26 / 28
Page 26 2015 Fall Home Improvement and Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM SEPT. 29, 2015
W
hen you own
your home
(including
buying it with the
help of a financial
institution), there
are few limitations
to remodeling and
redecorating:
1
) Don’t
destroy the place,
and
2
) Don’t spend
so much money that
you can’t afford your
payments. Outside
those two limitations,
you are remarkably free
to change your home,
inside and out. Change
colors, change layout,
re-landscape the yard,
put in new flooring,
texturize the walls…
the options are limitless
because you have the ownership and the authority
to make any changes you please. The operating
guidelines are simple: Finish what you start and
always seek to maintain or improve the value of
your home.
But what are your options if your home belongs to
someone else? This includes such arrangements
as renting an apartment, renting a house, renting-
to-own, buying a
house on contract,
and living in a home
that isn’t your own.
These home-making
arrangements limit
your remodeling and
redecorating options
because you are not
in full ownership or
control of your living
space. Someone else
owns the place and that
someone else, be it an
owner or a manager,
maintains the authority
over your home.
So how do you get
permission to make the
changes that you want
to make your home
your own?
The place to start is to examine your lease, rental
agreement or contract to see if there are specific
permissions or restrictions laid out in writing.
These are legal documents and they bind both
the renter and the landlord to the specifications
of the lease. So, if it is spelled out in the lease
that you have specific redecorating or remodeling
rights, then you are almost free to begin. Even
though the lease or contract gives you specific
How to
remodel
and
redecorate
when your
home isn’t
your own
CONTINUED