The plea comes in response to a recent survey carried out by Endsleigh Insurance which found that 43% of tenants would be happy to pay more rent if their landlord allowed them to put a more personal stamp on their property. The survey found tenants would be happy to pay an additional £150 a year, on average, to be permitted to decorate their rental property.
The AIIC says that tenants paying extra to be able to decorate is a 'strange concept' and could lead to further problems down the line. Potential consequences of allowing tenants to decorate in exchange for higher rents include a poor standard of work, unsightly colour schemes and damage to the property.
Instead, the AIIC says that tenants who want to decorate should contact their landlord and if both parties can agree on the details, the tenant should proceed.
This way, both sides of the rental partnership are kept happy and the tenant isn't left having to fork out extra money for something that will cost them in the first instance.
Pat Barber, Chair of the AIIC, comments: “The majority of landlords will be willing to let their tenants decorate, provided it is in good taste and the work is carried out to a high standard. Of course landlords want their tenants to feel at home and by being handed some creative licence, tenants will be encouraged to stay for longer.
The ideal scenario is for tenants to get their landlord's permission and then agree and confirm what work is going to take place.
Giving a tenant carte blanche to redecorate a rental property in exchange for higher rental income is a risky strategy and could cause further problems down the line.”
The matter of redecoration also highlights the vital role of an independently compiled property inventory.
A detailed inventory will provide tenants with a thorough description of the property’s condition, complete with photographs.
It will set out in black and white the condition the property is expected to be returned to at the end of the tenancy and could well reduce the chances of a subsequent deposit dispute between landlords and tenants.
