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Do I have to repaint if my landlord has never repainted?

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Do I have to repaint if my landlord has never repainted?

Postby nyctenant88 » Tue Jun 13, 2017 11:59 am

I'm vacating an apartment after living here for 6.5yrs. When I first moved in, the previous roommate had painted the bedroom wall pale pink. I've since taken over the lease and my landlord has painted a few rooms in the apartment over the 6.5yrs, but never this pale pink bedroom.

Do I need to repaint? Or is it enough to patch holes as this is now the landlord's responsibility?
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Re: Do I have to repaint if my landlord has never repainted?

Postby TenantNet » Tue Jun 13, 2017 12:26 pm

If a tenant paints a room an unusual or outrageous color, for example black, or dayglo green with neon pink (I saw my share of those in college towns in the 1970's), then the tenant usually must repaint the room before leaving with white or off-white color. This is usually in the small print of the lease, although I think it should be enforceable even if not in the lease. And the return to white must be of sufficient opaqueness to cover the unusual colors. That might take a few coats.

The ambiguity comes when the tenant painted in a color that's not unusual or outrageous, but not the typical white variation (i.e., a light lavender). If there are questions, I would consult the lease.

If the tenant never painted and it's the same paint job as what you started out with, albeit a bit worn, then I would do nothing. That is what you pay rent for and that is part of normal "wear and tear."

In your case, it seems you started out with the pale pink room. Technically then, that is not your responsibility. But was it a continuation of a lease, or a new tenancy?

I've seen many pale pink rooms that are not objectionable. If an older building the LL might not object. When you leave do a walk-though with the LL a few days before actually leaving and see if he objects. If he does, then it's a question if when you started your lease, what it was at that time.
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Re: Do I have to repaint if my landlord has never repainted?

Postby nyctenant88 » Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:34 pm

Hi there. Thanks for your response! It was a continuation of the lease and then we took it over completely, but that was at least 5 years ago.

Many thanks for the info!
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Re: Do I have to repaint if my landlord has never repainted?

Postby TenantNet » Tue Jun 13, 2017 2:45 pm

If it's a continuation, then the LL might hold you to what it was at the beginning of the original lease. However, if you took it over completely as new tenants, then that's pretty obvious.

The thing to do is not let it grow to be a problem. In order buildings and if the color really is pale, then chances are he won't notice.
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Re: Do I have to repaint if my landlord has never repainted?

Postby nyctenant88 » Tue Jun 13, 2017 3:18 pm

Wonderful, many thanks for your help!
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