Personalizing a living area is part of the pleasures of a home, and renters are the same. When they rent a residence, they want to have an appealing space that they feel comfortable in. But, a rental property is unlike an owner-occupied home. Owners and renters of single-family rental homes in Washington DC both know that any modifications made to the home’s interior require permission from the landlord. When residents of your rental homes go past furniture and décor and opt to make unauthorized changes, this could put you in a difficult situation as the owner.
The best residents are the ones who inquire before performing interior changes to your rental property. Sometimes, after a resident has signed the lease, they might decide they would like to modify certain aspects of the home. Perhaps they want to put in new bathroom fixtures, replace the blinds or other window coverings, install a new light fixture or ceiling fan, change the paint color of some or all of the walls, or possibly even paint the kitchen cabinets.
Part of you might be thinking that if they want to change up your home for you at their own expense, maybe it’s better to just allow them to do it. However, there are a few details to remember before saying yes. Quality is perhaps the most important of these. If your resident is doing the modifications themselves, there is no assurance that the work’s quality is going to meet any professional standard. As a matter of fact, it can negatively impact the value of your property and then cost you even more money to fix it in the future if they do a truly bad job of it.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that trends in interior design quickly change. Painted cabinets might be popular today, but you might find that residents prefer more natural wood tones in a year or two. Even though it is entirely within your rights to charge a departing resident for any repairs needed, maintaining a neutral rental house is the best financial choice.
As a rule, residents who choose to ignore the terms of their lease and still do unauthorized changes are responsible for restoring the home to your liking upon moving out. Obviously, some residents will attempt to avoid the expense involved in putting the home back to the state of when they first arrived, potentially resulting in pricey collections or even legal action.
When residents start performing unauthorized changes to your Washington DC property, knowing what to do next can be hard. That is why you need the right property management company to oversee matters, select quality residents who are going to take care of your property for you, and take action to protect your real estate investment if and when it is necessary.
At Real Property Management DC Metro, we offer all of these services to homeowners of single-family rentals and more. Our expert property managers can create a maintenance program tailor-made to you while also handling the hassles and pains of dealing with lease violations. Would you like to find out more? For more information, please contact us online or call us at 202-269-0303.
We are pledged to the letter and spirit of U.S. policy for the achievement of equal housing opportunity throughout the Nation. See Equal Housing Opportunity Statement for more information.
