apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I totally agree. We found a great apartment in Chicago that was actually under the low end of our price range. So when we moved in, we switched out all the nasty faucets and shower heads, replaced all 45 (!) lightbulbs in the recessed can lights with energy-efficient bulbs and added dimmers, painted every wall, and installed a new motion-detector porch light to replace the one the landlord wanted left on 24/7. We also put in a lovely new dining room light fixture, which is the only one of these things we'll take with us when we leave. Even though we will only be here for 2 years, the low rent made it viable to improve a few things we use every day.

It's not just a good idea to ask your landlord for permission, it's what you ought do. They still own the property and have to live with any remodeling or renovations you might undertake (including the possibility that you might screw it up).

Ummm...Ive rented for almost 10 years (half of this is college years) and after I moved out of my 3rd rental, I never decoeated place number 4, 5, 6, 7 etc. I just dont see fixing or redoing a rental as a sound investment. Its pouring hours of labor and money into something you dont own.


I keep everything as is and put up a bed, couch and tv and call it even.

@ jayjay5.. well what the heck brings you to AT then? heh.

It's not a "sound investment" if you're speaking in monetary terms, but fixing up your home environment to suit your needs is making an "investment" in your overall quality of life. Especially for the design-minded amongst us, we need to personalize our space to feel at home.

"I just dont see fixing or redoing a rental as a sound investment. Its pouring hours of labor and money into something you dont own."

There's alot of folks who have poured large amounts of money and hours labor into houses that the banks now own...
...and not everything that's done to a house gets a 100% return - many don't even rate an 80% return, and some things like pools can actually make a house more difficult to sell in certain markets.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,408045,00.html

If I was a landlord, those tenants who painted a perfectly good hardwood floor would be paying for it to be refinished and restained. You can't ruin where you rent, people. I couldn't even read past where the designer recommended this. Has she EVER lived in an apartment?

My motto is, "If I can't paint, I can't live." (Walls, though - not floors.) Aside from that, I usually just stick to the smaller improvements -- door handles, knobs, shelving and storage. It's not a waste of time or money if in the end it improves your overall living space and makes you feel good after a hard day's work. Why should renters be denied this?

I know for landlords, it's a leap of faith to let tenants customize, as the quality of tenants and the quality of work does vary. But as long as the lines of communication are open, and tenants stay within their guidelines (you must use professional painters; no, you can't knock out this wall), then it should be all good.

I don't know how the rules are in USA but where I live in Europe the rules of what you can and cannot do and how an appartment has to be once you move out are very strict. So unless its something like painting a wall, which can be easily reversed, I wouldnt do anything without asking the landlord before hand. This way there are no nasty surprises and if he gives his approvel, get it in writting so he doesn't change his mind 5 years down the road.

But I do agree with the other posters that investing in your home is never a bad idea, and certain changes don't have to cost a fortune.

ChrisGal,
Then, you would say no to your tenants and they wouldn't paint the floor. No big deal. Presumably, though, the tenants are asking and the landlord is giving permission to paint the floor. Why should that bother you?

I'm a big fan of wood floors, but sometimes, the wood really is in such bad condition that it is not really salvageable. In that case, the options are to replace it (beyond many renters' budgets), cover it with other flooring, or paint it. If the landlord is amenable, painting is a good, cheap solution.

@ kellylc: why i am here has no conern of u for u or by u...

Jus because i dnt share ur view doesnt mean i dnt hve clearence 2 b here.

Wen i close on my 3200 sq foot home nxt week ill let u rent out a bedroom.

Ugh! I've been having this same argument with myself (and my mom) for the past 3 months. Mostly about buying Benjamin Moore paint for the rooms but about spending the money to 'fix' the place up, including: minor landscaping, wallpaper removal (old and moldy), patching large chunks of missing plaster and other cracks, and sanding down the intricate moldings, just to repaint them (my landlord asked to keep them white), amongst other things.

Plus, I'm on a tight budget, so I'm always arguing with myself whether or not the money and man hours are worth it. But after a few years of renting different places and never making any changes, I want a place that feels like my home and where I can come home, relax or re-energize and the house is old and has some really cool elements to it that I want 'play' with. Really, I just want a home to be proud of.

It's just hard when you easily could justify spending that money on clothes, furniture, or savings to actually buy a house to fix up. The economist in me never seems to settle down.

Although, my landlord is a friend of, I still got his permission to paint and make other improvements but it's still something that he could easily reverse once I'm gone.

Um, jayjay5, that wasn't very nice, especially the last comment.

kellylc, probably like many of us AT Readers, reads and posts to this site because many of us are renters and are looking for ways to improve our homes - hence the name Apartment Therapy.

I'm not trying to start a "virtual fight" because it's dumb but she just questioned your first post, which I'm sure many of us did but your second post was way out of line. And the last line about your 3200 sq ft home, well, that doesn't seem to be the audience that AT is reaching for and I find that in very poor taste.

Anyhow, congratulations on closing on your home, I hope everything works out for you and we'd love to see photos when it's ready (sincerely).

I selected the apartment I now live in specifically because as soon as I saw the place, I knew the landlord wouldn't care what I did to it! The overall condition of the place was sturdy but not great, and the previous tenant had (poorly) painted every surface of every room, including the hardwood floors!

Basically I saw potential (some great architectural details) and knew I'd have the freedom to really express myself and make it my own.
Not to mention the rent was priced waaaay below market so I didn't feel to guilty spending the money on fixing the place up. Now it really feels like home!

@ jayjay5- I didn't say you didn't have, uh, "clearence 2 b here." I was (jokingly) referencing your statement that you "... keep everything as is and put up a bed, couch and tv and call it even." That did seem to go against the point of AT, which is making your home your own whether you rent, buy, or, I dunno, squat. And I respectfully decline your generous bedroom renting offer.

@Sarrazak- That was exactly my point, thanks. I thought my comment was clearly light-hearted ribbing and innocuous enough, but gotta love the intarwebz commenting community! :)

I recently got permission from my landlord to paint the walls of my 19th century apartment, which I did. While doing this I got a wild hair to strip the paint off the antique brass doorknobs. I did this outside of course, ventilation, and my landlord happened to walk by.

He seemed very scared when he came up to my stoop and saw the gray green pile of goo with a door knob sitting in the middle of it. Which is what the project looked like half way through. He calmed down though when I told him I was simply removing the paint, but warned me to ask before taking on anymore projects.

I feel very bad that I did not ask him before hand, but hopefully he can forgive my mistake since the walls and doorknobs look 100% better.

@ the above "e-fight"- not to get up in the drama, but future reference for everyone: I think people take you 110% more seriously if you don't type like you're in junior high.

ShellyIN -- Do you realize how many tenants make changed without asking the landlord? It's not all that uncommon. I'd much rather refinish a hardwood floor or even take it out and place in carpeting than paint it - mostly because you can't find a color or design to please everyone and because before long, that painted floor has scratches through the paint. So no, not a brilliant idea.

I think the best policy is to get permission before doing anything, in writing. Especially if you have a rent controlled apartment. Read your lease and see what it says and know the lessor's guidelines in your area. If your lease reads one thing and you do another without permission you could loose all entitlement of the rent control benefits.

A coat of paint can go a long way.

Besides painting, nice furniture, or anything removable like appliances(remember to keep your receipts), any type of remodeling is an insane waste of money.

ChrisGal,
Yes, but the post did not recommend painting floors without getting permission (on the contrary), so your little freak out was kind of uncalled for. If the property owner gives permission to paint the floor, what difference does it make to you?

Again, ShellyIN, it didn't say to get permission either. Sorry but I know how to read - and it's not a freak out, just my opinion.

I can never understand why people are so against putting a little money into a rental apartment. I mean, this is your home, your daily environment. Have you ever been on vacation? Did you get to keep it? Or did you just enjoy it while it was happening? Why not truly enjoy your actual home while you're living in it?

To be clear, I don't care if others don't want to fix up their own rental apartments... it just seems like people always shake their heads and think I'm foolish when they find out what effort and money I have put into my (rental) place, and I don't get it.

What? You'd do something major like install carpet without getting permission from the building's owner first? Ugh, I would never want a tenant like you.

slowdown, if you're talking to me I have the landlady's written permission and verbal effusive praise.

@Shannon Ashley, I know! There used to be a time when not everyone was keyboard literate, but in this day and age, there's no excuse to substitute u for you or 4 for for.

The sad part is that my office actually receives emails from applicants who do this. I think we're facing an upcoming generation that doesn't understand just how moronic it makes them sound.

Paint is about all I would do unless it was an improvement I could take with me (light fixture, faucets, doorknobs, etc.) or the landlord gave me a break on the rent in exchange for improving their property value.

I don't think every expense in life needs to have a profitable return, but there are other ways of enriching my living experience: lighting, furniture, textiles, books, photographs, memories.