I clean only. There's no painting, filling in holes from pictures or otherwise. But I clean everything. My landlords have always been happy.
If you've been there 8 years don't sweat it. They can't keep your damage deposit. They have to file with RTB and win for that to happen
Oh i don't sweat it about deposit or anything. More about feeling resentful about repairing a rental that is not mine. Do I live in a run down place or suck it up and fix it even though i'm adding value to a bunch of greedy slothful dragons.
Or ask them if they pay for the paint but you paint the walls type thing. I've done that before.
When I was a tenant, I did minor repairs because I just like living in a functional place. If I knew I was going to stick around for a few years, why not.
Now I'm a landlord. Most tenants don't even bother cleaning before they leave. I've had tenants argue that ripping of baseboard heaters from the walls was "wear and tear".
The RTB is a completely biased kangaroo court too that generally sides with tenants. That doesn't really give tenants much incentive to do the right thing.
Yep, I've done the yard work for reduced rent because I like to garden and have a nice outdoor area. My step mom has a couple of rental units in her house that I've repaired in between tenants and was shocked to see the state they left it in. Absolutely disgusting. She says it's not worth the fight most of the time. Getting stuck with a trash tenant sounds terrible.
Honestly most of my tenants have been fairly reasonable aside from the clean up. They just leave a lot of shit because they know I can't withhold the damage deposit anyways, many are students moving out of province etc so tracking them down later is next to impossible. It's literally consequence free, and really just shows a lack of character.
General rule of thumb is that if you cause the damage, you should repair it. If it is due to wear and tear and it wears out while you still live there, your landlord should pay for all or at least some of it (depending on how much of its "useful life remains").
The RTB has a guideline for who is responsible for what repairs and maintenance:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/during-a-tenancy/repairs-maintenance
At the bottom of this, there is a link to the standard for useful life expectancy of various building elements.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/download/3196ADC9F3014FF79F49A33347AB447E
My place isn't great and I wanted it to be nicer, so I asked my landlord if I could paint and replace some of the flooring as long as he paid for it. He was down so I did some work for a week and now my place is nicer. Seemed fair to me and it was cool to learn how to do a few new things
I used to own a rental. I know my feelings on thia are different from many of the shitty landlords.
I want tenants to tell me when things are broken or worn. The property was an investment that i wanted to keep in good repair.
When one moved out I discovered a water leak that had ruined the floors and a wall. The wall was molding from the moisture. They never said a thing. An outside faucet had a leak that just slowly dripped water into the wall. Finding this out upset me. Because they didnt tell me and it made the problem worse
Landlords are responsible for standard wear and tear. Bad ones let things degrade until issues arise sadly.
Yeah, I tend to my apartment pretty well. Just small stuff and minor fixes. I always try to leave a place better than I found it, and I’d rather it just be done and not bothering me anymore.
Plus I’ve got previous experience and this big fuck off Lee Valley bag full of tools and the like. Might as well put it to good use.
We regularly clean our rental, do deep cleans, and take care of the yard. We also keep a look out for anything that could cause damage and give them a heads up. We have wonderful landlords who take good care of us, so we take good care of their home.
Part of why our rent is so cheap is that we would do some of the maintenance aside from major work. We do the yard work, clean the gutters, installed a digital thermostat, replaced some light switches that were wonky, patched holes, caulked, etc etc.
Yeah, I guess every situation is different, but I’m like you. Mind you, I’ve lived in the same rental house for 25 years lol. I’ve done or paid for all of the improvements in the place, except major plumbing and roofing issues. When we replaced the fence, LL took the material cost off the rent. Painted, fixed floors, replaced every appliance, refinished cabinets, yard maintainence, pest control etc etc. Obviously, my rent is great, but it’s a mutual respect situation borne out of years of trust.
I painted my place because I was tired of looking at how dingy it was. As for maintenance, I don't do anything above and beyond what I need to do. Kinda waiting for my dryer vent to light on fire tbh. I should really have renters insurance.
This might sound stupid but have you told them about the things that you want them to fix?
I had a tenant once get a quite mad at me for not fixing something in their suite for over a month. They never told me about it. As soon as I said this, their energy went from a 9 right down to a 3. They didn't even think to tell me. Since then I have only had 2 new sets of tenants but both times I told that story as they moved in and they always tell me right away when things go wrong. I try to fix things in less time than it took for them to tell me. Not always possible if I'm there when it happens but it works out great. I'm just not living in their space so I don't know the little things that need fixing.
Its a good question, i've kind of given up as they don't respond or answer questions. Just collect rent. There are literal trees growing out of the gutters. But there are things i haven't bothered to tell them at this point.
If you ever want to have someone intervene on your behalf about the issues legally, it's really important to have a paper trail about all the things that are wrong. Even if you are sure that they won't do anything, start a monthly repair list of things you are certain are the landlord's responsibility and email it to them with "read receipt" turned on. They might just be forgetful and having a monthly reminder would help them get to it. Or if they are just neglectful then you can go to the RTB and say "look at the pattern of communication I've shown that they ignored". Don't imply that you're going to go to the RTB, just treat it like a living log of the repair requirements. Oh, if you pay via e-transfer with your bank, you can include it in the message for your rent; that's a real solid record.
Caulking I report to the landlord, he can fix or deal with mold. I switched a light fixture because I got one cheap and didn't like the one that was there.
I have lived here 7 years, might be 10 before I can pull the trigger on home ownership. I don't want to maintain the property any more than minimum, because I don't earn equity. I report, they can fix or suffer consequences.
I was recently looking into this, its loosely worded but the BC government says "The landlord is responsible for painting the interior of the rental unit at reasonable intervals. The tenant cannot be required as a condition of tenancy to paint the premises. The tenant may only be required to paint or repair where the work is necessary because of damages for which the tenant is responsible." You can find the full document [here](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/housing-and-tenancy/residential-tenancies/policy-guidelines/gl01.pdf).
I think 8 years is more than a "reasonable interval"
Tell the land lord about Caulking. just mention you are ok with it and don't feel responsible for that sort of repair. But that you felt you should tell them because of the damage behind that will occur if left unfixed.
Painting walls is cheap and can make your place look so much nicer. You can get a few cans of paint etc for $50 and greatly improve your home vibe. I'm always surprised renters refused to do painting etc, when it can make their home nicer - don't do it for the landlord, do it for yourself. .
I've replaced and updated the electrical in my suite (license electrician), caulking, deep clean the hardwood floors once per year, stripped them twice now (been here almost 20 years now) replaced the kitchen sink, and installed a power outlet in the bathroom to install a heated bidet. Done all kinds of stuff. It's updated the value of my suite 10 fold over all the rest of them, it makes the landlord very happy and the owners. So I don't have to worry about any "surprises" along the way.
Just make sure you get approval from the Lanlord BEFORE you do anything to the suite. It's not YOUR home your a renter.
With rentals i have owned my preference is people update me on the condition of the property. I prefer to maintain it and keep things in good condition. I would even on occasion offer a professional deep cleaning. Good maintenance pays off imo. Let your landlord know what you notice.
I clean only. There's no painting, filling in holes from pictures or otherwise. But I clean everything. My landlords have always been happy. If you've been there 8 years don't sweat it. They can't keep your damage deposit. They have to file with RTB and win for that to happen
Oh i don't sweat it about deposit or anything. More about feeling resentful about repairing a rental that is not mine. Do I live in a run down place or suck it up and fix it even though i'm adding value to a bunch of greedy slothful dragons.
You could always ask for a rent reduction for the month if you do some repairs. It's worked for me in the past.
Or ask them if they pay for the paint but you paint the walls type thing. I've done that before. When I was a tenant, I did minor repairs because I just like living in a functional place. If I knew I was going to stick around for a few years, why not. Now I'm a landlord. Most tenants don't even bother cleaning before they leave. I've had tenants argue that ripping of baseboard heaters from the walls was "wear and tear". The RTB is a completely biased kangaroo court too that generally sides with tenants. That doesn't really give tenants much incentive to do the right thing.
Yep, I've done the yard work for reduced rent because I like to garden and have a nice outdoor area. My step mom has a couple of rental units in her house that I've repaired in between tenants and was shocked to see the state they left it in. Absolutely disgusting. She says it's not worth the fight most of the time. Getting stuck with a trash tenant sounds terrible.
Honestly most of my tenants have been fairly reasonable aside from the clean up. They just leave a lot of shit because they know I can't withhold the damage deposit anyways, many are students moving out of province etc so tracking them down later is next to impossible. It's literally consequence free, and really just shows a lack of character.
It's a good deal for everyone!
General rule of thumb is that if you cause the damage, you should repair it. If it is due to wear and tear and it wears out while you still live there, your landlord should pay for all or at least some of it (depending on how much of its "useful life remains"). The RTB has a guideline for who is responsible for what repairs and maintenance: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/residential-tenancies/during-a-tenancy/repairs-maintenance At the bottom of this, there is a link to the standard for useful life expectancy of various building elements. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/download/3196ADC9F3014FF79F49A33347AB447E
My place isn't great and I wanted it to be nicer, so I asked my landlord if I could paint and replace some of the flooring as long as he paid for it. He was down so I did some work for a week and now my place is nicer. Seemed fair to me and it was cool to learn how to do a few new things
I used to own a rental. I know my feelings on thia are different from many of the shitty landlords. I want tenants to tell me when things are broken or worn. The property was an investment that i wanted to keep in good repair. When one moved out I discovered a water leak that had ruined the floors and a wall. The wall was molding from the moisture. They never said a thing. An outside faucet had a leak that just slowly dripped water into the wall. Finding this out upset me. Because they didnt tell me and it made the problem worse Landlords are responsible for standard wear and tear. Bad ones let things degrade until issues arise sadly.
You are renting a home which you live in, don’t be resentful, keep it cozy and clean for yourself.
Yeah, I tend to my apartment pretty well. Just small stuff and minor fixes. I always try to leave a place better than I found it, and I’d rather it just be done and not bothering me anymore. Plus I’ve got previous experience and this big fuck off Lee Valley bag full of tools and the like. Might as well put it to good use.
We regularly clean our rental, do deep cleans, and take care of the yard. We also keep a look out for anything that could cause damage and give them a heads up. We have wonderful landlords who take good care of us, so we take good care of their home.
Part of why our rent is so cheap is that we would do some of the maintenance aside from major work. We do the yard work, clean the gutters, installed a digital thermostat, replaced some light switches that were wonky, patched holes, caulked, etc etc.
Yeah, I guess every situation is different, but I’m like you. Mind you, I’ve lived in the same rental house for 25 years lol. I’ve done or paid for all of the improvements in the place, except major plumbing and roofing issues. When we replaced the fence, LL took the material cost off the rent. Painted, fixed floors, replaced every appliance, refinished cabinets, yard maintainence, pest control etc etc. Obviously, my rent is great, but it’s a mutual respect situation borne out of years of trust.
I did patching, caulking, painting and gorilla glueing when I rented. It’s good practice for home ownership.
This is the correct answer. I always filled my nail holes and cleaned well. Never had a problem getting my deposit back,
I painted my place because I was tired of looking at how dingy it was. As for maintenance, I don't do anything above and beyond what I need to do. Kinda waiting for my dryer vent to light on fire tbh. I should really have renters insurance.
Have you tried asking your landlord to hire someone? I don't think the owner would want a fire either.
This might sound stupid but have you told them about the things that you want them to fix? I had a tenant once get a quite mad at me for not fixing something in their suite for over a month. They never told me about it. As soon as I said this, their energy went from a 9 right down to a 3. They didn't even think to tell me. Since then I have only had 2 new sets of tenants but both times I told that story as they moved in and they always tell me right away when things go wrong. I try to fix things in less time than it took for them to tell me. Not always possible if I'm there when it happens but it works out great. I'm just not living in their space so I don't know the little things that need fixing.
Its a good question, i've kind of given up as they don't respond or answer questions. Just collect rent. There are literal trees growing out of the gutters. But there are things i haven't bothered to tell them at this point.
If you ever want to have someone intervene on your behalf about the issues legally, it's really important to have a paper trail about all the things that are wrong. Even if you are sure that they won't do anything, start a monthly repair list of things you are certain are the landlord's responsibility and email it to them with "read receipt" turned on. They might just be forgetful and having a monthly reminder would help them get to it. Or if they are just neglectful then you can go to the RTB and say "look at the pattern of communication I've shown that they ignored". Don't imply that you're going to go to the RTB, just treat it like a living log of the repair requirements. Oh, if you pay via e-transfer with your bank, you can include it in the message for your rent; that's a real solid record.
Caulking I report to the landlord, he can fix or deal with mold. I switched a light fixture because I got one cheap and didn't like the one that was there. I have lived here 7 years, might be 10 before I can pull the trigger on home ownership. I don't want to maintain the property any more than minimum, because I don't earn equity. I report, they can fix or suffer consequences.
I was recently looking into this, its loosely worded but the BC government says "The landlord is responsible for painting the interior of the rental unit at reasonable intervals. The tenant cannot be required as a condition of tenancy to paint the premises. The tenant may only be required to paint or repair where the work is necessary because of damages for which the tenant is responsible." You can find the full document [here](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/housing-and-tenancy/residential-tenancies/policy-guidelines/gl01.pdf). I think 8 years is more than a "reasonable interval"
Tell the land lord about Caulking. just mention you are ok with it and don't feel responsible for that sort of repair. But that you felt you should tell them because of the damage behind that will occur if left unfixed.
i dont want to live in filth but beyond that...it's not my responsibility and i'm not donating money and free labour to my landlord with a rich daddy.
Painting walls is cheap and can make your place look so much nicer. You can get a few cans of paint etc for $50 and greatly improve your home vibe. I'm always surprised renters refused to do painting etc, when it can make their home nicer - don't do it for the landlord, do it for yourself. .
Check your rental agreement. It's common to have to return the paint to its original colour (or be charged for the landlord to do so).
Cans of paint for 50$? Not anymore I don’t think
I've replaced and updated the electrical in my suite (license electrician), caulking, deep clean the hardwood floors once per year, stripped them twice now (been here almost 20 years now) replaced the kitchen sink, and installed a power outlet in the bathroom to install a heated bidet. Done all kinds of stuff. It's updated the value of my suite 10 fold over all the rest of them, it makes the landlord very happy and the owners. So I don't have to worry about any "surprises" along the way. Just make sure you get approval from the Lanlord BEFORE you do anything to the suite. It's not YOUR home your a renter.
With rentals i have owned my preference is people update me on the condition of the property. I prefer to maintain it and keep things in good condition. I would even on occasion offer a professional deep cleaning. Good maintenance pays off imo. Let your landlord know what you notice.