A tenant wishes to renew his lease for an apartment and has requested the landlord to replace the carpet in the bedrooms with a plush kind. He offered to pay an increased rental. The landlord declined due to the tenant’s lack of care and maintenance of the current carpet. The tenant, desiring comfort, then offered to pay for the plush carpet and its installation himself. However, he requested for the landlord to select the colour of the carpet. The carpet is to remain in the property after the termination of the lease and no additional rental will be charged due to the new carpet. Is this permissible?
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
If the tenant and landlord mutually agree that the tenant will pay for the carpet and no additional rental will be charged for the remaining period of the lease agreement, then the above agreement is permissible.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Huzaifah Deedat
Student Darul Iftaa
Lusaka, Zambia
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
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تنقيح الفتاوى الحامدية (5/ 471)
فَإِنْ أَحْدَثَ الْمُسْتَأْجِرُ فِي الْمُسْتَأْجَرِ بِنَاءً أَوْ غِرَاسًا ثُمَّ انْقَضَتْ مُدَّةُ الْإِجَارَةِ كَانَ لِلْآجِرِ أَنْ يَأْمُرَهُ بِالرَّفْعِ قَلَّتْ قِيمَتُهُ أَوْ كَثُرَتْ وَإِنْ شَاءَ مَنَعَهُ مِنْ الرَّفْعِ وَأَعْطَاهُ الْقِيمَةَ إذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ أَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ ذَلِكَ لِيَرْجِعَ عَلَيْهِ خَانِيَّةٌ مِنْ فَصْلِ مَا تُنْقَضُ بِهِ الْإِجَارَةُ وَمِثْلُهُ فِي الْبَزَّازِيَّةِ مِنْ نَوْعٍ آخَرَ فِي اسْتِئْجَارِ الْمُسْتَغَلِّ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ فِي آخِرِهِ اسْتَأْجَرَ طَاحُونَةً إجَارَةً طَوِيلَةً ثُمَّ أَجَّرَهَا مِنْ غَيْرِهِ وَأَذِنَ لَهُ بِالْعِمَارَةِ وَأَنْفَقَ إنْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ مُسْتَأْجِرٌ وَالطَّاحُونَةَ لَيْسَتْ لَهُ لَا يَرْجِعُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ وَظَنَّهُ مَالِكًا يَرْجِعُ وَهُوَ الْمُخْتَارُ
احسن الفتاوی-جلد 7 –ص 313- ایج ایم سعید