Many landlords stick to using white and gray colors because they are easy to touch up when a tenant moves out. It’s also easier to show rentals to potential tenants with neutral colors. However, everyone wants to add their own flair in a new home and chances are your tenants would appreciate the option to add vibrant colors. Along with adding personality to a space, allowing your tenants to paint might give them a stronger sense of ownership, which could lead to them signing longer leases or a lease renewal. Here are four rules you might want to consider when helping your tenants transform their living space into a home.
Define the Costs Before Move-In
Be proactive and incorporate a clause about painting rooms in the lease. If you decide to hire a professional, let the tenant know that they will be charged for the cost of painting and repainting the area to its initial color after move-out (along with their other move-in fees).
Depending on your local laws, some states allow for landlords to charge a nonrefundable painting fee as well. If you’re comfortable with allowing your tenants to do it themselves, note that if they paint walls without your permission and don’t paint the walls back to the original color, you can deduct the cost to repaint from their security deposit.
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Consider Requiring a Professional
Landlords can certainly paint walls themselves, but it may be best to hire a professional painter to do the job. By hiring a professional with great reviews, you won’t have to stress about damaging your rental because your floors, woodwork, and other features will be protected.
Of course, landlords can allow their tenants to embrace DIY, but beware of the potential consequences. If you allow your tenant to paint, they could damage the floor or other features in the rental. Paint splatters on woodwork, trim, or electrical outlets can be hard to clean up once a tenant moves out. Depending on the laws in your state, you can collect a painting deposit at move-in. If the tenant causes any damage, you can deduct money from their deposit to cover the cost of clean-up. On the other hand, if your tenant does a great job, reward them with a full refund of their painting deposit.
Regardless of who you choose to get the job done, if the paint color is attractive and enhances the feel of the space, consider keeping the color after the tenant moves out. A pop of color could give your rental another selling point.
Approve the Project
Adding a paint policy will help you set boundaries while still keeping your tenants happy. Be clear and detail all expectations, along with any associated fees. Note in the policy that you must approve the color. Keep in mind that you should avoid pinks and reds because they can be the most difficult colors to cover up. It might seem harsh to say no to your tenant who favors hot pink, but denying a color will save time and money in the long run. To quicken the process of selecting a color, you can offer a selection of color options your tenants can choose from. By pre-selecting paint colors, you’ll also know what colors are attractive and easy to cover up if needed. If you want to take extra precaution, you can designate the type of paint, brand of paint, and your preferred brand of primer.
You should also clarify what your tenant is to allowed paint. Typically, woodwork has to be stripped and sanded before it can be painted, so avoid slapping a coat of paint on cabinets and other furnishings at all costs.
Allow an Accent Wall
If the cost of painting an entire living room or bedroom makes you uneasy, consider allowing an accent wall. Only painting a single wall is a simple upgrade that saves time and money for the tenant and the landlord. Sometimes a pop of color on a single wall in a living room or bedroom is enough for a tenant to feel like they have added some personality into their home.
Similar to any other business, it’s important to make decisions that are smart, practical, and economical. Customer satisfaction is necessary for your business to thrive, so keep that in mind when deciding if you want to allow tenants to paint their rental homes.
