When to charge for painting

Question

I'm wondering what other landlords/property management companies do? If you put a tenant in an apartment with a brand new paint job, is there a certain amount of years they can stay and not get charged off of the deposit for a new paint job when they move out? Or is repainting apartment just a normal part of every turn over? I paint mine all the same Gray so in the future it's simpler to do touch up and not have to paint the whole apartment. But to this point I've been acquiring faster than turnovers have come. Feels like I have to paint every single time.

Scott Mac · Answer

I'm of the belief:

(1) paint the unit on the turn, unless the paint is still new-ish and it has been a short time.

The unit needs to have a certain "Look" and "Feel" to attract the best renters.

(2) Then screen applicants carefully, looking for those who are likely to rent long term vs quickly vacate the unit.

(3) The higher the gloss, the easier it is to clean. The higher the gloss, the more downscale the unit looks.

Just my 2 cents.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

Some states / cities require painting between renters. Mine does not, so I only paint when it's necessary. Sometimes we paint just one wall because the others are in good condition; other times we leave it as is. It just depends on the quality of the rental and other factors.

If a renter leaves a few nail holes in a wall, I usually leave them because the next renter is likely to put up pictures and can use the same holes. If it's too much, I'll spackle and try to touch up the paint. If it's too much for that, then I'll repair the wall and paint the entire thing.

Life span on paint is usually estimated at five years, but that's malarky. My house hasn't been painted in ten years and looks great. I have rentals that haven't been painted in 10+ years despite getting new renters every 12 - 18 months. Others need to be painted after one year. You just have to build some experience and determine what you consider reasonable wear-and-tear.

Brad Hammond · Answer

Hey @Kevin Manz, what I do when I have a vacancy in a new property is I will paint it my Grey color.  After the first tenant moves out I should only need to touch up the paint.  I wouldn't charge them for it because I think that is wear and tear.  If there is something out of the ordinary I might charge them but I'm sure it would be in conjunction with other repair items.  Hope that helps.

When to charge for painting

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