apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

after living there for so long. the owner's should be happy to do it. especially if you've been good tenants and just want a new coat of paint. (my father's a landlord and will usually do it for our "better" tenants)

I'm interested in answers too, even though I live farther south. I've been in my place almost 10 years, and was told it was fully painted about 5 years before I moved in. You can imagine what the ubiquitous Navajo White walls look like!

Oh good grief. Just get a couple gallons of paint and do it. Even expensive paint is less than $50 a gallon (I pay about $40 a gallon for low-VOC Devine).

You're living there 6 years in the Socialist People's Republic of non-free market housing and quibbling over a couple hundred bucks (or less) for paint? Unless there's some really hard challenges, just do it.

No the property owner is not required to paint* when it needs a fresh coat, unless it is causing some sort of problem.

If you are planning to stay, you could always paint it the way you want it and hope the landlord likes it, forgets what color it was, etc. The worst that will happen is you will have to paint it back the way it was, or lose your deposit. I'm guessing that if it's rent controlled, and you let them know you are thinking of leaving, you could negotiate the return of your deposit despite any painting you might have done. They would have to repaint anyway after 12 years.

*Your Landlord Must Provide:

•Adequate and safe heat.
•Effective weatherproofing, including doors, windows and roofs.
•Housing free of garbage, cockroaches, rats and vermin.
•Plumbing and gas facilities in good order.
•Reasonable amounts of hot and cold running water.
•Adequate electric plugs and phone jacks.
•Stairs and common areas maintained in good order.

http://www.sftu.org/repairs.html

I kind of agree with boomer. I painted my living room last year. This year I'm painting my kitchen. Do I expect the landlord to do it? No. Do I want to get reimbursed? No. Do I want people I don't know (painters) in my apartment? No. Is it just easier to do it yourself? Yes.

Good luck and wear gloves.

Tony G.

i TOTALLY agree with boomer.
i mean, you've got a rent stabilized apartment in one of the most expensive cities in the country, what else do you want?

Just because he has rent control doesn't mean the landlord shouldn't want the place kept up.

I would ask the landlord if he'd pay for the paint if you painted it yourself. Tell him you'll buy it and deduct it from your rent. He'll want the receipts of course. He's most likely to agree...it's a write-off for him.

One of my old bosses told me something about rules that SF landlords had to abide by one of which being that they had to repaint a tenants apartment every two years at no charge to the tenant. I emailed my boss asking if he could direct me to some formal notice of this somewhere. If I hear back from him I'll let you know.

im a DIY queen and loooove projects-- even painting! but i dont think asking your landlord to re-paint is too much to ask...

i really want to paint my place, but there are so many built-ins and details and doorways and cabinets...the thought of all the taping and edging and stuff seems so daunting. plus, i dont have time to do it all myself! if my landlord was willing to foot the bill to freshen the place up, i'd gladly allow some painters in for a few days so that i didnt end up with a project that lasted for 3 weekends....

I think you need to contact your landlord first, willingness/unwillingness to do it yourself notwithstanding. What if you move out and he wants it painted back? Or you screw up somehow? I want to paint myself, but the thought of somehow being an idiot and getting paint on the hardwood floors terrifies me. There's a reason you have a landlord; they do these things for you. And of course you can ask to do it yourself and get reimbursed for the paint.

I think it's always worth asking your landlord, especially if you just want to give it a fresh coat with the same color. He might even appreciate that you're trying to match the color. Mine marks all the paint cans with which apartment unit # to keep track. Not all landlords are evil.

Or, if you really are planning to stay, go wild and paint it whatever you like. You really don't have much to lose if you amortize the costs over how long you're living there.

Also, I have a fantastic, very inexpensive painter who does side jobs on weekends. He does a super professional job and cleans up like he was never there. Email me if you want his #.

victoria@sfgirlbybay.com

With that said, I do wish my landlord would wash our windows - I could write a book in the soot on my windows. Any rules on that?

I would think you would just ask the landlord. Regardless of what the law states the landlords responsibilities are, having lived there 6 years, and now wanting to live there another six - I would intend to agree with boomer. It's just paint. Not worth a hassle. I would have painted long ago....

I think washing windows is the responsibility of the tenant. Unless it is a tall building that needs window washers from the outside. Otherwise you can live with the soot.

Despite that I am a landlord myself (well just two units) and wash the windows twice a year in our entire house (including the two tenants. But I got a NASTY NASTY tenant ( I could write pages about her) that I am not going to wash them for her (she has reported as 15 times in 3 months for no heating, when her heating and ours is one system). People always forget that everything in life is a give and get thing.... The other tenant I would do anything for her, bcs she is so thoughtful and kind and communicates everything to us immediately.

So, sorry I am venting here... But to the question posted at the beginning, I would personally talk to the landlord first (I had a GREAT relationship with my previous landlord, and he was very very nice - although a procrastinator). See if he would paint first, I would do it... but if he resists, then I think you should buy a few gallons of paint and do it yourself and paint it on a light color that you would like.

I'm with Boomer on this one. I'm a landlord, as far as Geoff_W's remarks, if there really was a law like that I'd add that to my list of disadvantages of being in the rental market (esp. in San Francisco-I think a person has to have rocks in their head to be a landlord in that city), & look for a quick escape. Unfortunately, too many tenants are really hard on places, I did have one tenant have a "painting party", I don't know if they were drunk or what, but the end result was not great, however I did like them a lot as tenants. Paint ended up in all sorts of places it wasn't supposed to go. Careful prep is the way to go. Now of course I realize that the sort of person that is an AT regular probably wouldn't be like that at all. It's a judgement call for sure.

I've been enjoying a decent rent controlled apartment for years, but it took me eight years of cringing at the awful shiny paint the landlord used before I finally got wise and painted. Best thing I ever done for myself (sort of).

A few pics of the paint job here:
http://leblog.exuberance.com/2005/06/modern_san_fran.html

http://sanfrancisco.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/111306//matts-mod-bachelor-pad-on-a-hill-014633

http://www.flickr.com/photos/exuberance/sets/72157594367350782/

Sure, ask your landlord if they'll paint for you -- but of course, you only really want that if you get to choose the color. My landlord told me "White only!" but I went crazy with orange. When he visited after the huge amount of work I did on the apartment -- installing track lights, smoothing the walls before painting, putting in nice carpet -- he was most impressed. He even foot the bill for the cool mod linoleum I wanted to replace the crud that was in the kitchen.

there is no harm asking.

if landlord says no, then you paint it.

I've lived in apartments where I thought it would be a big deal to even ask for it to be painted, but when I did the landlord agreed to paint without any fuss. Your landlord knows the last time he had your apt painted was more than 6 years ago and if he generally wants to maintain the place, it won't be as big a deal to him as you think. It can't hurt to ask and save yourself the hard work. I have to give my current landlord bonus points, I got to choose all the paint colors when the entire apt got repainted after a fire and he thought I was a decorator...

"hard work"?

Are you joking or what?

There's nothing hard about painting. It does require you to get off the sofa, and it does require careful attention to detail, prep and cleanup, but hard? No way. I'd classify painting as a mild PITA but not hard.

I spent last weekend installing new beadboard wainscot, chair rails, trim boards, a new vanity - and painting. Painting was by far the easiest task of the weekend.

My landlord is great, not only do I have a cheap (relative to the area I live in) apartment, but I get to do all the gardening I want, and painting within the apartment.

Because I like painting, I usually buy the paint and do what I want. I have in the past asked for reimbursement on a few things... The tin ceiling in my kitchen was painted before I moved in (7 years ago) but wasn't done correctly... so it was peeling and chipping something awful. I bought the correct paint and the tools to strip it correctly and asked him to reimburse me for that. He did so happily. I never ask him to reimburse for garden products since I like gardening, but I did ask him to buy me a few things to make it easier.

Anyway... if you have a decent relationship with the landlord email/write him and ask. It can't hurt. Tell him you'll do the labor if he'll buy the supplies, or if you don't feel you can do the labor, ask what he'd be willing to do. Unless the guy is an ogre, there's no way he's going to be mad at just you asking.

Good luck :)