After living in a loft for an extended period of time, you may start fantasizing about ways to restyle it and adjust it to your personal preferences. However, when renting a property, your remodeling options are usually limited by the rental agreement or whether the owner authorizes the changes. Let’s explore in greater detail your options when planning to renovate a rented loft.
Carefully go through your rental agreement
Before planning any improvements to your rented loft, you should always review your rental agreement. It may have been months since you last read it, and now you only have a vague idea of what you are allowed to do in terms of renovations.
Your lease agreement outlines any restrictions in place when it comes to making changes to the property. You should pay particular attention to clauses related to renovations and repairs.
Most rental contracts explicitly forbid major changes without written consent from the landlord. These include:
- modifying any pre-existing structures;
- remodeling bathrooms and kitchens;
- painting the walls;
- changing the flooring;
- installing new light fixtures.
If you proceed to make any of these changes without written consent, your landlord may decide to sue you in a civil court or small claims court.
Getting permission from the loft’s owner
One way to bypass the limitations imposed by your rental agreement is to ask your landlord for explicit and written consent to renovate the loft.
This usually involves having a small “negotiation” on what you can include in the renovation. The landlord may agree with some of your renovation plans but reject others, depending on the nature of the changes.
However, there are many reasons why landlords may favorably see renovations made by their tenants. First, a restyling could increase the loft’s market value and make it more attractive to future tenants. Second, it can be economically convenient for landlords to let you remodel the apartment if you cover the renovation costs.
Make sure you agree on the type and scale of the renovation before signing the written agreement. This will protect you from the risk of facing legal consequences in the future.
Remember that some landlords may consider your remodeling plans only if you have an insurance policy that covers the cost of any damage caused by the renovation.
How will your landlord react if you renovate the loft without permission?
Some tenants may be tempted by the thought of renovating the loft without consulting the landlord or asking for permission. This is usually a bad idea.
While there are scenarios in which your landlord likes the renovation so much that he or she accepts the improvement and the financial benefits that come with it, you will face numerous risks. Here are some of them.
- As you are obviously violating your contract, the landlord may sue you as a matter of principle.
- Your renovation may not be satisfactory, and the landlord may be highly displeased with the result.
- The landlord had valid reasons to keep the loft as it was, such as safety standards or repairs’ easiness.
- You may have accidentally damaged the property while renovating.
- The landlord may see your intention to renovate without permission as disrespectful and may fear you will violate the contract again.
If the landlord decides to take legal action against you, and a court finds you guilty, you may be evicted from your loft and forced to pay a hefty fine as well as any damages caused by the renovation.
Which improvements don’t typically require landlord permission?
While heavy renovations should always be done after receiving the landlord’s written consent, there are some adjustments and style improvements that you could make without violating your contract.
Generally, you can style your loft to make it easy to change it back to the state it was delivered to you when you first moved in.
Here are some light changes you can make to your loft without usually encountering problems with your landlords.
- Using removable wallpapers instead of painting the walls.
- Adding artwork or pictures to the wall.
- Installing curtains, blinds, or shades for your windows.
- Installing child safety latches.
- Adding easily removable shelves.
- Placing carpets or rugs on the floor.
- Replacing light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones.
- Installing a smart home system.
- Adding plants to the loft.
As long as you can quickly put things back in the loft’s original state, it’s very unlikely that your landlord will mind these improvements.
However, if you want to be on the safe side, it’s still a good idea to give landlords a call and tell them about these improvements before making any changes. Doing so will show them how much you respect their property and may even get them to trust you more.
