UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi
I've just been informed by my tenant by text that they have removed the existing kitchen and replaced it with a second hand kitchen without my knowledge or consent. I'm very shocked that they have done this and not sure what to do next to be honest.
Any advice on how to proceed in this matter please.
Thank you

My first step would be to write and inform them that they will have to put the old kitchen back in when they leave,so they need to store it all safely in the meantime.I would also give 24 hours notice and carry out an inspection.You need to be sure that any plumbing or electrical changes that may have been carried out were done correctly,it could affect your insurance.They really are out of order,I would be fuming too.

Firstly, I would arrange to go and take a look... an inspection.

I would do that and then leave without making further comment. Take your time to decide next steps. If they told you after the event, one starts to wonder why they even told you at all - maybe something has gone wrong with the install, and they're looking for you to fix (it would be strange, but stranger things have happened). If you decide the job has been done well (and legally, safely) and it doesn't devalue your property at all, then you might decide to stick with it... but re-enforce the need for consent in the future. If you aren't happy with it for reasonable reasons (not because you had sentimental attachment to the old kitchen, of course) then it would look like reinstatement (impossible) followed by eviction. It's time to be pragmatic. You would be thinking that any Tenant who goes to this trouble would have the intention of staying for a long time - and you should not underestimate the value of that to you, as the Landlord.

Quote from: heavykarma on December 17, 2019, 01:22:57 PM...inform them that they will have to put the old kitchen back in when they leave,so they need to store it all safely in the meantime.

It feels like this ship has sailed, so I am unsure of the value in taking that approach because it feels like it would be immediately adversarial. The title of the post says "replacing" as if action is underway... the OP's first entry said "replaced" as in... it's done.

Thank you for all your comment,  I would assume that they have already disposed of the old Kitchen by now so I cant insist they put the old one back.  I will be doing an inspection asap to see what the condition kitchen is in before I make any judgments.
They have lived there since March and they are very volatile and I've clashed with them a few times over Bill's they havent paid where I've then recieved demands from utility companies.  This has just confirmed their lack of respect for me as the landlord so I now want to give them notice after Christmas as I feel I cant trust them and dont know what they will do next.

My comment about replacing the original kitchen was tongue- in- cheek,the general rule being that  tenants can make all sort of changes,provided the place is handed back in the original condition.They don't seem to have grasped this.I would say that their own actions are somewhat adversarial,or at least high-handed.

Totally understood... but we don't know what kind of Landlord we're dealing with here, or what state the kitchen was in... the Tenant could be thinking they're being very helpful. It's all about perception. We could be responding to a slum Landlord who's let a property from the 1970s that hasn't had a new kitchen since then. Now, with the follow-on post we get more detail and it certainly sounds like an eviction would be the way to go... that could bring problems of the Tenants trying to take 'their' kitchen with them after Christmas, obviously. I am not saying this is in any way right behaviour - just that the problem could arise... and that, also, a Tenant who invests in a kitchen for a rented property probably wants to stay on for a good time - and probably wants to take care of it (not guaranteed, obviously).

Lack of respect is not really here or there... and respect should be two-way, obviously. Tenants can often get into the mindset that they're paying for something so they can do what they like with it - this is, of course, completely alien to a Landlord. I often see this kind of behaviour with either very young people who are renting for the first time, or very old people who think they know best... or highly-educated people who think they are superior... or idiots who never read or understood the AST that they were given time to review before agreeing to be bound by its terms and conditions... everything is best done via agreement... I would take that look and - you never know - you might be pleasantly surprised. If you are, then I'd try to get it documented - an email or suchlike - that the kitchen now belongs to the property, i.e. you.

A long time ago I rented a house to a lass who asked if she could redecorate a bit after moving in.. I agreed with the sentiment that the place could look nice with a little tlc andlet her carry on.. a week later I drove by and there were two skips in the driveway, full of my kitchen units, all the interior doors and the gas fire...

I could have had a stroke right there and then...

However, she paid for the fitting and redecoration of the kitchen, had the doors hung and totally changed the layout of the front room making it look great.. she paid the rent almost on the dot for 6 years afterwards, throwing in a full decking for the yard and a new fence around the front...

Sadly this year she fell in with a drug dealing lunatic, stopped paying the rent and let the place fall apart when her madman wasn't using a claw hammer on it...

Not sure what the moral of the story is but I'd go round and make sure it was OK, then let them know it's important to discuss any intended work prior to it actually happening..

NB. Why would you get involved in their debts to gas, electric or water companies.. it's not your problem or your business..?

It seems you already have issue with this tenant and perhaps it is no longer viable to keep them on.  I'd be cautious though, if you try to kick them out after they have forked out for a kitchen you might be in for a nasty surprise when they leave.

I would be inclined to check out the quality of the install of this kitchen and compare to the one that was in place originally.  Assuming it has been installed correctly and is better than the original I would make every effort to try keep them there at least initially, maybe give them another half a year or so, see how you get on with them going forward.

Absolutely make them aware that in the future they cannot make these types of changes without getting your okay first.  I assume when you first rented to them you made them aware of not being able to make these types of changes to the property without your approval first?