Renovating a rental: how to transform a damp, shared bathroom — into one that's easy to clean and stays rust free

The accidental landlord rips out the bath at her rental house to install a super-luxe shower that’s a cinch to keep mould-free.
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Victoria Whitlock16 April 2019

So here's the problem: how should I design a new bathroom in my rental property?

Should I have a bath, a wet room or an enclosed shower? How much tiling should there be? And how much should I spend on a heated towel rail?

It is all part of the ongoing much-needed renovation of my four-bedroom shared house.

I’ve more or less decided to rip out the bath. I know some will say this is bonkers because received wisdom suggests that if you’ve got room for a bath, you should have one.

If I was planning to let to a family I would definitely keep the bath, as showers aren’t as practical for little kiddies, but I only ever let to students and young professionals.

If I get rid of the bath, I will have room for a large stand-alone shower, which will feel modern and more luxurious, and it will be easier to keep clean — important for me, as I have a high turnover of tenants, so the flat must always look good for viewings.

My builder is trying to persuade me to go for a wet room. He has just installed one in my house and it is stunning, but I don’t think this is practical for a rental property where the bathroom gets a lot of use. The floor will be constantly soaked.

He is sniffy about shower cubicles and I agree, the flimsy ones have the feel of a cheap B&B in Bognor. So I am going for a budget-busting glass-and-aluminium cubicle with easy-clean glass and a five-year guarantee.

It’s twice as much as I wanted to spend, but I think it is a wise investment.

The biggest problem with this bathroom, however, is mould. As it gets such a lot of use it’s very often damp, so the walls, the ceiling, the grout between the tiles and the silicone sealant around the bath are permanently peppered in black mould spores.

There’s a small window and an extractor fan, and the tenants say they keep the room ventilated, but still we can’t keep the mould away.

My builder says the cold concrete walls and floors don’t help, so I’m going to replace the small, ancient radiator with a large heated towel rail that will kick out a lot more heat. But should I go for aluminium or steel? Black, white or chrome?

Aluminium is less likely to rust, it conducts heat better so will reduce the tenants’ gas bill, and it’s lighter, so the builder will thank me. But it is quite a lot more expensive.

Given that I have already spent a fortune on the shower, I think will go for stainless steel, which I am told is less likely to rust than mild steel but isn’t as expensive as aluminium.

I’m also going to install a humidistat extractor fan to try to clear the damp. I doubt the room will stay mould-free, though, so I’ve decided that the best thing is a dark grout between the tiles and dark sealant around the shower, so it will look less unsightly.

Now it’s just the floor. Vinyl or tiles? Black or white? Vinyl is back in fashion, there are amazingly stylish choices, it’s warm underfoot and tenants can’t crack it. So I think that’s it. All the boxes are ticked.

Victoria Whitlock lets four properties in south London. To contact Victoria with your ideas or views, tweet @vicwhitlock.

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