On Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:28:10 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:

It's not just the electrical appliances, there are tiles falling off the
wall, doors falling off the cabinets and so on.

Those things *are* the landlord's responsibility if not caused by the
tenant, as is reasonable redecoration. I appreciate that many
landlords drag their heels, but any tenant should be able to get it
done with persistance.

Six months wasn't enough at a house I rented in 2005. The landlord was
living in Italy and the agent would do nothing without contacting him,
which appeared to be impossible.

IIUC, after allowing a reasonable time for the landlord to do
something, the tenant is lawfully permitted to get the job done
himself and take the cost out of the rent. So long as the tenant has
reciepts to verify that the amount is accurate, the landlord/agent
won't be able to contest it.

In any case those things can usually be tided sufficiently to not be an
eyesore, and do not make the place less comfortable.

The current landlord allowed us to repaint the kitchen in magnolia
(instead of bright green). Whether bright green is "less comfortable"
I'll leave as an exercise for the reader.

Some people like very bright primary colours, especially in a kitchen.
one person I know painted his bedroom completely black. I've not yet
come across landlords who have refused to allow a tenant to
redecorate, though I could understand it if a landlord was wary of the
tenant's DIY skills and feared that they would do more harm than good.

--
Cynic