Moving into a rental that definitely was not cleaned or repaired
by
Mary Fisher
+8
When I viewed the rental home prior to leasing it, it was very messy and dirty and I couldn't really get a good look. When we went to move in, the property manager said it had been cleaned, but obviously was not. We need to paint and clean before we can move in. The cabinets are so deteriorated, I will need to either remove the doors or come up with a temporary decorative repair. I was told I cannot paint the cabinets, even though there are areas of raw wood. Ideas?
10 answers
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Before you do anything Mary, be sure to take several photos of what the place looks like before you move in. Your limited on what you can do based upon your comment that the landlord does not want things painted. This is not uncommon. There is little you can do to improve them other than replacement or some sort of covering which includes paint. All of which will be an issue when you move out and try to collect your deposit. As any improvement will require some sort of effort to put back to original shape. And you can bet that the landlord when brought to court if you fight them to get your deposit back will say these were in perfect condition Thus the reason for the photos. With all that said, a lot has to do with how long your planning to stay. If its going to be a long time, even though you not supposed to do anything to them, you will simply need to eat the deposit when you move out, as long as the improvement such as paint has been done professionally and in real good taste. If the workmanship and final improvement is less than desired you may even end up owing more if the landlord decides to chase you for more money for messing up in their eyes perfectly good cabinets. As a prior property manager many years ago, we always had tenants wanting to "improve" their apartment or rental unit. And many times their home improvement skills were lets say less than poor, we ended up doing much more work when they moved out. Which in most cases was shortly after they moved in. So our fear is we do not know these people or their skills and we really do not know how long they plan to stay. So it was very rare that we allowed anything other than paint on walls, and those colors were selected from a pre-approved color chart that we provided. If you after staying there for a length of time with a good track record of paying rent on time and being a good tenant, I would assume the landlord or management company will allow you to improve what you want within reason.
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Feb 03, 2015
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Thank you. Yes, we did take photos and videos. We did get approval to paint the filthy walls. But the chipped, peeling and worn wood cannot be touched. I understand all about deposits, resale, professional workmanship, etc. but when a property manager confirms that he had "cleaners come in", I assumed it to be professionals coming to clean, not just to "come in". Guess I have a slum lord on my hands.
Mary Fisher
on Feb 03, 2015
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There are a ton of places you can order removable wallpaper. I think I would go that route. You can cut it to fit your cabinets and remove when you move out. Just google removable wallpaper, there are some beautiful patterns. Good luck with the landlord. :)
Amy Petracek
on Feb 03, 2015
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If its an apparent and owned by a Corporation , I would contact them or the owners. They will not be happy with that Mgr and will also have your rental taken care of ASAP!!!:)
Ron Skidmore
on Feb 04, 2015
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Mary, I am so sorry this is happening to you. Sheesh! My daughter went through something similar. It is so not right. Is the condition a health issue? If so, you may need to contact a housing authority of some sort. Can you remove the cabinet doors or are the frames damaged as well? There is a cute idea under "Rental Friendly Kitchen Makeover: Wallpaper your cabinets" on hometalk. Best of luck to you. I do hope things improve.
Kris Kowalski
on Feb 04, 2015
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Liquid starch and fabric of your choice , pulls right off and doesn't leave anything behind, you can also use this on walls
Renee Confere
on Feb 04, 2015
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I was going to suggest what Kris Kowalski did above. You can also remove the doors carefully and store them to put back when you leave to give you open shelves. Or if you want to hide what you put on them, make curtains and hang them with tension rods, so you are not putting more holes.
Liliana Wells
on Feb 04, 2015
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Thank you, everyone. Those are all great suggestions and was considering those same ideas. Good to know I am not crazy!!
Mary Fisher
on Feb 04, 2015
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I lived in Everett, WA for about six years! Small world. Loved my apartment there. It was before the navy base went in, however. I imagine that made a big difference
Sarawest
on Feb 04, 2015
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You are not crazy. Unfortunately, there are some truly awful property manager/landlords out there. Document everything - before and after. Check with local government regarding landlord rules and notification. Research tenant/landlord rules and regulations. DO NOT back down. These people prey on folks just like you. My best girlfriend has it exactly opposite. She is a wonderful landlord but cannot find decent tenants. They look good on paper, move in, and almost immediately stop paying rent. And trash the place. Horrible situation for all of us "good people".
Sarawest
on Feb 04, 2015
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