of the repair of the property. The Landlord must give 24 hours’ notice in writing of an inspection.
Quiet Enjoyment
The tenant has the legal right to live in the property as his or her home. The Landlord must ask the tenant’s permission before entering the premises.
Should these responsibilities and rights be included in the tenancy agreement?
Statutory responsibilities and rights will apply to you and the tenant even if they are not included in the tenancy agreement.
I think that you may be right. This is very unusual behaviour from a landlord/lady.
That's well within the landlord's rights to do and if you make things difficult then they are more likely to go down that route.
As someone else mentioned, landlords cant seem to win whatever they do.
Unless OP does not like the color that the landlord has chosen?
By getting it all done in one week, they are actually causing less inconvenience than if the process were dragged out for weeks and months.
The landlady sounds like a very good one, and if I were your daughter, I would put up and enjoy the nice newly decorated house.
Agreed, why would a landlord go to the trouble and expense of an unwanted redecoration?
OP, I'd be concerned if they paint everything in magnolia.
No it is not at all, it is the right thing to do.
I have a property and decorate it bi-yearly come what may, it is the right thing to do tp keep it in good order.
To be honest most tenants want to put their own stamp on a place they rent and I have to liaise with them as I prefer to keep it neutral.
The land lady's people person skills leave something to be desired, once she turned up unannounced with a workman, barely acknowledged my daughter & started discussing things with him as though daughter didn't exist.
She also drives past the house & then tells the letting agent there's bird muck on a window, or the grass is too long, while she's ignore comments about holes in the fascia boards , or tiles coming loose in the bathroom for months.
ie she tends to only worry about what's visible from the outside & ignore problems going on in the house.
Sometimes after my daughter has told the letting agent more than once that there's a problem, the message will come back implying that she's fussing, & then after a while when something more minor happens, my daughter will be asked why she didn't report it ! Also the land lady insists on a full house inspection every 3 months.
In her dealing with her, my daughter has found her landlady pretty abrupt & rude !
That doesn't sound like a very good landlady. She sounds like a fussy old cow. She reminds me very much of a landlady that my husband had when he was at university. She came to inspect the house and moaned that they were 'treating it like their home by having personal items in the living room.
Unfortunately, if the landlady is the unreasonable type your daughter and her partner don't have many options. They could refuse to have the decorators in but that would probably end up with their notice being served. I completely understand that your daughter and her partner don't feel up to the decoration and any reasonable landlord would take that into account.
Has your daughters landlady protected her deposit and provided them with information of where it is protected? If not then they can't really serve notice.
Unwanted by whom?
If the landlord wants to redecorate then it's their house so they can do what they want. I'm not sure a tenant has any right to refuse maintenance being done on the property. I don't see redecorating every 5 years as being unreasonable or excessive.
She also strikes my daughter & her partner as fussy !
I dont see the problem. People decorate their homes without packing everything up! I could understand the annoyance if the landlady had insisted the tenants had to redecorate the house but as shes paying for professionals i dont see the issue.
We have lived in our house for three years and the kitchen and hallway could do with a fresh lick of paint. I imagine after 5 years she just wants to freshen up the house.
I'm a landlord and, as such, I obviously have a duty of care to my tenants. I employ a letting agency so I don't have much personal involvement. Decoration will usually get done if and when my letting agent inspects the property and decides that it's overdue OR the tenant requests it because they have a problem with the existing decoration.
No way would I force it upon a tenant. I don't need to spend money unnecessarily and decorating ain't cheap!
There's also a health consideration in that many people are allergic to fumes from paint. Even some modern water-based paints can make a person feel sick. It would certainly necessitate, as a minimum, leaving windows open for ventilation so the paint could dry properly.
If the tenant is happy with the status quo - and provided that there's no maintenance problem (e.g. crumbling plaster or damp), or hygiene problem - I would leave it alone. All I would require is the tenant's signature to acknowledge that the work had been offered but was considered unnecessary for at least another year. In any case, for a long-term tenancy, if decorating was essential, I'd prefer to do one room each year, rather than all at once.
So, to answer the OP's question:
If the decor is fine, ask for it to be deferred. You can quote health reasons in view of your disabilities and in case of any allergies and the obvious need to leave windows open.
Suggest that decorating be limited to one room per year and that it be done only during the hottest week in summer (or while you are away on holiday).
Do ALL negotiating in writing and keep a copy. Do your best to appear reasonable and be prepared to accept a compromise. Deal ONLY with the Letting Agents and NOT with the landlady direct.
While I do understand the issues raised about moving items maybe a struggle given medical problems. I am sure the decorators / landlord would be understanding on this issue and provide some help. Otherwise could they not ask other family members or friends to help out. I know when moving home I normally rope my family or friends into helping me and reward them with lunch or a few drinks.
So if the tenants have a long term contract you think the landlord would have no reason to ever redecorate
Maybe its easier to do the house every five years than it it so leave it longer and then do it.
Op does you daughter or her partner smoke or have any pets? Maybe the landlord wants the house to be freshened up?
General maintenance and freshening up maybe but plenty of people (not me personally!) do not decorate their own homes for 20 years. I wouldn't say it is easier to do it every 5 years than every 10 or 20 as painting a wall is painting a wall
If I was a long term tenant and it was starting to look scruffy, I would ask the landlord to freshen things up but I wouldn't expect them to volunteer to do any work, in my experience it is difficult to get them to spend money!