This tip comes from my reader Naomi…
If you are renting and want to do any improvements to where you live… STOP! Well, at least until you ask the owners if they will pay for the supplies!
Recently, we decided to stay in our current apartment longer than we had originally planned so we wanted to make it a better living experience. Last summer our apartment would get so HOT from all the lovely windows we have (which are very old), so my husband wanted to insatall window tint to help cut down the heat.
I wasn’t too happy at first about the idea, because it was obviously going to cost us money. I thought it over for a day or two and then called our apartment manager and asked if they would foot the bill. He said “Of course!”
Now we have tinted windows that only cost us about an hour or two of our time to install.
Most managers/owners want tenants to stay longer, especially if they are good tenants, so if you are willing to do some work then I will bet they will gladly pay!
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When we lived in an apartment, it never even occurred to me that we were ALLOWED to make changes, much less that they might pay for them. Not that we would’ve done anything anyway.
But I will definitely keep this in mind if we ever rent again, or as advice for others. Great post!
Good post!
When we lived in the Chicago area, we wanted a dishwasher in an old apartment we were moving into and after talking to the landlord, he agreed to go half on it once we agreed on a model (most of the inexpensive older apartments don’t have dishwashers). Since it was a freestanding one, we also got the benefit of a little extra counter space, and it cost us much less than if we hadn’t called. We also negotiated some discounts off rent when we were moving out for leaving behind our window unit air conditioners, since they were relatively new and energy efficient. We didn’t need them where we were moving, and it was a bonus for the landlord for future tenants.
As a landlord I completely agree with this post. I would rather have good tenants that will end up staying longer if they are happier with their surroundings. I would offer a rent deduction for the month as a way to “reimburse” expenses if it will improve my property.
Sounds like you would be a great landlord. :)