Do you allow tenants to paint walls if they promise to paint them back?

Landlord Questions
1

There’s always ongoing discussions about how to make a rental feel more like a home, and painting is always the biggest sticking point. On one hand, allowing a tenant to personalize their space can lead to them staying much longer because they feel settled. On the other hand, “reverting to original” is rarely as simple as it sounds, and you might end up with three coats of primer just to cover a dark accent wall.

I’m curious how you all handle this request – do you have a strict “no paint” policy to keep turnovers easy, or do you find that saying “yes” builds the kind of relationship that makes the extra work worth it?

Do you let tenants pick their own colors, or do you stick to a standard neutral for all your units?

2

I do not allow painting. As you point out, if they pick a color that is the opposite of the rest of the unit, then it will be painful/expensive to revert it.

I allow hanging of art, pictures, etc, with the promise of patching all holes on move-out. I deduct from their security deposit if they do not patch the holes. I think that is a good compromise. If they want to paint something, they can paint a canvas and then hang it up on the wall.