can i do cosmetic upgrades to my apartment (WA) (lease, tenant, rental property)

[thaws18]

i just moved into a aprtment in bellevue. Its older and the only thing that is new is the paint on the walls. We plan on staying here for a few years. Its a small complex. Has nyone doen updates that improve the unit like painting the kitchen and bathroom cupboards. I was planning on looking at the costs and presenting it to the landloard. I would pay for the upgrades but would the landloard reimburse me later ? just wanted to ask before i present this to him. hanks

[pw72]

This is a question that really needs to spelled out in writing with your landlord. Most landlords prefer to do the work themselves, or hire it out themselves as they can keep consistency in their units. Smaller buildings might be different. Just make sure you have everything in writing as to reimbursement. When I managed rental homes, I was OK with tenants making improvements and I reimbursed them within certain limitations. A larger building or complex I would guess would be much more difficult to do such.

[tylee]

Definitely get everything in writing. But don't be surprised if the landlord would prefer you outsource to a professional instead of DIY. An obvious DIY job that looks sloppy or unprofessional will lower the value of the unit. I have no idea if you plan on doing it yourself, but just wanted to throw that out there. I've seen some pretty bad DIY jobs on painted cabinets, and if I were a landlord, I'd worry about having to get all of it redone later.

When I rented a small house, my landlord was okay with me upgrading (adding cabinets where there were none, and changing the ancient toilet for something new and water efficient), and even split the cost of landscaping, in addition to fully reimbursing us for several items (and we were okay with just paying for some of the things as well, since we also benefited).

Since what you're doing is just paint, I can't imagine it would be that big of a deal. Just get everything in writing to protect yourself so later they can't claim you "damaged" the unit (especially if the complex gets sold to someone else)

[Ultrarunner]

Paint is generally not an upgrade... just part of maintenance.

Often what the resident will see as an upgrade is the opposite in the landlord's view.

Painting seems simple enough until a mess has been made or incompatible paint used... such as latex of oil enamel or painting stained hardwood cabinets... etc.

At one property I managed... the tenant got quite upset when he was charged to remove an entire wall of 12 x 12 mirrors... the adhesive damage the wall and it took a lot of work to straighten out... this tenant also painted the fireplace and the owner of the property was livid.

Any alterations need to be approved in writing for your own protection.

On the other hand... I have had some with really green thumbs... they turn a drab landscape into something very beautiful... so much so, the owner reimbursed one tenant all out of pocket costs, let the lawn service go and lowered the tenant's rent by the amount the service had charged... eventually, the tenant bought the home when the owner was considering selling... a win/win.

[CarlitosBala]

Back when I was a beginner landlord, I allowed a tenant to repaint the living room and kitchen because they didn't like the color we had chosen.

They ended up throwing cheap, baby-poop color paint on the wall, ignoring all the edges and corners while painting only half the trim.

Granted, their entire security deposit paid to fix the damage, their lease wasn't renewed and I learned a very valuable lesson.

"Most people DIY is crap, and I will not allow it at my properties."

[Lacerta]

If it truly is an upgrade, and it will be professionally done, the LL might split the cost with you. But they don't have to.

They could:
1. Turn you down flat and say you can't do it at all.
2. Tell you you can do it at your own expense, and it becomes part of the property when you move out.
3. Tell you they don't consider it an upgrade, so you can do it at your own expense if you return it to original condition at the end of your lease, also at your own expense.
4. Love that you are doing it, and offer to pay for some or all of it

We've done all of those, depending on the circumstances and the desired work.

For examples
1. We've had tenants who wanted to tear out part of the yard and put in a garden area, which for a rental property, is not very desireable, as the next tenant would probably rather have lower maintenance, and we would have to bear the cost of returning that garden area to yard.
2. We've had many tenants who wanted to put shelving up in the garage, which we allowed if they left it (it is a lot of damage to repair if they take the standard down We've also had lots of tenants who wanted to plant flowers in the yard, which is fine as long as they don't want to dig them back up when they move out.
3. We've had tenants who wanted to paint weird colors. They had it professionally done and it was a great paint job, but rerenting it with those colors will be practically impossible, so they must return it to original colors at move out. We've also had tenants stain kitchen cabinets (without permission) and it cost a lot of money to have the bad DIY job sanded off and have everything refinished and restained.
4. We've had tenants want to do everything from upgrading toilets, fans, light fixtures, and even appliances and air conditioning units. In some of those cases we shared the cost, and in some cases, we paid the whole thing, if the tenant was a good tenant we didn't want to lose.


Back to your specific question, first thought would be whether the cabinets are painted or stained now. If they are stained and you are wanting to paint them, for me, that would be a #1, flat out no! If they are already painted, and look fine, but you want a different neutral, acceptable color, that would be a #2 for me. If you wanted a weird color, that would be either a #1 or #3, depending on my mood, and whether you were willing to pay an additional deposit. If they are painted, but in poor condition, and you were going to have them professionally done, I might be willing to pay some or even all of the cost. So even for your one example, my answer would depend on the circumstances.

[FrugalYankee]

If one of my tenants were to paint over unpainted wood cupboards they would end up getting ZERO back from their security deposit and more than likely get hit with a bill from me after they move out. The reason is the VT lead paint laws which require special maintenance on all painted surfaces. If something was not painted before, it does not require the maintenence. As soon as it is painted it requires maintenence.

So I would have no choice but to hire a contractor certified for lead abatement to remove the paint, which is expensive.

As far as painting walls and trim, most tenants stink at it. Very few remove outlet covers and switchplates etc. I've also been "nice" and after a tenant moved out wondered if they had painted in the dark. Wall paint was slopped all over the trim. So basically I am done letting tenants "upgrade."

[STT Resident]

The only answer to the question is to talk to your landlord.