For minor changes I say just do it. I took out my junky white rotating in only one direction ceiling fan and replaced it with a much nicer one. Why should they care that I put in a better more functional fan? I put up simple glass shelves in the bathroom, there is no linen closet so I increased the space available. Why should they care? Same for hardware.. now if I wanted to put in carpet.. I'd ask. Then again, I could order carpet tiles and then it's no problem. I wouldn't replace cabinets or sinks or anything without asking though.

For all intensive purposes, this sentence personificizes my sophisticationism.

- Urban Dictionary

I do regret a change I made in the 1980's when everything had to be Conran's white: I ripped out a tiny kitchen cabinet to put in something more capacious.

The thing is, that tiny, roach-encrusted cabinet was white enamel with red pinstripes, probably from the 40's. I wish it was still there for someone to enjoy! I could have put a book shelf in the kitchen to hold the bigger food boxes. The roaches would have come off with a lot of Bon Ami! I feel terrible when ever I think of it.

In my opinion, it is absolutely not ok to make any major changes without receiving permission from the landlord. I would consider most of your "minor" changes to be major enough that they should be approved by the landlord.

The correct phrase is "all intents and purposes."

First - check your lease - that is what controls the rights of both parties. If there is no mention of anything in your lease then certain landlord-tenant presumptions are going to govern. These vary from state to state. I think you can be held liable for changes even if they are "improvements."
http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/problems.shtml#limitations

I'm a landlord myself, and my general feeling is that tenants should be able to do whatever decorative alterations they want, so long as they're either reversible or don't hinder my ability to re-rent the apartment later.

Fans, fixtures, paint -- all fine. But re-tiling a shower is a serious change -- one that will be expensive to undo if the landlord thinks your tile choice makes the apartment less rentable than what's currently there. For that, you really should check first. On the plus side, if he/she thinks your alteration will increase the value of the place, you may be able to deduct some of the costs from your rent.

I think if you're ok with paying for it (and willing to pay to change it back to the original if necessary) and they're not only cosmetic changes that suit your taste, but also improve resale (new paint, hardware, new faucets, better light fixtures, etc.), it's completely fine.. and frankly, you're landlord should be happy to have such generous tenants!

For most people, these would all qualify as improvements to an otherwise un-livable rental space, and an investment in the property that the managers do not have the time or inclination to make. As long as you're not ripping out carpet, go for it.

I did the same, and my landlord was incredibly pleased at what I had done and used my apartment as a model from then on.

I once did a ton of work to an apartment without my landlord knowing about it, and he was absolutely thrilled about it when I moved out. Couldn't believe I'd done it myself.

The one thing I'd pause about is the tile. What's there now? Do you really know how to do it correctly? For example, taking out an ugly fiberglass surround and putting up tile without using the proper backerboard or laying out the tile correctly would ruin the shower, not improve it.

I would strongly advise you to check with the landlord first. The landlord could sue you if you go too far in your alterations without his permission.

If your unpermitted changes (I'm thinking tile and plumbing work, primarily) cause structural damage, you'd be opening yourself up to a lawsuit. I wouldn't go there without your landlord's permission.

If you really want to make these sorts of improvements, I'd look to buy. Did you see that recent article in the SF Chron about the guy who bought a place in Oakland for under 100k?! He is now paying less than the rent he had been paying.

Sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

i definitely do not think it's ok to retile your bathroom without permission!. yikes. if i was a landlord and even if it turned out to be for the better, i would not be happy.

I think the thing about a landlord who seems so completely absentee as the one in question, is that one must think about whether they're merely trying not to be up in your face and stuff, or whether they are just too busy to deal with you or possibly just don't care.

Different flavors of "not caring" are: a) complete negligence which might even let all the necessary mechanicals go to hell; b) busy, but when pressed, could be convinced to address things; c) actually DOES care for both your well-being and that of the property but really just can't get themselves all up in arms about how bad a tenant improvement can be, since they're just happy not to have to pay for it.

New Yorkers are famous for not bothering their landlords, because if your place is rent-controlled, many landlords are constantly comparing the rents their properties fetch with their landlord friends and colleagues, and they seem to HATE getting one less penny per month than they can, so they'll do crap like mine did on West 19th Street and claim to have made an improvement like provide a new fridge, when they clearly just re-painted the old one. I think they also claimed they had given me a new stove, but I PROMISE you it looked like it belonged in a Charlie Chaplin movie. He literally had applied for a rent increase based on these "improvements"!

So... if I had made ANY substanstial improvements and they had expended enough energy to manage to walk into my place, they would have probably thrown me out on the basis of something like... vandalism, and yet they surely would have taken photos of the "renovation" and applied for another increase from the Rent Board!

On the other hand, my folks rented out the house that my grandmother had lived in, in a small city in the South, and they didn't charge ENOUGH, and so it drew the kind of vermin that steals the air conditioner! So, they finally decided to say that you didn't even have to leave a security deposit, but you had to provide your own unit, which would then make the people lock up the place enough to not get it stolen!

I did this in my 20s, although I haven't had to resort to such measures since then. I rented a total dump in the Mission, and ripped out all of the carpet and painted the entire flat. The landlord couldn't have cared less. He sold it after I had lived there for 5 years, and they pulled an owner move-in. For the price of rent that I'm able to pay now, I wouldn't invest in anything other than paint and maybe a fixture or two. I'd much rather own than put a bunch of money into a rental.

I am a landlord and I find my tenants to be immature and the situation problematic when they go on their do it yourself kicks and end up with half-a**ed work; such unpleasant surprises I've seen, walls in sunny yellow and kelly green usually result in stained moulding and ceiling, that 'totally portable' AC is not so and is heavy enough to damage the window frame, Ikea shelves that leave behind potholes, etc. That being said, some have made brilliant suggestions that we have loved to implement. So always ask permission! It's a home being lent to you!

I'd say no. I've made a few improvements to rentals over the years and, even if they're clearly improvements and not just changes, a landlord has the right to charge you to "fix" them and/or keep your deposit. It's not worth the risk or hassle, in my opinion. Just be honest and ask.

Always ask first and get it in writing. One is often surprised to find forgiveness comes with price.

Not asking permission is being a bit presumptuous. I'm a landlord (granted - not an absentee one) and I would be furious if one of my tenants re-tiled my bathroom. And yes, even though it's *their* home I do consider it to be *my* house.

@werlemmings
Absolutely! Just because I'm competent doesn't mean my next-door neighbor is too...
Always ask permission, even put together a proposal for any major improvements. Send pics or even actual tile samples to the landlord, and include a list of your costs, impermeable backing board, which (wet-conditions formula) mastic and grout you will be using. You might even be able to get the landlord to reimburse you for the improvement. Show that you are professional and read-up.. it just might happen. And, you won't have to worry about getting your deposit back or the prospect of losing in small-claims court.
Hey, you have a laid-back landlord... he might love not having to deal with the hassle of redoing the tile when you eventually move out... might even reward you for it!

"It's a home being lent to you!"

It's hardly being lent - We're paying to live there.

IMO - It's appropriate to make as many changes as you're comfortable with leaving behind when you move out, as long as the work is reversible and/or done properly. Folks in my building have painted, removed walls (non-load bearing - we're in a Steel Reinforced Concrete highrise) to make 3 tiny bedrooms into 2 reasonable sized bedrooms, pulled up nasty ancient carpets and 40 year old vinyl to install Pergo and/or tile floors on the concrete slabs, pulled out awful vinyl ranch curtains to install better window coverings, replaced lighting fixtures and kitchen counters and installed mouldings where none existed before, and pulled out closets to install wardrobe systems.

I have a pretty laid back landlord. I still wouldn't do any major renovations (tile, carpet, cabinets, anything that requires major tools) without clearing it with her but I did install privacy filters on all my windows without asking. If she asks I'd be happy to take it down but I didn't like the fact that my windows look directly into my neighbors house (a house filled with about 20 college boys) and I'm pretty sure she would understand why a young woman didn't want that. I love the fact that now I can get the sunlight without seeing my neighbors.

Here is my suggestion. Send a letter to your landlord (via certified mail) detailing the improvements you'd like to make. Close with something like, "If we don't hear from you by (date), we will assume that you approve of the changes and will go ahead with the project." Then you've at least covered your bases but made it easy for your landlord if he truly doesn't care what you do.

I think you could be setting yourself up for a lot of trouble if you go ahead, and he doesn't approve down the road. One person's "improvements" can be another person's nightmare... and no one wants to be on the receiving end of a lawsuit.

A WORD OF CAUTION: If you pull up the tile, be prepared to fix/pay for anything you uncover. Which means you might encounter rot, among other things.

That being said, I totally repainted and spruced up a small home I was renting in K'zoo. Of course, I had gotten my landlord's permission and they covered the cost of the paint.

As I recall, I not only got one call thanking me for improving the property, I got two.

My landlord company owns like 3000 units in Boston, with the level of service we get and the shape of the apartment when we moved in, I dont think they really care so long as we dont tear down any walls or paint them black.

I'm considering pulling up the linoleum in the bathroom (tile underneath). We've changed lighting fixtures and installed shelving.

Bonus is, we put down zero deposit, so short of suing us, there's not much they can do.

I think if you live there, you should have the right to live the way you want to. Bad carpet. Rip it out. Ugly paint colors, cheap cabinets.... go for it. The worse case scenario is the landlord keeps your deposit when you move out and you have invested money into a home you don't own. As for the 'lending' aspect of all of this, it's called rental payments. That's not a loan.

Its a lease really.

Putting new cabinets and carpet in an apartment is like putting 8,000 dollar rims on a car youre leasing and will have to give back to the dealer in 5 years.

as a landlord i would be horrified if my tenants re-tiled the bathroom without permission. beauty is in the eye of the beholder and one person's soothing green tile is another person wow-this-looks-like-cat-gak-green! I say ask, if you want to re-tile then you have got to get my permission because your measly deposit is not going to be enough to cover the expense of un-doing what improvements you have done.

The worst case scenario is not losing your deposit. The worst case scenario is a lawsuit. If you "ruin" the kitchen or bathroom, the landlord could claim tens of thousands of dollars to "fix" the problem.

Beware also that some potential landlords will check previous landlord references, as will some employers and mortgage companies.

I don't think I'd re-tile without asking because it sounds pretty involved, but in one place I lived (with the absolute worst slum lords ever) I did paint without permission because the landlords never responded to my written requests. I also ripped a super cheap, obviously home-made sometime in the eighties, particle board cabinet out of the kitchen and took down some ugly hardware store shelves, too (and then spackled and painted the holes they left). They were absolutely hideous, and I was pretty sure the landlords wouldn't even notice. They were awful landlords, obviously didn't give a sh** about the building or its tenants, and I don't feel bad at all for improving the place without asking. I left the place much nicer than I found it.

My current landlord is very responsive, and generally a really nice guy. I don't even think I would paint without asking him. I guess the moral of the story is, if your tenants ask to make improvements, you might want to respond one way or the other.

I think it's a bad idea to undertake major repairs without permission from the landlords. Painting and doing minor fixes without talking to them isn't a big deal though - we did that on our last rental, and seriously, our landlords loved us for taking care of their place.

I think it's more than you want to get into--what if you discover major structural problems? Should you fix them? That's likely to be more involved than you really want.

Anyway, if you're landlord isn't responsive, at least give notice in writing of any repairs you do so that you have something to back you up. It's a bad idea to not have your butt covered.

If you plan on replacing the tile I think you would need a permit as the building dept. might not think of it as just cosmetic due to the requirement of waterproofing.

Ask your landlord about the tile. S/he may be willing to do it for you, although from what you say it seems unlikely. However, painting and other improvements which can be easily reversed should be no problem depending on your rental agreement.

Absolutely not. My dad is a landlord and I grew up helping him undo stupid shit that unqualified people had done. It cost a lot of money and time and generally made life difficult. Apartments sat unrented while the 'upgrades' had to be undone. Tiling, carpeting, and major changes are expensive because they generally require a specialized level of qualified experience.

If you rent you have expectations of privacy and use - that's it. You have ZERO ownership rights to the property and what you do can be considered vandalism and destruction. My family sued and won more than once when things were serious enough.

Besides, if you're so convinced that you're qualified enough to make changes you shouldnt have any trouble convincing your landlord. My brother did a gut reno of a bathroom and the landlord paid for materials and necessary tools - he was happy enough to get the labor and a new bathroom for free.

Eh. You are taking a risk when you do a capital improvement without permission. But it may be worth it. You should look into renter's rights laws in your state. In case of a worst case scenario, it is good to know what exactly you can be held accountable for. But if you are a long-time renter and your landlord clearly would rather say no than be bothered about it, and your improvements objectively raise the property value, then I'd just do it.

I agree with Nesagwa. Don't put your money towards something you're not going to get back. That's just a bad investment.

On the other hand, if you're renting long term then I suppose you don't mind your $$ going down the drain. MAKEOVER!

Former legal aid lawyer here--under CA law, anything as major as tiling a bathroom (or as others have pointed out, making permanent, not easily reversible changes) is not something you can do with impunity as a renter. Most likely, you will just lose your security deposit when you move out, even if you think (and even if objectively) those changes add value to the unit. But note that your landlord may even have a claim against you in small claims court--beyond your security deposit, especially if he doesn't like the changes or the work is arguably sub-par or not done to code (or if you remove the fixtures you install and don't return everything to the original condition). Consider writing a letter to the landlord detailing the changes you'd like to make. Mention that you're not asking to be reimbursed for supplies, etc., and that if you do not hear objections from him within 30 (or even better, 60) days, you're going to proceed. Keep the tone friendly and without rancor--just information shared and a request for input. This won't be legally determinative, but if you do end up with a claim filed against you, you can show the judge that you acted in good faith, gave notice, asked for response, etc. As a last suggestion, best to choose fairly neutral colors and finishes--nothing too trendy or personal. Less likely to provoke a negative response to all your hard work. Good luck.

There are too many possibilities to declare a flat yes/no. We feel free to improve our place, but..we're pros, we know what we're doing. The landlord loves our work.

One does have to assume responsibility, however; if you're going to risk breaking it, you need to be ready to buy it.

Here in SF there's a fun little bit of law that declares anything permanently affixed to the property to be the landlord's, so those fixtures and shelves and faucets and switchplates you add are ~technically~ gifts to the owner, should they choose to pursue the matter..

Don't screw with the permanent fixtures (like tile) the plumbing or electric (or what you think are "non-loadbearing walls") without written permission. It is not enough to send a certified letter saying "If you don't reply by next Thursday, I take it as your consent." You're just a renter. Sorry. You have no right to make permanent changes. No court will care about your design sense if it results in destroying someone else's property.

We've done quite a bit to upgrade our rental--re-sanding floors, re-carpeting stairs (neutral berber), painted top to bottom. A dim fear is that we've upgraded the property to the point where the landlord may consider turfing us out because now he can rent it to someone else for more money.

I'd say to do whatever you know you could undo on your own, in case you get dinged for it when you move out. For me, if it's more than adding shelves or nails in the wall, I get permission. It would really suck to go to "fix" something, and then end up costing the landlord more money because your fix was incorrect.

And who cares if someone committed a malapropism in a decorating forum! Go to a grammar forum if you want to correct grammar.

It. Is. NOT. Your. Property.

Either ask permission or go buy your own place wher you can do what you like.

I have never moved into a rental without asking about improvements (assuming I thought I might want to make any. In some cases, I knew I wouldn't be there long enough to bother.) If you are mature and responsible and persuade the landlord that you are capable and won't make stupid decisions, my experience is that they will often allow you to deduct materials costs from the rent when you provide receipts. But they might limit you to paint colors that THEY can cover with one coat when you move out (or deduct from your deposit), they might limit what you do with flooring or plumbing, they might not want to deal with the kind of change you want to make later on, which is their right. (I have never moved out of a rental that wasn't in better shape in some way than when I moved in. But always with permission.)

Never forget, it is THEIR property not yours, regardless of rent. Rent only allows temporary use of the place and with all kinds of legal restrictions.

For ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES!

Good grammar costs nothing.

I have made improvements to my apartment, some when I could not get a response from the management despite repeated efforts. All of them are reversible. I replaced flood damaged, mildewed carpet in the bedroom after the ceiling leaked repeatedly and the manager would not respond to my two year effort to get the carpet replaced. I added additional storage which had to be secured to the wall for safety reasons. The walls can be returned to their original state with little effort and I am already assuming that will be a cost I need to cover when I finally move. But I would NEVER rip out fixtures like tile. Ever. Not without permission.

I would love a new kitchen, but even if my rent controlled apartment made that financially feasible, it would be a pretty indefensible alteration to the apartment. Can you imagine the cost if the landlord were to sue and you had to pay to retile everything again plus court costs. Not worth it. And they WILL win if they sue. If you want to absorb the costs of the alteration, get permission from the manager and be flexible about finishes and fixtures and the people assigned to do the work. He/she may just say ok. My mother had the bathroom redone on her apartment with the building's permission but on her dime. Whatever you do, don't go rogue on something like landscaping or tile.

Whatever changes you make, be sure you can return the apartment to original state with little cost or effort. And remember, apartments are like boyfriends and girlfriends - you can clean them up, but never try to permanently change one. If its not the right space (or person), just keep looking.

Also, modtramp has an important thought regarding problems you may discover in the renovation process. I had carpet removed and hardwood floors refinished at my cost and with the manager's permission with the caveat that I would also incur the costs of any flooring that needed replacing rather than simply refinishing. Sure enough, the carpet came up and there was a whole section of the dining room where the wood had been eaten away by the cat urine of some long departed crazy cat person tenant. I had to suck up the cost because at that point the carpet was already up and workers were standing by ready to start.

In the end, it was totally worth the cost. I got rid of my apartment beige cartpet and had beautiful hardwood floors. Over the long time I have lived here, the ammortized cost added only $8 a month to my rent and vastly improved the appearance and value of the apartment.

Face it--it depends on how "absentee" the landlord is. While I've done small thing like change the kitchen faucet, I've been unable to get a response on simple things like getting an extra front door key for a visiting nephew. When I called the number someone in the building gave me his first response was "How did you get this number?" and then to tell me to write a note with my rent check to what apparently is a black hole since I never got a response. So go for it on the little things but I'd avoid the tiling unless you're really confident and stick to basic colors.
And "it's a home being lent to you" only if they actually lived there.

2 big things:

depends on your landlord (or management company)
what it entails

I lived in an apartment complex with non-matching light fixtures. I changed a light fixture from a faux-brass fixture (rusting) to an energy efficient one. Small, and no one would notice.

Landscaping? I wouldn't think it is a huge deal unless you're removing trees. If you're adding anything to it, I don't think anyone would really notice.

I'd ask first.. considering landscaping isn't done in the winter - you have time.

I have had the very good fortune of having wonderful landlords ever since college. All have been responsive to suggested improvements, and some have offered more reimbursement than I had expected: paying for new blinds for entire house; I refinished wood floors, they paid for products; low-key landscaping for rent deduction.

Little things like replacing a few switchplates so they match or upgrading a showerhead cost little, so I don't seek repayment, but I still drop a "by the way" email.

That said, I've also had some "industrious" housemates who embarked on projects (e.g., drilling holes through walls for cables, ripping up carpet, gutting a bathroom) w/o permission. The landlords's response: keeping their part of the security deposit.

The way I look at it, no surprises are good surprises if you want to keep a positive relationship over something as important as your home. Plus, I really like getting all my security deposit back!

I tried to get my landlord to replace my bathroom sink (old and truly disgusting) but instead he just tried to make it look better (grout does not cover rust!).

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and proposed that I would purchase the sink and faucet, if he would install it for me, and he agreed. Win-win situation.

My father is a landlord/property manager, and he has a phrase that applies here:

"It's always easier to get forgiveness than permission."

I have been on both sides of this issues. I used to be a tenant and now I'm landlord. Here's my best advice. Basic improvements and temporary changes are fine. Just leave behind what you removed, when you leave. Window treatments, shower curtains, plants, etc. are fine. Most landlords won't want to be bothered with these questions. Don't expect to be reimbursed for your improvements if you don't ask the landlord. As far as permanent changes based on your personal preference, such as paint, fixture switches, tiling, or major landscaping redos...ASK your landlord. Your landlord worked to install what is there and they picked it out. Their name is on the title. Not yours. That's why people save money to buy a house, so they can change whatever they want. The advantages of renting are not having to make your own repairs. The disadvantages are having to deal with someone else's taste and schedule. The landlord may make you pay for undoing these changes out of your deposit. If you ask, most landlords will be fine with the changes as long as you get their approval on colors. Some will even help you make the changes or knock off some rent if you do the work. If you paint, be sure to leave behind a can of that color of paint, even if it's empty, so they can match it to make touch-ups. Landlords appreciate your willingness to customize, because it means you intend to stay longer. The worst they can say is no and then you don't risk losing your deposit. There's no excuse not be able to ask. Include a note when you mail the rent check or paypal. Remember if you are not the owner, you're not the boss. If you're into serious home remodeling, start saving and buy your own property. With freedom to choose decor comes the responsibility of maintenance. I used to rent, but now I own my own home and a rental property. The major decor choices are mine, because I have to maintain, rent out, or sell the property later. Renters can leave it at any time.

UGH, all these snarky "If you want to make improvements, then buy" comments. I am sure 99% of the renters on this forum would love to, but we aren't yet in a financial position to do so. Way to kick people when they're down. Just because we are renters doesn't mean we are sub-humans who should never even dare to think about improving our living space. It is worth at least trying.

As for "your landlord worked to install the existing stuff," maybe, maybe not. Our landlord is currently trying to flip our apartment and the 20-year-old, ripped, stained, dog-pee-smelling, ugly-ass brown carpet was just one more item he wasn't required by law to upgrade during his brief period of ownership. We're not going to be here long enough to justify making an investment, but I wouldn't exactly feel like I was destroying someone's careful work if we did tear up the carpet.

Totally agree...

I agree with "ASKING THE LANDLORD FIRST".... I can't believe this question is even being asked. You don't own the unit and you are not to make changes without permission. I can't believe all this work was done without permission. Doesn't matter if the landlord won't contact you back. Maybe he wants it that way. Maybe he won't like the unprofessional paint job you did or the colors. If you chose dark colors is will cost him more money to repaint when you leave(more coats and time) And as for structural things? That's out of the question. I feel a lawsuit comming on.

For minor things I would worry to much about it, but just for your safety, I would ask about major changes, because while it might make sense to you, if the landlord doesn't like it he can charge you for returning things to the way the are.

Even I am one of those who want to change whatever I feel needs changing, experience on both sides of the table convinces me to agree with those who advise you check with the landlord. We are paying for the privilege of living there, but we do not own the property; therefore, we do not have the right to amend it without approval. And even though it will improve the property, the law states that it is not ours to improve, therefore any unauthorized improvements we make are legally damage or vandalism and the landlord has the right to require it be reversed or that we pay for having it done - even if he never changes it back. By all means, take the time to check with the landlord, and get in writing his or her permission to make the change. If you cannot reach your landlord or owner, go through the local rental association; they can help you make that contact and prod your landlord to be more available. Remember to also use the rental association if you have a dispute with the landlord; they can help you reach a resolution.