Painting a rental home is intriguing since it straddles the line between functional requirements and aesthetic appeal. Moreover, every landlord must keep in mind that rental property must be attractive to attract renters, particularly in today’s increasingly competitive market.
Eventually, landlords will have to repaint it to preserve their short-term real estate investment or property. However, there are several misunderstandings about when repainting should happen.
If you’re wondering how often should a landlord paint and whether are landlords required to paint between tenants, this guide may help you.
How Often is a Landlord Required to Paint
Local ordinances may demand that rental properties be painted on a regular basis. However, even if there are no such restrictions, it’s still a great practice to keep up with the painting upkeep on your rental property.
But, how would you know how often should a landlord paint their rental property? The answer is dependent on a number of variables. Location, sunlight exposure, and the local climate are all factors to consider. It’s also important to check with experienced local painters to determine an appropriate timetable for your property’s condition.
Painting your rental home’s exterior regularly can help avoid peeling paint, cracks at the property’s foundation, or weather damage. All of these variables may contribute to more serious difficulties and headaches in the future.
Does Landlord Have to Paint
Even if they are renting, most individuals are used to having the interior of their residences painted. Painting a house’s walls helps preserve and protect them, and it also adds a sense of coziness and familiarity to the place.
But, what precisely does painting accomplish for rental properties? Also, why should landlords make repainting a priority?
Renters Appreciate Newly Painted Walls
The scent of new paint and the appearance of gleaming walls are very appealing to the tenants of any house. When it comes to attracting eligible renters to your short term real estate investment, a fresh coat of paint may give the space a newer and brighter vibe. Viewing a freshly painted rental house provides a significant mental boost for potential renters since it’s more inviting than an old and dirty one.
A Budget-Friendly Upgrade
Repainting walls is a low-cost way to enhance the aesthetic of a space. Moreover, landlords may get a lot of value for their money by repainting their properties, which is a very inexpensive investment. A simple coat of paint can hide any scratches, chips, or dents on your wall, so you won’t even notice there was a concern.
Legally Required
Landlords may be required to paint rental properties every two to four years in certain significant cities with laws and ordinances in effect. For instance, in New York City, landlords are required to do this maintenance every three years if the property is located in a multi-dwelling structure.
Although these sorts of regulations are very uncommon, they do exist. Ensure that you study the regulations of your state and local jurisdictions to see if this applies to your rental homes. There are also a few instances in which landlords’ obligations for maintaining a clean, safe and livable environment connect with landlords’ responsibilities for painting.
Getting Rid Of Spots And Damages
Removing odors or spots left behind by smoking renters in the home is another reason landlords may want to try repainting. Moreover, in the event of a disaster, such as pipe leaks or a fire, the interiors may need to be rebuilt or repainted in order to restore the rental property’s safety.
Are Landlords Required to Paint Between Tenants
For the sake of efficiency, most landlords opt to paint between tenants since painting is so time-consuming for the painting contractor and the renter. However, landlords are often not obligated to repaint their homes between renters.
Moreover, since empty rooms are simpler to paint than those with furniture and possessions, landlords find it ideal for painting between renters. And, since the walls of a newly painted rental are still relatively new, it is much simpler for both the owner and the renter to record the state of the property.
Landlords are only obligated to repaint a rental unit between renters in just a few regions, such as rent-controlled neighborhoods. For instance, in West Hollywood, landlords are required to repaint every four years. On the other hand, no state legislation in Florida compels landlords to paint on a certain timetable.
Furthermore, if the new renter is happy with the state of the property and accepts the rental contract, the walls may remain unchanged for the following tenant. Provided that interior paint satisfies all of the criteria for habitability, it doesn’t matter whether the paint is fresh.
However, the guarantee of habitability is unaffected by scratched or worn paint since it’s not considered a risk. Thus, many potential renters would disregard an unpainted house because of visual and aesthetic considerations, making it even harder to entice the ideal prospects.
How Often Should a Landlord Paint a Short-term Rental Property
While aesthetic renovations aren’t required with every lease turnover, it’s common for landlords to paint their short-term rental units at their discretion. Most landlords repaint their properties every three to four years and aim to time it with a new tenant moving in. However, it’s critical to strike a balance between maintaining the property’s appearance and saving money every time the place is turned over.
On the other hand, you may be able to stretch the duration between repainting to five years or more with long-term renters. However, this may also vary according to the type of paint you choose. The color palette you choose is also critical since certain paints do not last as long as others.
Conclusion
How often should a landlord paint a rental property is sometimes a personal choice rather than a requirement? Unless you’ve had exceptionally destructive renters, painting is often not necessary with every tenant turnover.
However, a rental property’s paint is subjected to more wear and tear than a regular residence. You should expect it to be damaged throughout the move-in and move-out process. So, the amount of time your paint will endure depends mainly on how well each renter treats it.
It’s a good thing that you can examine your interiors during the last walk-through and quickly assess if it’s time to have the work done. Hence, it’s normal to anticipate painting every three to four years in regions where there are a lot of turnovers.
William Charles
William is the CEO of Orlando Real Estate Resource. For over 10 years, he has been helping people find properties for different purposes. From residential homes to investment commercial properties.
