Question for Renters

[JadedLegend3]

Hello friends, I have a question for you who have rented or are renting an apartment/house/etc...

Do you/did you paint?

Do you/did you hang things on the walls?

I know in the lease it usually says you can't, but do you do it anyway and just return it to it's original state when the lease is up?

If you do paint or hang things on the walls, and the owner comes in for whatever reason, do you get in trouble?

My realtor person said she couldn't say yes we were allowed to paint, but she said the apartment has to look the same way we got it when we give it back to them. The lease, however, says no way, don't paint, don't put holes in the walls. Roomie and I haven't signed the lease yet, but we do have money holding an apartment.

Answers? Advice in general on renting?

Thanks guys! :)

[MadWombat]

ya. most of the time you cant do anything permanent to the place, but if you talk to them about it ahead of time, sometimes they'll let you do things. I'm lucky that I'm a carpenter/plumber/electrician/painter and I can fix things my knucklehead landlord cant. So when he asks me to fix something for him, I say sure, but I'll need to make some holes in the wall to hang my Plasma TV. but I digress.

talk them into letting you paint it a plain old white color and hang on to the paint. if you put a hole in the wall, when you go to leave the place, spackle the hole, paint, and leave.

or learn to fix things and extort him.

[Nessus]

Regarding hanging pictures. Go to town. It's the easiest thing to fix when you move out. A little bit of that clay holefiller stuff you can get at any hardware store, and its good as new. Besides, chances are, the next tenant after will want to put some pictures up too, and most likely they'll want to put them in the same places as you, so in most cases, there'd be no one to complain about it.

Painting is a little stickier. In my limited experience with renting, my opinion is as long as you don't go all Picasso up in that mother, you should be fine. Now, if you're going to really change things up, and chose colors that will really change the color scheme of the aparment, you should definitely bring it up with your land lord first. Let her/him know what you want to do, and what colors you plan to use and where. But if you just want to basically do some touchup work, or slightly change some of the colors, then I would think most reasonable landlords would just see that as maintanence that they didn't have to pay for.

I've been renting the same garage apt for about 1.5 years, and while I've never painted, my landlord has seen all of the crazy things I've put up on my walls, and she couldn't care less. I think most landlords are just happy to have their place rented. As long you don't trash the place, or get the cops called on you every weekend, they pretty much let the little stuff slide.

[arthurfrdent]

uh, is it a property owned by a small company, or one of those national conglomerates? If it's small [or a single person] ask them directly if you can paint, IF you return it to the original color when you leave... If it's a conglomerate, ask the site manager's permission... In either case, make sure the lease gets ammended with the understanding so they can't throw you out for merely doing it. Note: leases CAN always be changed, it's just a contract. Sometimes however, the company WON'T change it, except in their favor. Always be careful with companies like that, they tend to be really nasty if you put a foot wrong...

Also totally consider decorating in another way, 'cuz even though I have painted scores of houses and such, there are dangers... for example spilling green paint on a beige carpet... in some apt's if you ruin the carpet in one room, you have to pay them [exorbitant] rates for them to replace ALL the carpeting.

The reason a lot of apt owners aren't so keen on painting, is that most people do a terrible job, and then they do a terrible job the second time undoing the first... for the owner it just isn't worth the grief.

AFD ;)

[trubador]

Just re-iterating what others have stated... painting (for the most part) tends to be a no-no. But, hanging things, like pictures (once you get the okay from the complex), shouldn't be that big a deal as long as you fill the holes and then do some touch-up paint over them when you eventually leave. Check to see if they have a small can of spare paint for you to hold onto in one of your closets for that time when you finally leave. If it's a large complex, I'm sure they have tons of the same paint color for all of the apts. Probably some shade of boring beige (the apt standard).

[BrowderChick]

In the apartment I currently live in, I can do anything I want because it would actually be an improvement. The former tenants totally trashed the place and my landlord is in the military (recently returned from Iraq). So he neither has the time or the energy to do it himself. But in most cases, if the landlord says no then that means no. If you choose to hang stuff or paint and he/she sees it then you could come into problems.

My parents used to be landlords and one of the apartments they rented happened to be right up stairs from them. Once there was a man and two of his teen age boys renting it.... Totally destroyed a beautiful place. It cost my parents about $17,000 to fix it. And to top that off, the tenant wanted his security deposit back... Needless to say he didnt and had some pretty big expenses to pay. They next set of tenants wanted to hang stuff on the walls and my parents said no. It was stated in the lease not to. They did anyways. They had to replace the sheetrock that was damaged due to all the nail holes. There were alot of them.

Unless you are really really good at making those walls smoothe and perfect again then I wouldnt recommend you do anything to jeopardize your relationship with your landlord. Most of the time painting can be allowed if the color and type of paint can be easily painted back to the original color. But holes and stuff arent so easy to fix.

Talk to the owners themselves and see if you can work something out... Some are pretty easy to work with... Some arent. If they are stiff pockets, then I wouldnt recommend doing anything outside the allowance of the lease.

[RustySlinky]

In the apartment I currently live in, I can do anything I want because it would actually be an improvement. The former tenants totally trashed the place and my landlord is in the military (recently returned from Iraq). So he neither has the time or the energy to do it himself. . . Same situation here. We moved into a place that was definitely a fixer-upper: carpet old, stains on walls, broken cabinets, etc.

We promised the landlord that:

We would be renting long term
We would do the work and pay for the supplies
The landlord would have final approval for any work done

And the landlord's like "Oo Yeah, Cool!"
The landlord even dropped our rent after we finished, so everyone's happy.

[waltersgirl]

i've painted every place that i've lived. i've put up stuff on the walls. it's never been a problem. i even painted my dorm room. i just make sure i can match the original paint and there is nothing that spackle and bondo can't fix if you have enough practice. :shrug:

but then i grew up in a family of professional painters so i do a hella better job than the guys they hire. as for paint on the carpets...that's what drop cloths are for.

just my two cents, but certainly don't discard the advice to bounce this off your landlord.

[Dutch]

I AM a landlord and have had 2 very long term renters since I moved out of that apartment myself. The place was in good shape when I left but I told them i wanted to know of any problems right away, while they were small, so they didn't become big. I tell them they can do whatever they want as long as they run it past me first. I guess it depends on the landlord and how often they've been burned by tenants in the past.

[DRD2001]

I guess it depends on the landlord and how often they've been burned by tenants in the past.That is very true. My mother would only rent to "adults" and not students cause she knew students would party and make messes. The adults, however, were worse than anything she ever imagined. Melted wax on wood floors and carpets. Ugly paint jobs in hard to cover colors. Yard "improvements" that ruined the sprinkler system. Windows nailed shut with finishing nails. Custom made window screens removed and put in the crawl space. Windows ripped off their tracks (the windows open like a door and are on tracks for stability). The list goes on. Until you know what your landlord is like, whether he is open to suggestions or whether he is a hard nosed stickler, you should ask.

[fermicat]

The apartments where I have lived have encouraged people to hang up pictures -- they want people to feel at home so they will stay. I never tried to paint a rented place though. I think that would be stickier, unless a special circumstance (like the current paint job is terrible) exists, or the landlord is flexible. Some friends of mine live in an apartment, and the company let them paint their living room a cocoa color. So it isn't unheard of.

[cybergal]

What the deposit is for: To repair any 'damages' that the renter makes that are above and beyond normal wear and tear of your domicile. Repainting of the apartment is usual 'make ready' work. Painting more than once to cover over a hard to cover paint color would make the deposit open game.

The same thought processes would be used in regard to hanging things. Hanging a picture is normal wear and tear. Hanging a huge heavy shelf on the wall that makes a hole in the plaster when you take it down is something altogether different. It's all up to interpretation and what kind of a jerk your landlord may or may not be.

If you feel that you need to make major changes to be able to live in a certain place, then maybe you need to be living somewhere else.

[JadedLegend3]

I talked to the realtor again and she said that we can do anything just have it back the way it was when we got it. She also said that we can have a can of paint of theirs to use when we patch up the walls. :)

Thanks for all the info, guys! :D

[BrowderChick]

:D Good on you then. :)

I was just making a point of the fact that some landlords can be very picky. My parents didnt care before if you did anything. We used to live in that apartment when I was growing up. My mom had a beautiful mural done in the large bedroom and the bathroom was recently re-done...But too many people trashed the place. The apartment that I currently live in, the tenants were umm...how do you say.... abusive? I took photos and a video when I moved in and as the work was done. The house is also at least 100 years old. I will be moving out in a few months but I have lived here for about 4 years. When the next tenants move in they will have a nice place.

I know in certain places you cant list rentals in the paper with specifics unless you go to a realitor. One of my old landlords learned that lesson the hard way. Because of the fact that it was within the city limits he was forced to rent to some pretty shabby people. They in turn trashed his place.

When I leave my apt the walls will be fresh painted and all the holes will be filled in. I was tempted to redo the floors but they are a little too far gone for refinishing. It was recarpeted when I moved in because the carpet (about 2 years old) was destroyed. All the appliances had to be replaced as well. You wouldnt believe the damage. But now it looks very nice for the next to move in. My landlord deducted everything from the rent as the work was done.

Also alot of landlords will refuse animals. Ive looked at places where if they allow an animal they charge alot extra per month. And most wont rent to you if you have a pet over a certain weight limit. Too many specifics but I can understand where they are coming from. The cost of repairs can be outrageous.

As wg stated, if you are really good at doing these repairs yourself, go for it. :) If the landlord is strict on rules, then they do have the option to boot you out if they see that those rules were not followed. My brother worked at an apartment complex doing the clean up after tenants moved out. I remember where one tenant actualy had a portable hot tub put in one of the bedrooms. The steam completely detroyed the walls and ceiling in that room. It was a mess. One of the rules there was also no grills directly on the patios. There were so many spots where the siding and woodword were burnt and melted. These items were listed in the lease.

[Pip_The_Great]

i even painted my dorm room.
I wish we could do that. Our school actually discussed that, as long as students returned their rooms to the original color, but they were worried about students doing a bad job. I don't know why... my room has a HORRIBLE paint job. There's paint all over the wood and brick. Whoever they hire for building maintenance sucks.

[BrowderChick]

You know whats really cool? If you take cotton fabric (not sure how well it works with other kinds) and make a starch and water mix, you can actually do a form of wallpapering thats comes right off and washes off the walls very easily. Ive done this and it comes out really cool. You can do in on alot of different surfaces too. :D

[JadedLegend3]

That's cool. I've heard of putting fabric on the walls before as wallpaper, but it always involved stapling. That's a neat idea. :)

[BrowderChick]

There is another way to use an elmers glue and water mix too but Im not sure how well that washes off.

[JadedLegend3]

PS-love your new avatar! :D

[BrowderChick]

Fabric Walls

Use LINIT® Starch OR LINIT® Starch-n-Crafts™ Stiffener instead of wallpaper paste and fabric instead of wallpaper. Starching leaves fewer bubbles in the fabric application.

It can also be peeled off the wall easily when you want a change and the fabric can be washed and used again.

Materials:
LINIT® Starch OR LINIT® Starch-n-Crafts™ Stiffener
Fabric
Clean sponge or paint roller
Pan
Process:
Wash the wall to remove any dirt or film.
Lightweight fabrics, such as polished cottons, ginghams, and chintzes, are easiest to use. Measure from the floor to the ceiling and add a couple extra inches. Cut the fabric accordingly. If fabric has a design, be sure to match the design before cutting the next panel as when using wallpaper.
Pour LINIT® into a clean pan or paint pan or spray on if using stiffener (see Tip section if using spray stiffener). Apply starch to the top half of the wall with a sponge, paint roller or spray on if using spray stiffener.
Smooth fabric into place at the top of the wall, leaving about one inch to be trimmed later. Use push pins to hold the fabric temporarily in place. Apply more starch going down the wall as needed until you get to the floor, leave approximately one inch overlap at floor level.
Apply starch to the top of the fabric, brushing and smoothing the fabric in place to remove bubbles and wrinkles. Be sure the starch penetrates the fabric evenly.
Work your way down the panel, continuing to sponge or spray starch onto the wall, smoothing the fabric, and applying more starch.
Position the second panel, matching the design along the edge. Repeat steps.
Around windows and doors, leave a one inch overlap as with the ceiling and floor.
Fabric overlap should be cut when the fabric is completely dry. It will then cut clean and easily and any shrinkage will have occurred before you trim.


When Using Stiffener in Spray Bottle: Be sure to mask edges of ceiling & floor to avoid over spray. To Remove Fabric From Wall: Peel one corner loose, then gently begin to peel the fabric off of the wall panel by panel. If the fabric does not peel easily, dampen the fabric with water using a wet sponge and it should come right off.

[BrowderChick]

PS-love your new avatar! :D
Thanks. :D Been making alot of them lately to occupy my mind.

[trinamick]

I didn't have to sign a lease when I moved in to my place. My landlord is so old he farts dust, and he's just happy not to have druggies in here anymore. The people before trashed the sewer system and one whole side of the yard had been dug up to fix it and never regrassed or sodded. There were broken windows and holes in doors and walls. There was also a cigarette burn in the carpet too. Occasionally, my cat still finds an abandoned plastic soldier in some recessed corner.

I don't ask for permission to do much of anything, but I haven't repainted the walls. I've hung things up, but there is paneling in some rooms and just concrete walls in the other rooms (it's an old stucco house) and there were already holes, so it didn't matter. The only thing he requested was that I not have a kitten, but I could understand that. He didn't care about house-trained cats, which was good. He's not very picky about what I do, since I do all the yard work and I fix up whatever I can and don't bug him. I reseeded and fertilized the yard, and it has grass for the first time in years. I figured that was enough justification to put in a fountain. I thought he might be mad when I cut down a gross tree, but he was thrilled that I cleaned it up and got rid of the brush and weeds that was damaging the fence. Now the tree that's left actually has room to breathe. Plus, he gets his rent on time and I rarely bug him, so he'd better be happy!

[LiLOrion]

Fabric Walls...

I never heard of that, but that sounds like a really cool idea. I'm constantly changing the paint on my walls. This would be something neat to try.

You should get a show on TLC. :lol

[trinamick]

A friend of mine did that, only she used brown paper bags. It sounded funny, but it looked really cool when she was done. It comes off easy also, so she can take it down if she moves out.

[LiLOrion]

Nah it would only sound funny if she had the name of the grocery store that was printed on the bag facing out. :lol

[trinamick]

:lol

[malachilenomade]

Hello friends, I have a question for you who have rented or are renting an apartment/house/etc...

Do you/did you paint?

Do you/did you hang things on the walls?

I know in the lease it usually says you can't, but do you do it anyway and just return it to it's original state when the lease is up?

If you do paint or hang things on the walls, and the owner comes in for whatever reason, do you get in trouble?

My realtor person said she couldn't say yes we were allowed to paint, but she said the apartment has to look the same way we got it when we give it back to them. The lease, however, says no way, don't paint, don't put holes in the walls. Roomie and I haven't signed the lease yet, but we do have money holding an apartment.

Answers? Advice in general on renting?

Thanks guys! :)


I haven't painted in my place, though I've thought about it. Some people say I shouldn't because it should be the landlord's responsibility for that sort of upkeep (and my bathroom needs major fixing up due to bad maintenance in the past... the walls have to be sanded down and repainted badly!)

I haven't hung anything on the wall (aside from a friend's wedding bouquet that they left here when they moved) because I don't have anything to hang on the wall.

I'd say ask the landlord WHY you aren't allowed to do such things. If that's the case, they should do it for you.

My apartment needs a HELL of a lot of work, but I won't do it because I'm just the renter... if I do all of that, I want some money taken off the rent.

[BrowderChick]

Trin... That brown bag thing is cool too as it comes out looking like leather. Ive seen that done as a replacement for wainscotting. Came out really nice. Best way to do it though is by tearing the bags (or brown packaging paper) into large triangular shapes and overlapping them.

[BrowderChick]

I never heard of that, but that sounds like a really cool idea. I'm constantly changing the paint on my walls. This would be something neat to try.

You should get a show on TLC. :lol
:lol Actually I first saw this done on the Christopher Lowell Show. I think thats how you spell his name. I thought it was really cool and it also looks cool to cover up damaged door and window moldings and also as a border.

Another thing its really really cool for is inside the panels on the front of kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Or just do the entire door with it. Adds a new look entirely. I did that to my sisters kitchen cabinets. Just inside the raised panel area, I did a blue gingham pattern. Came out perfect to match her curtains and linens.