UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi all

am fortunate to (so far) have an excellent tenant who causes me no grief, keeps the property in good order, pays rent on time etc.. and who also happens to be a skilled tradesman, who makes his living as a joiner.

He has approached me to ask if he can lay a new laminate floor in the kitchen of the house - since he apparently has an excess of the flooring, and while I am perfectly happy with the existing floor (not withstanding a few age related stains), this new laminate is by all accounts superior. He has been in 2 years now on a rolling SPT and perversely I see this could be a palpable form of commitment.

So I have - in principle - no objection to him doing this, as he is clearly looking after the property well. And after all, if this is carried out within the terms of the tenancy agreement (I.e that when he vacated he returns the property back in the state with which he commenced the tenancy), it all seems fairly straightforward.
However, I have a nagging doubt I am missing something..
Am I?
Can any of you see any hostage to fortune?
Or spot any potential pitfalls?

Your thoughts and opinions would be welcome

Thanks

I think I would want to check his credentials,if he has a website etc.It would not be unreasonable to ask to see an example of his work for customers,even if just photos.I assume you  won't  expect him to put the old floor back when he leaves? I agree that it certainly  suggests he intends staying on.

I wouldn't have an issue with it. Maybe ask for a photo of it to check it doesn't clash with the other decor? I agree with HK that i wouldn't expect him to return the floor to the previous state, just in case you were considering that as an option.

See it as a good thing - new floor for no cost and probable commitment from tenant.

Erm, what if things should go wrong as they sometimes do with the best intentions in the world? Not just with the actual floor but down the line, if things sour, would he rip up your floor again? Would he expect something in return such as a lower rent or one day present you with an invoice for labour and materials? OK I'll stop there, clearly I've been burnt too many times!

If he is a good tenant then there is no need to go into this with a lack of trust.

Just make sure both parties are clear on exactly what is to be done and how the property is to be left at the end of the tenancy.

Are you happy with the flooring he has chosen? Do you want it ripped up at the end of the tenancy or left? Both agree this isn't a sign of lower rent or anything else.

This is the beauty of not being too prescriptive at this stage. The last thing I want to do is to appear to change the terms of the tenancy. A tenant can theoretically do quite a bit to the interior to the house but providing it is handed back in the same condition (less fair wear and tear) at the end of the term, then that is all I can ask for.
If something goes wrong in the mean time then I guess that will be down to him to sort that. I just need to make that clear.

Laminate floor isn't going to be taken-up at the end of the tenancy, it'd be mad to stipulate this. What is key is obtaining agreement that the Landlord can inspect and approve. Once that's done both parties should be in absolute agreement, in writing, that the new flooring is to stay, and has become the property of the Landlord.

In my own experience I have started to relax my approach to this... when I get the request (and it's usually for decorating a feature wall or suchlike) I ask them to take a run at it, and let me inspect afterwards. Then I relax even more and trust them to do a good job if the first was done well. There's long-term benefit to you all by allowing Tenants to make subtle changes that make them feel like it's their long-term home. Long gone are the days of tenancy agreements stating "no pictures or nails in the wall"... at Check-In I make clear this is all fine... but, I must admit, I do take a moment just to explain (especially to the younger kids) about electrical safe zones... some people just don't know these things.