LANDLORD - NC, Renter wants to install Storm Door. How to charge?

[Daniel St John]

Hi All,

Newbie landlord here.  I handed the keys to my first property to my tenants this past Thursday, and it is a fantastic situation.

The tenant asked about the possibility of installing a "Storm Door" on the property - which I of course do not have any issue with.

My question here is in regards to who pays for the door and who installation costs.  I would like to do right by my tenant, however I understand it is a business.  With every dollar mattering at this point - does anyone disagree with me looking to split the costs with the tenant, in an act of "Good-Will"?  Or would you pay for it yourself - or make the renter pay for it.

Thanks in advance!

[Daniel A.]

Hello Daniel,

From a business standpoint, if the tenant wants to make any modifications, I generally ask for them to pay for it unless it brings the value up for future tenants. A storm door doesn't strike me as an "investment" on your end. A prospective tenant, in other words, likely won't be so awe-stricken by this property with a storm door that they'll dole out an extra $20 a month. Yes, they're nice to have, and I am sure they have their perks, but to me it seems like more of an aesthetic preference - one that generally isn't a deal-breaker.

Or you could view it as an insurance investment.

Now, if I had a tenant who happened to be a carpenter and who wanted to build a storage shed in his yard, I would offer to pay for the supplies because I could market that to future tenants and hike up the rent. 

To me, it sort of boils down to this: Yes, you want to be an amenable landlord, and offering to pay for it is nice, but by merely allowing them to install it, as opposed to saying "no," is amenability in its own regard. Also, if you pay for this addition, who is to say they won't want you to pay for a new bathroom vanity lamp? (I'm not saying this as if tenants are leeches - most of them, if screened properly, aren't. It's just that some tenants start getting ideas and get to a point of, "ah, just do it, he won't care.")

Just make sure, if you do have them pay for it, that you have a written agreement on what happens to the door when that tenant moves out. Sounds dumb but trust me on that one. Have everything in writing.