Very messy tenant wants me to replace old kitchen

Hi Fay

Have you considered being entirely honest with your tenant and sharing your thoughts openly with him?

Why not see what he has to say?

Maybe you could come to a deal, e.g. over the next 12 months you will arrange three inspections with 24 hours notice and if you are happy with what you see then he can have his new kitchen.

It's a good way of bringing the issue to a head.

What's the worst that can happen?

You don't really want to evict an otherwise good tenant do you?

Why not give him a chance to get what he wants and for him to give you what you want?
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Where I have had a similar situation with tenants wanting a new kitchen or bathroom I have done a calculation for the job then divided the amount by seven and told the tenant that their rent will be increased by that amount if they want me to replace a perfectly serviceable kitchen or bathroom
In most cases the tenant has agreed to have a new kitchen or bathroom and they seem to stay longer and take more care of their new possession. After all in your case if its only going to be £3500 which seems quite cheap for a new kitchen it will only add £500 per annum or about £10 per week to their rent.

Reply to the comment left by "Malcolm Hill" at "11/07/2014 - 18:00":

That's interesting Malcolm, how did you come up with that formula?
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Reply to the comment left by "Malcolm Hill" at "11/07/2014 - 18:00":

Why calculate by seven Malcolm please?

I'm going to take a wild guess here - expected life of a cheap kitchen being 7 years perhaps?

Is the house just untidy, or has real damage been done?

Would he be happy to have his deposit increased a lot due to the additional risk of a new kitchen?

Untidy should not matter: it is his home.

Cleanliness may be an issue, but again it is his home.

Only if damage is being done can you reasonably complain (imho), e.g.carpets being damaged byfailure to clean them.

Thank you for your comments... There is damage to the carpet on hall, stairs and landing. It will need complete replacement. It is too dirty to clean, Also a broken double bed. The settee and chairs would not be usable
...it's a great idea Malcom for the tenant to pay for monthly for new kitchen... I also like Marks suggestion..this is such an invaluable forum..Thank you

Hi Mark I came up with the formula based on previous experience over many years. In my experience most cheap kitchens last for no more than say about 10 years at the most although lately I have found that the cheaper ones from the 70's and 80's were of very poor quality but the current ones such as those from companies such as Howdens are far better.

Also appliances that are also fitted tend to last for about the same period. So I decided back in the early 90's when tenants asked for replacement kitchens or bathrooms and where I considered that the present one fulfilled my obligations under the tenancy agreement to get them to pay for the new kitchen or bathroom by increasing their rent if they were agreeable and found that the seven year payback was reasonable enough for them to accept.

The result is they also look after the kitchen or bathroom better and seem to stay longer .It also makes it easier to let if the tenant decides to move.
It also makes it easier to sell a on if you decide to dispose of a property for any reason such as using up annual capital gains relief.

Here's a thought - show your financially reliable long-term tenant some respect and provide his family with a decent kitchen that is then his responsibility to look after whilst enjoying the facility and bask in the knowledge that you are prepared to be honourable and responsible yourself...should your long-term, stable, financially responsible tenant who is contributing positively to your income/standard of living then wish to vacate the property at some future date, you will be quite reasonable in expecting said kitchen to be in good order and the property to be clean and tidy at this time or you may wish to exercise your right of recovery for any damage/defect from your deposit, which is why it exists - in the meantime, as long as your tenant is not upsetting any neighbours or causing the property to fall into disrepair they are entitled to the uninterrupted enjoyment of the facilities provided under the law of the land and I would suggest you find some form of gainful activity to occupy your mind / time with, as whether or not somebody else's standards of tidiness match your own is not really your business, and unless you are prepared to invite said tenants to your HOME on a reciprocal basis in order that they may pass comment on your no doubt impeccable standards MY suggestion is that you get a life, mind your own business, get help for your OCD / control freak tendencies and be grateful that these people are at least making a positive contribution to YOUR life, albeit on a contractual rather than philanthropic basis! Another idea would be to go to an English Grammar college / night school course, if we're going to be picky - and if you really feel the need to broach the subject with the tenant, perhaps you could show them this discussion, as that should break the ice nicely! Got to go now, as I've left the lawnmower in the front garden next to the fork I'm weeding the flowerbeds with, and I'd hate the landlord to turn up uninvited and think I'm just making a mess, eh..?