Landlords who need to renovate - could this be the answer?

Many landlords face the problem after a tenant moves out of having a property that looks tired and in need of a 'spruce up'. The answer is either spending your weekends on bended knee, up a ladder stripping wallpaper, sanding doors painting and glossing. The alternative is to pay somebody else to do the work. Never cheap as we know.

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Well could the answer be getting the tenant to do the work. I've had some minor successes down the years of tenants taking the initiative and doing a little decorating. I'm still waiting for them to refurbish a kitchen - hope springs eternal!

I came across this story recently about a landlord Lee Monty who despite having two christian names seems to come up with an interesting idea. Having had his property trashed by a not so careful tenant. He is advertising his 2 bed house in Burnley for rent for free for 1 year in return for tidying it up. The tenant would then have the property for a further 6 years of the lease at a guaranteed rent of £70 per week.

This sounds perfect for the landlord who gets a guaranteed tenant for 7 years. One who has an incentive to improve a property that they will live in. In the current climate of falling rents, a guarantee that they won't.

The only downside I can see is that the tenants idea of a makeover may not be what Mr Lee Monty may have envisaged. Is he ready for purple walls and an advocardo bathroom suite?