replacing a shower in rented housing

When it comes to renting, if I as a tenant would like to make some non-essential changes to my apartment (e.g. replace the shower), is it up to me to pay for the cost entirely? If a landlord approves of a shower upgrade, is he/she liable to help out with the payment to any extent or is it entirely up to me to cover the cost?

Asked by Christian on 20th Aug 2020
Expert Trade Answers
"Generally, if there is no fault with the shower and is purely down to cosmetics, then the cost would be down to you as the tenant.
However, if you have a good relationship with your landlord, they may contribute to the costs.
If the shower is faulty, then the responsibility lies with the landlord.
If you do change the shower, due to cosmetics, I would get your landlords permission before hand.
Hope that helps.."
Answered on 22nd Sep 2020 - Member since Sep 2020 - report
"Permission by the landlord is required before you decide on fitting a shower etc as this can affect your tenancy agreement.

If you have a shower already fitted and it’s not working it’s upto the landlord to replace it,

If your granted by the landlord to have a shower fitted on your own back then you will be held responsible for the cost unless the landlord comes to an agreement with you.

If it’s off your own back and the landlord doesn’t help with cost then make sure to have it removed before giving up your tenancy and any holes filled in etc as this could affect any down payment you have made."
Answered on 24th Aug 2020 - Member since Feb 2020 - report
"More often than not some landlords will pay something towards the cost of upgrades to the house / flat. At the end of the day , if you don’t ask , you don’t get ...

There are landlords though, who are basically not interested, and will tell you straight away, if it’s not broken they won’t fix it.

I hope this helps"
Answered on 25th Aug 2020 - Member since Aug 2020 - report
"It should be up to the landlord to sort if it is a rented property not yourself."
Answered on 14th Sep 2020 - Member since Jan 2019 - report
"If the said shower is in working SAFE condition then the landlord has no obligation to replace the unit, so any costs incurred would fall at your feet.

That being said if the shower has been condemned by a qualified electrician/plumber with certificate provided then the landlord is required BY LAW to replace the defective appliance entirely at his/her cost.

Regards,
Lee.

Maintenance Man NE"
Answered on 23rd Aug 2020 - Member since Feb 2019 - report
"landlord will Pay if the shower is damaged. If you need change for design than you need to ask landlord for permission n you have to pay full cost"
Answered on 20th Aug 2020 - Member since Aug 2020 - report
"It will be in your tenancy agreement. But if you get on with the people you rent from then I'm sure you can come to an agreement about splitting costs

If they do not want to pay towards it but give you permission to install a new shower. I would recommend keeping the old unit so you can have that re installed if you ever decide to move as it might be a breach of tenancy and you could lose your deposit or worse"
Answered on 20th Aug 2020 - Member since Aug 2020 - report
"If the upgrade is non essential then the upgrade cost is up to you unless you tell your landlord that it will make his property more attractive to rent.
Ask him to share costs 50/50 and fingers crossed"
Answered on 14th Oct 2020 - Member since Mar 2020 - report
"The upgrade of a shower the cost is on the tenant, some landlords may pay towards a new shower"
Answered on 14th Oct 2020 - Member since Oct 2020 - report
"This is a matter between you and the landlord if the property has a shower that works atm changing it would be down to you as simply a matter of preference."
Answered on 18th Sep 2020 - Member since Sep 2020 - report
"Yes, if you wish to change your showerhead and it is not broken then you will need to pay the cost. But should it be broken then you can ask your landlord to repair as it is their responsibility."
Answered on 21st Aug 2020 - Member since Jul 2020 - report
Find Tradespeople, compare up to 3 quotes!
It's FREE and there are no obligations
Ask a Trade
Got a question that only a tradesperson can answer? We have thousands of trades ready to answer any question you may have.
Ask your question
Ask a Trade

Are you looking for advice on a DIY project or have a question for our tradespeople?

We'll email your question to tradespeople who are skilled in your chosen category.

Your question will be made public - please do not include any personal details.

{{ first(ask.errors)[0] }}

By continuing you agree to the Community Guidelines.

Report Content

{{ first(reportForm.errors) }}

Thank you

Your report has been created and will be investigated shortly.

Ready to get a price for your home improvement project?
Get started

Over 1 million homeowners and over 50,000 tradespeople
use MyJobQuote nationwide each year