I’m hoping I can get some advice from the excellent landlords on here.
I have lived in my apartment for 4 years now and when I moved in the only new item was the living room carpet and because my apartment is all on the same level and all the carpets are a neutral biscuit colour it’s was very noticeable. Anyway since I have lived her my neighbour had a huge issue with the piping under her floor and it took a good couple of months to repair (she had to move out) and I remember the builders asking me at the time if I had any damp areas to which I said no but ever since then I noticed what looked like damp/wet areas appearing on the carpets just randomly in and at first I thought my dog was having accidents which never ever happens and I took him to the vets even to check and when he got a clean bill of health I was bewildered. I then remembered the issue with the neighbour and can only assume it’s that.
Anyway babble over my problem is that even without these marks that are like dried in water marks (they are dry) the carpets are fraying at the edges especially where the door plates are for the room’s adjoining the hallway. And they just look very scruffy but I really can not afford to pay for replacing all of them. So I suppose I’m hoping you can advise me how I can approach my landlord who was really generous taking a chance on me due to being on UC due to being disabled. In these hard times I don’t want him to start feeling I’m costing him money and don’t know to engage with him on getting the carpets replaced. I have had a rent increase last year and another this year but I’m still paying around £25-30 under market value and I know he really generous by not increasing it for 3 years.
So as landlords yourselves can you give me any tips on how I can ask for the old carpets (not the lounge that’s still good even after 4 y) to be replaced due to them basically becoming threadbare and fraying. Would you be upset with your tenants asking you to even consider such a thing? Especially in this cost of living crisis I’m just feeling huge guilt even thinking of it and don’t want him to evict me. All advice welcome.
Sorry it’s so long I just wanted to get across that I was just wanting to get across why it’s needed and it’s not just a want.
Sorry, didnt read it all, but you should report the damp to the landlord/agent. From what you say, its hard to know whether the rest is wear and tear or damage. Only you would know that. Either way the landlord cant demand a new carpet throughout. The best he could hope for would be some compensation for any specific areas of damage taking account of the age and lifespan of the carpet. This wouldnt amount to much.
The thing is David they started to appear months after and it’s only me assuming it could be linked as I have zero damp anywhere in the property on the walls or ceiling and I had Rugs down so only noticed them when I lifted them up and where by then dry. There is no smell at all coming from them so I’m baffled. I had a friend who used to own a carpet cleaning company and he’s said that when a carpet is cleaned many times the cleaning solutions can create sticky areas and more dirt sticks to them forming a patch work of random dirt spots so it could be argued. I can tell by the fraying that the carpets are very old and the agent told me they’ve not been changed since they took the property over 6 years ago.
So you wouldn’t say me asking is asking too much? I do look after my home well
And I pay for the little things like had a broken light fitting so paid for new one and replac d bathroom tap’s because they were looking very shabby and dull. All approved by my landlord but carpets are a bit out of my price range and they do make everywhere look untidy if you know what I mean. I’m happy to go 50/50 but I just don’t want evicting lol
Personally from a LL perspective it depends on the costs and how much I liked the tenant. So if you’re a great tenant and the costs aren’t ridiculous it’s worth doing but if you’re a pain and it’s ludicrously expensive it’s not. I’d get a few quotes yourself and do the numbers yourself. So you could get a few quotes and work out how much that is in your rent over the next few years or something. So say hi could you do the carpets for £1000 and I pay you an extra £10 a month maybe or whatever you think.