Kitchen respraying in Leeds

Most of the cost of a new kitchen is easy to see on the quote. The bit people forget is the old one, which has to go somewhere, and in Leeds the council will not come and fetch it. Its unwanted items collection, one free booking a year and £30 for each extra one, lists kitchen units including sinks, worktops and cupboards as items it does not collect.

That leaves the household waste recycling centres, and they ration DIY waste. Since 8 January 2024, free DIY disposal in Leeds is limited to four visits a month per household, each with two 50 litre bags at most or one large item no bigger than 2m by 0.75m. The council says anything beyond that needs a skip or a licensed waste carrier, and points people to the Leeds Accredited Waste Carrier Scheme to find one. Tiles and plasterboard pulled off the walls during a refit are on the list of waste Leeds charges to take.

Hiring a van to do the tip runs yourself has its own rules. A short wheelbase, low roof van needs a permit to get into a Leeds recycling centre, high roof and long wheelbase vans are not allowed at all, and a household can have only four temporary permits a year for hired vehicles, each lasting 14 days.

A respray skips all of that. We respray the doors, drawer fronts, end panels, plinths, cornice and pelmet you already have, so the carcasses, worktops and sink stay put and there is no old kitchen to dispose of. If you are weighing the two up, respray or new kitchen sets out the differences.

Leeds has nearly twice the national share of council tenants: 15.1% of households rent from the council, against 8.3% across England and Wales. The council says a secure tenant can make improvements or alterations with its written permission, and kitchens are on its list of changes that need it. The list is not exhaustive, so ask before you book anything. Apply through the Tenant Portal or with a form from your community hub, and allow for a reply within 28 working days.

If you bought your flat or house as a leaseholder from Leeds City Council, the rules are different again. You need the council's written permission before making changes, replacing your kitchen is one of the examples it gives, and the application carries a £60 administration fee. A respray changes the colour and keeps the kitchen you have, but the council's page does not mention respraying either way, so check with its leasehold team in writing before you book.

Another 21.8% of Leeds households rent privately, up from 19.4% in 2011. In a rented home the kitchen is the landlord's, so get their yes in writing first, and send them the photos you send us so they can see what is changing.