Tenant is a painter but...

[David I.]

So I purchased a rental property with tenants who have lived there for 4 years. Never missed a payment and don’t complain about a thing.  House is in ok shape but looking to update then refi in 6 months.  

The whole inside needs painting - and one of the tenants is a painter by trade. I asked him to quote me the job and he quoted almost 5k - this is a 1200 sq ft home no basement and this doesn’t include the deck which needs painting too. 

My regular painter has done similar houses for 3-3.5k with painting a deck, basement included, ceilings everything  

I’d of course like to give my tenant the first rights to the business but it’s way too high. Do I just be honest and say hey this is too high I’d like my regular painter to look at it? If you want to match then you can do it.  

What’s the best way to have this conversation? Thanks. 

[Nathan Gesner]

You shouldn't use the tenant to paint, even if he matched your normal painter's bid. Why? Because it can create a rift in your Landlord/Tenant relationship. If you need it painted, use your painter and get it done.

But why bother painting if the current tenant doesn't care? Paint shouldn't affect your valuation much.