Good/Longterm Tenant - Want to Paint

[Bryan Vince]

BPers,

We have a quality long term tenant (3 years) at a 2br/2b condo. She is asking to repaint the walls in the living area and bedrooms. She has offered to paint and is wondering if we would offset paint cost.

- The paint job is in fair condition with Flat Off White walls and White Semi Gloss Trim/Doors (painted prior to her moving in), condo is in good/above avg condition....
- She wants a bit of variation in colors (we will approve what we like).
- Our Rental Agreement states that she can't paint without our approval. No other wording towards paint.

Questions/Concerns
- I dont know about her quality of work. Would you have your painters paint?
- Cost - Split costs?
- What have you done in these situations?
- Wins/Losses?

[Kyle J.]

I have several rental houses and have always given them a new coat of paint (neutral color) during the initial make-ready. So I know the paint is in good condition.

Given that, I would not allow most of my tenants to paint because I do not know their ability or may not approve of the color choice. But mainly I don't let them do it because it doesn't need it.

However, I do have one house where I did allow the tenants to paint one of the rooms (master bedroom) because - like your tenants - they were quality long term tenants and I wanted them to be happy there. I had to approve their color choice, but I did not worry so much about the quality of their work because it was only one bedroom they were painting and I know it would be super easy to change back even if they completely screwed it up.

The painting was done at their own expense, and I personally would not agree to split the cost unless the unit NEEDED painting. If it was just being painted to appease the personal tastes of the tenant, then they should pay for it.

Also, if you're really concerned about her color choice and/or painting ability, you could always give her a conditional approval. For example, agree that she can paint, but state that you have the option of having her repaint it back to the original color when she moves out (or be responsible for the cost of repainting from her security deposit if she chooses not to repaint). If you do something like this, just be sure to put it in writing so there are no questions/arguments down the road when it comes time for her to move out.