UK Landlord Forum / Life

The house next door to our property has recently undergone a lot of building work, involving rear outside party wall and a lot of building. We reduced the rent by £20 for 6 months as a goodwill gesture. I wrote an email notifying of the changes stating clearly it was a good will gesture and the time it would last for. They are on a PST. I haven't accidentally made it impossible to raise the rent have I?

Very kind of you... but why?

Do you own both houses?

If you don't own the house next door... why are you giving a rent reduction as goodwill gesture? Were you compensated by the owner and you're just passing some of the benefit on?

Regardless... I do not think you have scuppered any plans you might have for a rent increase. Do you mean another increase beyond what it was originally, or a reset back to its normal level? In my mind email is acceptable as a form of written communication, I use it all the time with my Tenants.

Cool. Just to return it its previous level. We'd also been having trouble with the letting agents so maybe there is an element of bribery?

Hi Sungover,

Was this just a verbal agreement, or did you send them written notification that the reduction was for 6 months (obviously the latter would have been better)?

But yeah, either way, I agree with HIPPO, I don't think you've shot yourself in the foot here!

Sorry, I just reread and I realised you emailed them the details. I don't think you have a problem here at all!

No I haven't but I have a tenant who sometimes over pays by a fiver which is nice (depends if he pays or she pays!)

I gave a tenant a weeks free  rent last week, because in doing work on the outside of the house I covered her front room in dust (oooops didn't know!) Then I managed to get PVA dried onto all the window ledges and windows, and tenants Dad came and cleaned it up for me! Nice man, tool him nearly 3 hours!

I did feel really Bad, and a little scared as the Tenants mother is bloody scary!

I gave a rent reduction of £50 for 5 months because the tenant agreed to having a small extension built while living there. True, she will benefit from the extra room, but she had to put up with dust, noise, etc etc, and I would have lost a ton of money if I'd waited til the property was vacant, as it would have been unoccupied for at least 3 months.

Sometimes, you just have to oil the wheels a bit....