A.D. Cantelmo Property Management
Our Business is Property Management in Orange County California
What if a renter wants to paint?
Being a Landlord, or Property Manager, you will have many decisions
to make with regard to requests from Tenants. The most asked question I get is,
“Can I paint this room”? The answer will depend on the rules that the Landlord
sets out.
I personally am of the thinking that if a Tenant wants to paint and understands
that the property must be returned back to the original paint color when they
move out or they will have a deduction from their deposit, then I am OK with
painting. There is one caveat though, no dark colors that will be difficult to
paint over.
Now, many Landlords disagree with me, and they do not allow
Tenants to paint and that is also an understandable way of thinking. Some
Landlords have a fear of allowing Tenants to do any changes to the property,
they are nervous that the deposit that they hold will not cover the cost of
returning the property back to its original form. I completely understand that
mindset and will explain that to the Tenants.
I recommend that Tenants ask the question, of whether they
will be allowed to paint, before they sign the lease. If a Tenant feels that
painting is the only way that the home will be comfortable, then that needs to
be hashed out during the application process. It is not the Landlords or
Property Managers responsibility to find out all the wants and desires of the
potential Tenant.
Now in my business of Property Management in Orange County
California, I have had Tenants paint without getting permission and they were
very upset when their deposit was charged when they moved out. They felt that
the paint job was an upgrade to the home. Whether the Tenant thinks it’s an
upgrade or not, is not the issue. The only thing that matters is what the
Landlord thinks and if they don’t like what you have done, then it is the
Tenants responsibility to return the home in the same condition as when they
moved in and that means no alterations that have not been approved by the
owner.
As a Tenant you should think about this, even if the
Landlord likes what you have done to the property, they can use your
alterations as an excuse to not return all of your deposit. A Tenant should
never give a Landlord any excuse to withhold your deposit; in fact a Tenant should
always leave the home cleaner then when they moved in, that way a Tenant leaves
nothing to chance.
A.D. Cantelmo Property
Management Specializes in Property Management in Orange County
Ca.