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What does your state laws (code or case law) say the life for paint is? Some states say that its only two years. Although, crayon can be difficult to cover up and may require multiple coats.
Sorry if I didn't make it clear. The estimate for $200 is not for the repainting. That's a separate itemized estimate for cleaning of walls. She pointed out these small little smudges that cannot be cleaned because the surface I believe is prime only. We tried over and over and wiping it down seems to make it worst.
The repainting did not have an estimate. The reason why I asked here in the first place. If it was $200 I would not mind at all.
For the folks that said the wall might be matte paint... is this paint "chalky"? If so, it could be matte paint. If wipe your hand along this surface, you get a bit of that "chalk" residue on your hand. It's very thin and any small impact/scratch shows silver/grey.
I agree...be thankful it was only $200; pay it and move on.
Your child damaged the paint..crayon is NOT wear and tear..it's damage. I'd like to know how you know that the walls were only primer and why now, three YEARS later, you're complaining about it. Your time to complain was before you signed the lease.
As for the lightbulbs, did the vanity have working bulbs when you moved in? If so, then they should have working ones when you leave.
I'm curious..what's the etc...
Anyway...pay the $200 and teach your kids not to write on the walls.
I agree that crayon is not wear and tear. But is the goal to milk the tenants out of their deposit? Everything was great until we put in our 30 day notice. They do annual inspections and we never got dinged for anything. Like I said, they are going to redo a 3 year old wall anyway. We kept it in good condition, but there is small little wear here and there especially with the wall surface being so cheap.
Teach my kids not to write on walls??? She's 1 year old and happened to put some scribble lines on the wall with crayon. It happens with children. It's not like we allowed her to color the walls with crayon. It was a one time incident.
I don't like to complain so I did not mark anything down when we moved in. I like to start my relationship with my manager on good terms. The place was good enough for me to move in. Upon move in, if a bulb was dead I replaced it. If something was still dirty, I cleaned it. No big deal.
......they are going to redo a 3 year old wall anyway. We kept it in good condition, but there is small little wear here and there especially with the wall surface being so cheap.
.......happened to put some scribble lines on the wall with crayon. It happens with children. It's not like we allowed her to color the walls with crayon. It was a one time incident..........
I know. It's not like you allowed the kid to crayon the walls. The family ghost put the crayons down where the kid could reach them and was supposed to be babysitting, but still allowed the kid to draw on the walls. Poor supervision, but you get what you pay for.
Too bad we can't reject applicants with children, because this is very common attitude, that whatever damage the child does is not the parent's fault and then the tenant starts asking if they can sue if they are expected to pay for the damage.
OP, you damaged the wall, so you get to pay to repaint the room, at the very least. No, you didn't keep the paint in good condition if there are smears and crayon on the walls. And where do you get this false idea that landlords always have to paint every three years? Paint will last a decade or better if the tenants keep their dirty hands off of it and don't use it as a substitute for art paper.
The light bulb issue, if you received a unit with working light bulbs, you need to return it to the landlord with working light bulbs. Also, the unit needs to be returned to the landlord with working batteries in the smoke detector, in case someone else wants to come along and ask about smoke detectors.
i think there is a plastic film you can apply to a wall to protect it. similar to a shelf liner. then peel it off when you move. might be worth researching for the future.
I agree that crayon is not wear and tear. But is the goal to milk the tenants out of their deposit? Everything was great until we put in our 30 day notice. They do annual inspections and we never got dinged for anything. Like I said, they are going to redo a 3 year old wall anyway. We kept it in good condition, but there is small little wear here and there especially with the wall surface being so cheap.
Teach my kids not to write on walls??? She's 1 year old and happened to put some scribble lines on the wall with crayon. It happens with children. It's not like we allowed her to color the walls with crayon. It was a one time incident.
I don't like to complain so I did not mark anything down when we moved in. I like to start my relationship with my manager on good terms. The place was good enough for me to move in. Upon move in, if a bulb was dead I replaced it. If something was still dirty, I cleaned it. No big deal.
Crayon marks are damage, not wear and tear. They cannot charge you for wear and tear living marks, but they can charge crayon marks, or another example, furniture damage. A scuff is normal, but a heavy line in the wall from the furniture would be damage, just an example. Dirt from the result of not cleaning regularly would also fall into the damage category.
Btw, I rent and have a kid. NEVER had the problem of marking on walls. I told her from DAY ONE, paper only. Chalk board only. And have never had a problem.
With the lightbulb problem, I do understand that issue. My apartment has shorts in the wiring if some sort, so light bulbs in the ceiling sockets blow within 2 months. Every time. So we stopped using them. Bought lamps. When you leave, purchase a bunch of light bulbs to replace your old ones, so the landlord can then decide WHEN to put them in.
Also, I understand what the white matte paint is like. Even using a damp cloth and if feels like the paint itself is coming off with it. That chalky feeling is normal.
Last edited by MigratingCoconut; 09-30-2016 at 12:28 PM..
I know. It's not like you allowed the kid to crayon the walls. The family ghost put the crayons down where the kid could reach them and was supposed to be babysitting, but still allowed the kid to draw on the walls. Poor supervision, but you get what you pay for.
Too bad we can't reject applicants with children, because this is very common attitude, that whatever damage the child does is not the parent's fault and then the tenant starts asking if they can sue if they are expected to pay for the damage.
OP, you damaged the wall, so you get to pay to repaint the room, at the very least. No, you didn't keep the paint in good condition if there are smears and crayon on the walls. And where do you get this false idea that landlords always have to paint every three years? Paint will last a decade or better if the tenants keep their dirty hands off of it and don't use it as a substitute for art paper.
The light bulb issue, if you received a unit with working light bulbs, you need to return it to the landlord with working light bulbs. Also, the unit needs to be returned to the landlord with working batteries in the smoke detector, in case someone else wants to come along and ask about smoke detectors.
Did I say I'm not willing to pay for the damage? I'm asking what's fair... Should I be charged to paint that specific wall only, the whole room, or the whole house? The responses so far seem to be management can charge you for whatever they like because your child put some crayon on a wall. So I could get zero dollars from my $1800 deposit because of this crayon?
If this was normal paint, I'd be able to clean it. Repainting is not an option. It's a pretty much a lose lose situation to get my deposit back.
The light bulb issue I took care of. The estimate was $100 to replace 4 incandescent bulbs.
Sorry if I didn't make it clear. The estimate for $200 is not for the repainting. That's a separate itemized estimate for cleaning of walls. She pointed out these small little smudges that cannot be cleaned because the surface I believe is prime only. We tried over and over and wiping it down seems to make it worst.
The repainting did not have an estimate. The reason why I asked here in the first place. If it was $200 I would not mind at all.
For the folks that said the wall might be matte paint... is this paint "chalky"? If so, it could be matte paint. If wipe your hand along this surface, you get a bit of that "chalk" residue on your hand. It's very thin and any small impact/scratch shows silver/grey.
Depending on the quality, yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cbc2013
Did I say I'm not willing to pay for the damage? I'm asking what's fair... Should I be charged to paint that specific wall only, the whole room, or the whole house? The responses so far seem to be management can charge you for whatever they like because your child put some crayon on a wall. So I could get zero dollars from my $1800 deposit because of this crayon?
If this was normal paint, I'd be able to clean it. Repainting is not an option. It's a pretty much a lose lose situation to get my deposit back.
The light bulb issue I took care of. The estimate was $100 to replace 4 incandescent bulbs.
Whole room, yes. You took an appartment with rooms where all four walls matched. The whole house I would fight. No, they can't charge whatever they want, they should give you an itemized list and you can, if something is unreasonable, take them to small claims court.
Again, it is normal paint.
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I know. It's not like you allowed the kid to crayon the walls. The family ghost put the crayons down where the kid could reach them and was supposed to be babysitting, but still allowed the kid to draw on the walls. Poor supervision, but you get what you pay for.
Too bad we can't reject applicants with children, because this is very common attitude, that whatever damage the child does is not the parent's fault and then the tenant starts asking if they can sue if they are expected to pay for the damage.
OP, you damaged the wall, so you get to pay to repaint the room, at the very least. No, you didn't keep the paint in good condition if there are smears and crayon on the walls. And where do you get this false idea that landlords always have to paint every three years? Paint will last a decade or better if the tenants keep their dirty hands off of it and don't use it as a substitute for art paper.
The light bulb issue, if you received a unit with working light bulbs, you need to return it to the landlord with working light bulbs. Also, the unit needs to be returned to the landlord with working batteries in the smoke detector, in case someone else wants to come along and ask about smoke detectors.
There are localities that specify that 2 or 3 years is the life of paint on walls. If the tenant Has been there 2 years I can only charge them 1/3 of the cost max. If they have been there 3 years or more, as long as it doesn't need primer or damaged, I can't charge anything. Yeah, I know, the paint in my own home lasts longer than that, but that's what the local regulations say for rental property.
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When I post in bold red that is moderator action and, per the TOS, can only be discussed through Direct Message.
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