Work on a rental home

[Tenacious_D]

So being the crazy pregnant lady I am, one morning we woke up and decided we had to move (it didn't help that we had some local crazies ringing our bell at 2am asking to use our phone)....but I digress. So we decided to call the rental company and ask to break our lease because we are currently in a 2 bedroom place and wanted a single family home with more space and a backyard but can't afford to buy one. The powers that be said yes and we wouldn't have to pay any penalties!!! Yeah!!

So we found a great 4 bedroom house and signed a 2 year lease. Would you put any work i.e. painting into a rental house if you thought you would be there for at least 4 years? Overall the house is great but I would love to put some of personal touches to it since we will be there for a while.

By the way, I did this with 3 weeks to prep and we move August 1st....I really am crazy.

I would have painted almost any rental I was in if I'd been allowed. White walls are soooooo boring (to me). Painting is easy, cheap, and really lets you make it feel more like YOUR HOME. I wouldn't do any remodel / rehab type stuff, but paint - absolutely.

[Meenah]

I would definitely paint. You can always repaint it whatever the landlord wants before you leave.

[Tenacious_D]

Oh la la!! I am getting excited now. Just finished looking on overstock.com and found a "bed in a bag" that would be great for the master bedroom. Thanks for the encouragement ladies, I really wanted to do it but didn't want to do something that is generally frowned upon. Now to decide on colors...this is a first for us.

[scrub-jay]

Double check with the new LL because they may even buy the paint!! (Especially if you offer to do the work). I've been told by previous LL that painting was fine as long as they approved of the color. I might invest in some repairs, etc, if it REALLY improved my standard of living for those 4 years...but it really depends on the change. For example - we might put in a handle for scary basement stairs and hope that the LL reimburses. Good luck and I say - paint away!!

[Vishenka69]

I would definitely paint if you're planning on being there for over a year. Even though it's a rental, you still want the place to feel homey.

[poky]

We had a garage door opener installed. We actually got the landlord to pay for half of it, and we will get 4 plus years of use out of it. So worth it.

[Tenacious_D]

We will meet with her on the 29th and see if there are other things we can do to enhance our living experience that will certainly help her resale on the home....though she is going to have to wait a while to recoup on the place since she bought at the peak and for more than anyone else was paying in that neighborhood. I don't know why I am getting so excited about painting, it almost makes it feel like our home without the extra hassle of major maintenance.

That first coat of paint after renting for most of your adult life is so liberating! That, and you ARE nesting, after all.

[SoonerTexan]

We put up curtains and a few shelves. I've also put a lot of potted plants outside. Our landlord is great--he is still in the middle of finishing up the remodel (we are in a 1939 duplex he bought out of foreclosure--he lives next door) and landscaping and asks ME for my opinion all the time. It's nice!

[DCJenn]

A nice coat of paint goes a long way. My renters did a lot for me over the years- the guys replaced the disposal, the girls cleaned up the mud flow from the leaky windows. As a landlord, I can tell you than I would always be fine with a coat of paint as long as the renters were careful and didn't paint the place matte black with silver accents- not that I'm opposed to living in a SciFi set- they're just hard colors to cover.

and buy the Behr paint with the primer in it- the contractor in DC swears it's the best stuff he's ever used.

Jenn

[SoonerTexan]

and buy the Behr paint with the primer in it- the contractor in DC swears it's the best stuff he's ever used.

My parents have had the same experience