Whether you own or rent your Saratoga Springs home, we all would like to feel untroubled and comfortable in our living space. For many, this constitutes adding decorative elements that would greatly be helpful to personalize a home. Though remember, as a renter, your decorating can have a strong effect on how much of your security deposit you recoup. Most leases feature a clear list of what types of changes you, the tenant, can make and what you would need permission from your landlord to do.
But on the flip side, if things aren’t clearly stated, you may be baffled primarily where the line is between what’s allowed and what isn’t. And if you aren’t absolutely clear about these, you may mistakenly do something that might mean getting less of your security deposit back than you desire. Let’s examine quite a few common décor items that could cost you – and how to avoid being charged for repairs.
Interior Paint
It’s the number one question renters ask: Can I paint the interior of my rental house? And the reason why this is such a typical question really makes sense. Changing the paint color is one of the easy methods to personalize a room or entire home. But in actuality, even if your lease does state that you can paint your rental house, always remember to ask your landlord first.
Various leases state that you will need to return the home to its original condition. Even if it doesn’t mention paint anywhere else within the lease, it’s imperative to be clear that this includes the paint color on the walls. Your landlord can legally withhold funds from your security deposit to repaint the house if you’ve completely changed the wall colors and don’t put it back before you move out.
Wall Damage
Another most serious reason renters don’t get their entire security deposit back is holes (or other damage) in the walls. Whenever you decorate your home, you may not be considering how your landlord will react to the damage left after placing framed artwork, mounted televisions, or other wall-mounted décor items. Even some nail holes in a wall can bring on a security deposit deduction, and the cost of repairs goes up the bigger the holes that are left behind.
To avoid losing your deposit, try planning your décor with the end in mind. Take advantage of nail-free hangers or eliminate hanging things on the walls at all. Large artwork or televisions can work just as wonderfully at the top of an accent table or cabinet and won’t leave wall damage behind.
Floor Damage
One final matter, be cautious to protect your floors as you decorate. Heavy furniture and other objects can gouge, scrape, and otherwise damage floorings like wood or laminate, and crack or break the tile. If you have bulky stuff you have to keep in your home, have somebody to help you move them, and set protective material, like a blanket or moving pad, underneath to keep floor damage to a minimum. If you are inclined to move your furniture around, take into account obtaining some felt padding for the bottom of your furniture to make rearranging your décor easier and less of a chance to cause damage.
Whatever you decorate your rental home, it’s essential to deal with it with a frame of mind that, someday, you will be moving out. If that day comes, the less you need to do to restore the home to its original condition, the more likely you will be to get your full security deposit back.
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