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Installing a Bidet in a Rental Property or Apartment- What’s involved?
Renting a property or apartment can have its advantages but there are a few situations where not owning your own home can be really frustrating. Making changes to the property you are renting can be difficult and could involve hurdles like obtaining permission from the property owner and selecting a suitable tradesman. However, these situations can be easily overcome. Let’s take a look at what is available when it comes to bidets for renters and how to get a bidet installed in a rental property or apartment.
Bidets for Renters – The Options
If you’re in a hurry, check out the most popular bidets that renters choose:
- Non-Electric Bidet Attachments:
- Handheld Bidet Sprays:
- Electronic Bidet Toilets Seats:
- Portable Electric Bidets:
Not sure which bidet to choose? Lets look at the bidet options in a little more detail.
Bidet Attachments
Non-electric Bidet Attachments
The easiest bidets to add to a rental property are the retrofit non-electric bidet attachments. These bidets only require a water feed and do not need a power outlet nearby. These bidets can be installed easily by a competent person in less than 40 minutes. Simply install a T Valve to the inlet of the toilet tank, remove the toilet seat, fix the attachment, replace the toilet seat and away you go! If the property owner requires work to be carried out by a tradesman, you may need to use the services of a plumber to install the T valve.
Handheld Bidet Spray
The handheld bidet spray has the same installation method as the bidet attachment using the T valve system but you do not have to remove the toilet seat, the spray wand hangs on a bracket which hangs on the toilet tank.
Both of these bidet options are a good choice for rental properties. Both can easily be removed when you vacate the property and an end cap can be placed on the T valve if the landlord is happy for you to leave this in place.
Electronic Bidet Toilet Seats
Electronic Bidet Toilet Seats or Smart Toilet Seats can be a great addition to the bathroom in a rental property. The water connection for the electric bidet uses the same T valve connection as the other bidets mentioned above. However, the electric bidet will have a water heater, dryer, heated seat and many other features, this means the bidet will need to be plugged into a nearby power outlet. This can sometimes be a problem in rental apartments, as the property owner might be reluctant to have an outlet installed if one is required.
Non Permanent Bidet Options for Renters
What happens if your landlord gives you a flat NO?! Don’t worry you can still have a bidet in your bathroom. Portable Electric Bidets are a great option for renters or Airbnb’s users and, apart from having to refill the reservoir before use, they clean as well as a permanently installed bidet spray or bidet toilet seat attachment. You can also take the bidet with you when you travel. Most bidet users find they miss the clean feeling a bidet gives them when they travel, so this is a perfect portable solution. Especially if you use a bidet but don’t plan to rent a property or room for very long.
Approaching the Landlord
The first and most important step to take when installing a bidet in a property you don’t own is to obtain permission from the property owner or landlord. This can be tough, landlords can be notoriously difficult when it comes to making changes to their building!
There can often be an impasse between tenants and landlords but as a landlord myself, I always feel that if there is mutual respect, good communication and understanding most things can be achieved.
There are a couple of important points you will need to consider before approaching the landlord.
- Decide how much of the install of the bidet you are prepared to pay for.
- Are you prepared to leave the bidet when you vacate the property?
- If you are installing a bidet seat, are you able to return the plumbing and electrical work back to a safe and satisfactory manner?
A landlord is more likely to give you a favourable answer if he/she doesn’t have to put their hand in their pocket. Having the property returned to its original condition when the tenancy ends is what most landlords fear the most. Be prepared to offer this option when asking permission for putting a bidet in a rental apartment or property.
Using a Tradesman or Company to install a Bidet
Landlords like to use their own trusted tradesman when there is work to be done on a property that they own. I would suggest that you go with this in mind. The chosen tradesman could be more expensive than the ones you would choose. Get a few quotes for the bidet installation and offer to meet the landlord in the middle if there is a gap between the two.
Removing a Bidet when you leave a property
ALWAYS state that you will return the property to its original condition when the tenancy ends. This may just require the removal of a bidet seat and reinstating the original toilet seat, or the simple removal of a handheld bidet shower and an end cap placed on the T valve. The landlord may be happy for the electrical installation and plumbing to be left in case the next tenant wants to install a bidet… Bidet popularity is growing by the day!
