rent increase

[philkool]

i have just had a new bathroom suite and new kitchen fitted by my landlords builders (haha) , as ive rented the house for 18 years can they increase the rent as they have replaced rather than improved the bathroom and kitchen

[stonekicker]

landlords can increase rent whenever they want. check your tenancy agreement to know how much notice they need to give and local rental prices in your area for comparison. i argued against a rent increase from my landlord saying they had had an increase over the odds for a couple of years and that we had been model tennants (painting walls and improving fixtures/fittings etc.) and reminded them what a nightmare their previous lot had been (£6k rent arrears and £3k damage). then said do what you like as I will get a council place if you evict me (cheaper!) and they froze the rent. that was three years ago and not a squeak since. do your homework, remain calm and negotiate - you don't ask, you don't get...good luck x

[Mr Veritas]

I don't understand your question.
In your case replacement IS improvement.
I think you are quibbling here,and splitting hairs!

[ummmm]

I could be wrong but I always thought that a landlord could only increase rent by a max of 12% a year.

[philkool]

to replace something because its old is not an improvement its a fixture that has aged

[Mr Veritas]

ummmm,
Sadly that USED to be the case,but the wonderful Margaret Thatcher(and John Major) abolished it.
Now a Landlord can increase the rent by as much as they like(market forces),and the Tenanat has to apply to a Rent Tribunal for an assessment.
Of course immediately the Tenant does this the Landlord will slap a 2 month(legal) evicition notice on them, and then relet the property at the higher rent!
Talk about security of tenure.


philkool~
You say "to replace something because its old is not an improvement "

So lets say you have a Victorian range which is replaced by a modern brand new range cooker,you are saying that is not an improvement?
I think you need to look up the meanings of the words.

[ummmm]

I need to get 'with it' Mr V...

[philkool]

they have replaced the items with lesser quality items thats what im saying, the kitchen is a cheap howden trade pack and the bathroom suite can be bought in wickes for under £200, the old stuff looked fine and worked ok . if i had asked for these new items i would expect to pay an increase

[philkool]

would you replace a 1950 rolls royce for a 2010 mini ? i think not.

[Mr Veritas]

Ah,then your question was not clear,you did not say that the old kitchen etc had been replaced with one of lesser quality.

[philkool]

i would not mind so much if the units actually fitted , chipboard is no improvement on mahogany

[mandimoo]

aw phil thats rubbish. i would say stuff the landlord but you have lived there so long.

[Masked_Landlord_UK]

If you moved in before January 1989 then you may be able to get the Valuations Agency to set a fair rent.
http://www.voa.gov.uk/fair_rent/index.htm

If you moved in after that, you're covered by the 1988 Housing Act which allows the landlord to increase once a year by a commercial amount (giving one clear months notice). There is no definition of a commercial amount - if the tenant accepts it, it is commercial - if they don't, they have the option to leave with one months notice.