Renting an apartment comes with a couple of maintenance requirements similar to that of owning a house. Periodic repainting of interior ceilings and walls retains a rental appearing clean and fresh. How often a flat has to be repainted, and from whom, depends on certain factors, such as the amount of wear and tear and what is stipulated in the lease.
Apartment Repainting Requirements
State and municipal laws vary regarding when apartments must be repainted. New York City, for instance, needs apartment units to be repainted every three years. In California, landlords can’t subtract from security deposits when interior paint is over two years old, and they repaint it over. More specifically in West Hollywood, flat owners should repaint every four years in a minimum. Apartments are often repainted from the transitional period when tenancy changes.
Apartment Repainting Responsibility
Ask about getting your apartment’s interior walls repainted when they become trapped or marred by smoke or other damage. In general, it is the landlord’s duty to address issues of normal wear and tear, such as worn paint caused by furniture against a wall, as well as larger issues, such as peeling paint which comes as a result of a leaking pipe. It is usually considered the renter’s duty to paint marks or gouges in the walls caused from going in or out.
Interior Paint Lifespan
An expert paint job done with high quality paint can be expected to last for many years. Apartment owners, even though, most likely will have their employees use the cheapest paint potential to cover their ceilings and walls. Although perfectly nice to use, cheap interior wall and ceiling paints may just last a couple years before repainting is needed. What’s more, flat ceilings and walls have a tendency to get covered by flat or semi-gloss paints in neutral colours, such as white or beige. Lighter colors don’t work well at hiding dirt and grime that accumulates through ordinary living.
Recommendations
Your flat lease may include language indicating when remodelling needs to be done and if it is allowed to be done under any circumstances by the tenant. In some specific cases, your landlord may reduce your rent for the month should you repaint your flat on your own when it is demanded. Make sure your choice of paint color is accepted by the landlord if it is not the normal neutral tones. Otherwise, you may lose a portion of your security deposit if your landlord should use a number of coats of paint to pay the dark purple or black walls once you move out.