Renting a house or an apartment can be a great option for many people, giving you more flexibility and fewer responsibilities in your housing. One drawback, however, is that it is harder to personalize a rented space, making it fit your preferences and lifestyle. Does that have to be the case? Or can you paint a rented home or apartment?
What the question really comes down to is your landlord’s preference and policy. Some landlords are happy for you to paint the walls of the rented home, as long as you repaint them to their original color before you move out. Others will only let you do this if you hire a professional painting company, since a do-it-yourself tenant can cause a lot of expensive damage by sloppy painting. Finally, some landlords have a firm policy against painting by tenants.
What Factors Might Influence Your Landlord?
If you are planning to rent for a significant period of time, your landlord may be more motivated to let you paint the house or apartment. After all, if you personalize the space, you will feel happier there, and thus more likely to stay. This is good for you and the landlord!
One way to improve your likelihood of receiving permission is to work with your landlord to choose the paint color(s). If you can choose a color that your landlord is happy with, you might not even have to repaint to the original colors when you move out!
Painting the whole interior of a home or apartment is a big project, and it might be more than your landlord wants to allow. However, if you just ask to paint one room, or a couple of accent walls, that might be the winning compromise!
Finally, if your landlord seems hesitant to let you paint your apartment or rental house, offer to have a local painting company make the transformation. The cost of interior painting is not exorbitant, and the improvement it brings to your enjoyment of life can be substantial. Also, hiring a professional painter saves you a lot of time and effort.
Other Considerations when Painting a Rented Home
Before you start painting your rental unit, find out from the landlord what paint brand and color were used for the existing paint job. That way you know exactly what you will need to change it back to.
Bold colors are harder to paint over or undo. If you choose a rich hue for your interior painting, be aware that it will probably take a few coats of primer to cover up before you reapply the original color to the walls.
Cherry Hill Painting
Are you renting a home or apartment in New Jersey or the Philadelphia region? If so, Cherry Hill Painting would love to help you transform your space so that it suits your style and way of life. We offer interior painting, exterior painting, cabinet refinishing and wallpaper removal.
One of our services that is well-suited for renters is our Painter for a Day option. This is an affordable way to have an expert craftsman paint a small to medium-sized room, or multiple accent walls, all in one day!
Call our office or use our online contact form (on the right) to schedule a free, no-commitment painting estimate.