slightly dodgy dishwasher

[Fresh Mint]

Told you my negotiation skills weren't good.

Negotiation on rent - useless - went from 3.5 to 3.7
Request for American sized frige - refused, 400 litre one will be fitted
Request for dishwasher - refused ("not in LOI" and not standard item and no room)
Request for one month notice after diplomatic clause kicks in - refused - not standard.

I do feel this is all a bit one sided and wonder if the landlord even gets to see my requests or if his agent replies instead.

You've got only yourself to blame, I'm afraid. You could always have walked away and called their bluff..

[BoD]

Not sure what is one sided about it. You want to maximise what you get for your money and the landlord wants to minimise his outlay and maximise the rent. Seems entirely sensible from both points of view

The agent gets paid according to the rent, so it's actually in his interest to persuade the landlord to fix/provide things as opposed to accepting a reduced rent

Maybe 3.7k is already cheap for what you are getting. So perhaps you have done well. In which case the landlord is not going to be that amenable to an extra cost. Maybe he thinks that he can get the same rent from another tenant with fewer requests.

The problem is that the more you ask for, the more the landlord is going to think you are likely to be a problem tenant and asking to change the diplomatic clause to 12+1 is going to make him think you are likely to exercise it. If you ask for loads of things up front, and are then constantly finding fault thoughout the tenancy, then the landlord is less likely to be flexible come renewal time - what goes around does indeed come around.

I once almost rented a place where the landlord chose to rent to me because (apparently) the other prospective tenant has asked for a light fitting to be replaced and I had asked for nothing - ridiculous perhaps, but his choice. In the end I chose to go elsewhere as he was such a pain in the arse during the negotiaton process that I figured getting him to deal with any problems later would be a complete nightmare

[BoD]

Well I'm pleasantly surprised. Landlord has now agreed to a one month's notice after the diplomatic clause. Good feeling when there is some compromise.

I would guess this means that he expects rents to rise, and won't really mind so much if you move out

[Kooky]

I'd already warned BK to look for hot water in the kitchen and also an oven - standard advice I've given many newbies over the years. We had to negotiate for a hot water heater in the kitchen of a brand new "executive condo" on Holland Road, obviously targetting expats.

Just don't take your husband to that little DIY shop in the basement of PP unless you enjoy watching one of the assistants chat him up

[Beesknees]

I'd already warned BK to look for hot water in the kitchen and also an oven - standard advice I've given many newbies over the years. We had to negotiate for a hot water heater in the kitchen of a brand new "executive condo" on Holland Road, obviously targetting expats.

Just don't take your husband to that little DIY shop in the basement of PP unless you enjoy watching one of the assistants chat him up

I know you did Kooky and I did check that the showers worked and there was hot water (immersion heater) for them however stupidly I just assumed there was hot water in the kitchen if there was hot water in the shower rooms

I've just asked our agent to confirm this before we sign the LOI and she's taking an awful long time to get back to me...so not looking good perhaps.

Anyone any idea of how much to install a water heater in a kitchen? I suppose we could always do this if it's not too expensive? It must be very difficult to live without hot water on tap!

[Lili Von Shtupp]

We have no hot water in our kitchen, and it's no big deal, really. I'm used to it by now. We just do our washing up with cold water and soap, and use cif for stubborn cooked-on problems. Dirty pots and pans don't sit around for very long, so it's not as if things have the time to get plagued by cooties. As for grease, I have a few tricks. If you use a dry tissue or paper towel, you can wipe up most grease and oil pretty easily then wash per normal. Keeps that stuff from gunking up the sink trap, too.

It may not be the absolute best way to wash dishes, but it's certainly do-able.

[Kooky]

I'm afraid I'd be boiling kettles - couldn't wash up in cold water.

I think ours was somewhere between $300 and 400 to install under the sink, BK, or so they told us.

[Beesknees]

I'm afraid I'd be boiling kettles - couldn't wash up in cold water.

I think ours was somewhere between $300 and 400 to install under the sink, BK, or so they told us.

That's all right then. We can sign the lease and then just put one in. If they are so cheap I wonder why all landlords don't fit them?

[Scrummy Mummy]

We just used to boil kettles, no big deal at all.

Now we have a maid and a dishwasher so I rarely soil my lovely hands, LOL!

[Beesknees]

We just used to boil kettles, no big deal at all.

Now we have a maid and a dishwasher so I rarely soil my lovely hands, LOL!

I AM the maid.

[Scrummy Mummy]

I'm just a rich, stuck up expat wife with nothing to do and too much time on my hands.

(I wish)