2015 Fall Home Improvement and Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM SEPT. 29, 2015 Page 27
redecorating or remodeling rights, it is always,
always, always a good idea to put your plans on
paper and go meet with your landlord or manager
and discuss what you have in mind. Remember,
you always want your landlord/manager on your
side rather than against you.
Most renters will find that there are usually more
options if you are renting a house rather than
renting an apartment. Apartments are generally
created to be homogeneous: all remain the same.
They are designed to be low maintenance and the
apartment leases usually severely or completely
restrict your remodeling/redecorating options. If
your apartment agreement forbids even painting,
check to see if you can hang pictures/textiles/rugs
on the walls to change coloring and create décor.
Overlay plain flooring with large area rugs.
Choose furniture and nick-nacks / brique-a-braq to
fill your rented apartment-home with personality,
color and texture. Just because you can’t make
permanent changes doesn’t mean you can’t make
it your own creation.
Renting a house usually allows for more options
in the area of decorating and remodeling. What
most landlords are going to be interested in is
who is paying for these changes and will these
changes restrict his/her ability to rent this place
after you move out. If the ideas are sound and
you are willing to spend your own money or
share the cost, often landlords will go along
with the improvements. Some landlords may
even encourage certain changes to interiors and
landscape of a rented house, so it is a good idea to
make a written plan and meet with your landlord.
If there are no allowance clauses or if there are
restrictions in your lease/contract that you wish
you could get around, it is a good idea to put
a solid explanation of your plan on paper and
schedule a talk with your landlord/manager.
And even if you don’t have a written contract or
lease, it is advisable to ask for permission before
proceeding. Explain what you want to do and
make a sound case for the changes, and perhaps
you can win over your landlord/manager and gain
permission.
If you are renting to own, you may still be under
restrictions regarding the changes you can make to
the property, even though one day it may be yours.
Until it is yours, it is owned by someone else. A
high percentage of rent-to-own and contract-buys
fail before they are completed and the property
reverts back to the original owner. So the owner
will often restrict what you can do with the
property until it is paid in full. Refer to your
purchase agreement and plan to talk to the owner
before you make changes.
Finally, it is often said that it is easier to ask for
forgiveness than it is to ask for permission, this is
the worst idea when you are a renter. Decorating/
remodeling without permission will often get
you booted out of your rented apartment or
house, and even if you get to keep your rented
home, you may have made an enemy of your
landlord/manager and forgiveness always comes
at a price. So, as a renter it is best to operate
under the Biblical principle of asking, seeking
and knocking, rather than pursuing your dreams
without permission.
In conclusion, although there are limitations
to your remodeling/redecorating options when
you don’t own your home, there are often things
you can do to make it your own home. Non-
permanent changes to the premises are always
an option when you overlay floors with area rugs
and decorate with furniture and nick-knacks.
Leases and rental agreements often spell out what
you may already have permission to do, and it is
always a good idea to get the landlord/manager/
owner on your side before you begin.
STORY BY
Jim Youngquist
