When you move into an apartment you are leasing, you may feel like you have every right to make changes so that you feel at home. But you need to check with your landlord to see if your changes are ok with him or her. Depending on the changes that are to be made, your landlord may offer to pay for the materials that you will need to complete the repairs and fix-ups. When making your request to make changes, it is best to make the request both verbally and written, keeping a copy of the written request so that it can be documented.



Landlords may only want repairs to be done by themselves or by their maintenance crew. This can prevent any claims from the tenant that the work was done improperly. But if the landlord agrees to allow the tenant to make changes you should keep track of what changes the landlord has agreed that you can make and when they were started and finished. Any and all documentation can be very important later on down the road if the amicability of you and your landlord becomes strained.

When you require repairs to be fixed you should also do the request both verbally and written for documentation purposes as well. This way you will know that the landlord has received the request. For instance if your refrigerator stops working, you can request an emergency work order because the food is spoiling. Or if a window does not close properly, getting it fixed can be a high priority if the weather outside is below freezing.

Fixing up an apartment can be a lot of fun because you can play around with ideas such as painting rooms in different colors or building extra storage areas. When painting you should always make sure that it is ok because your landlord may request that it be painted the original color when you move. Knowing this beforehand can go a long ways into the decision of how you want to fix-up your new home. And building an extra closet could be a feasible request, but the landlord may have some restrictions on how it is built since it will, more than likely, be left when you move out.

Landlords can have a lot of rules and regulations when it comes to their tenants fixing up their apartments or rentals. By making requests for repairs or permission to fix-up the apartment both written and verbally you can be assured that the request is documented. Documentation of all activity such as this can go a long way in making sure that both parties are on the same page.