Wear and Tear and Holes

[Jarrod English]

Hello, I'm watching my first ever tenant move into my first ever basement suite right now and noticing a few items that makes me wonder about wear and tear in regards to hanging paintings or shelves. They asked me about hanging a few small shelves in the bathroom and asked if I had touch up paint for when they take them down. And so I'm ok with that as long as they fill in the holes and cover it up.

Just curious to hear what other peoples experiences are. Like do you make tenants fill in little tiny tack holes if they hang up a poster or something? Or do you just leave it be and let it accumulate over the years and then do a full paint job with filling holes later?

Thanks for the info.

[Marcia Maynard]

Ditto about addressing it in the contract and explaining it at move-in.

Here is an excerpt from our rental agreement:

"HOME DECORATING: Pictures and shelving may be attached only to drywall walls, using approved hanging devices. Approved hanging devices are available upon request from Landlord at no extra charge. Tenant agrees not to pierce any brick, masonry, woodwork, cabinet, door or floor with nails, screws, staples or any hanging device, as doing so may cause damage beyond repair."

"ALTERATIONS: Tenant agrees not to do painting, wallpapering or structural modifications to the premises. Tenant agrees not to make alterations, changes or additions to plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, heating units, or locks. If Tenant wishes to make a change, Tenant agrees to obtain prior approval and written consent from Landlord. Changes must be reversible and property must be restored to original condition at end of tenancy, unless other arrangements have been made with Landlord."

Note, we address the addition of antennae, air conditioners, mounted televisions, etc in other areas of the contract. When we do our move-in, we read and talk about everything in the contract and give the tenant a packet of picture hooks (5lb type) with their move-in gifts. When they request to paint, we talk about it with them and our approval is only given if they pay for it and we approve the color, choose the type of paint, and do the work. If we intend for the walls to be changed back to the original color, we charge them for that up front. Very few tenants ask us to change a paint color, as we mostly use neutral colors from the start.

We do regular inspections and if we find lease violations, we address it at that time. Here is an excerpt from our rental agreement about damages.

"DAMAGES: Tenant agrees to notify Landlord of damages as they occur. Tenant agrees to pay repair/replacement costs for all damages that they or their guests have caused. Landlord agrees to initiate repairs in a timely manner following discovery of the damage or can choose to defer repair until Tenant has vacated the premises. Repairs done by a professional will be billed at the professional rate. Repairs done by Landlord will be billed by the job or as labor plus materials."

Note, we do not charge for tiny picture hook holes and thumbtack holes in drywall, as we allow it. However, we will charge if the tenant tries to "fix" the hole and creates damage.