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Many landlords don’t like tenants to make home improvements, but there is growing evidence to suggest that giving tenants the freedom to personalise their homes could work in a landlord’s favour.
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Tenants Paying for Home Improvements
Research conducted on 2,000 tenants has discovered that 73% of tenants have made improvements to their rental homes but been forced to pay for the changes out of pocket. 23% of those quizzed said they had spent more than £500 of their own money to make their homes more attractive.
This indicates that tenants are happy to spend money on a rental home if they view it as a long-term investment. For a landlord, this is not a bad thing because it suggests a tenant is keen to stick around, and since most landlords prefer long-term, reliable tenants, it makes sense to give suitable tenants some leeway.
Prepare an Accurate Property Inventory
Tenants who look after their property and desire a higher standard of living are unlikely to cause any major problems for a landlord. However, landlords are advised to keep an accurate inventory in case of any future property disputes.
The Association of Independent Property Clerks has this to say:
“If rental properties are noticeably changing over the course of a tenancy, it’s vitally important that there is an inventory which comprehensively details the condition and contents of the property at the start of the tenancy. This way any fair deposit deductions can be made by the landlord and the chances of a [tenancy] deposit dispute are minimised.”
