Céline Blanc is an expert in heritage law at the SVP group, she reviews the nature of work that one can undertake when one is a tenant or on the compensation to which one can claim.
franceinfo: In what condition should an owner put a property in order to rent it?
The owner must deliver decent housing, which does not affect the health and safety of his tenant, but above all he has an obligation to deliver, that is to say, he must provide housing in good condition use and repairs.
Does that mean I can demand that the paints and floors be redone?
Absolutely, if the accommodation is not in good condition, the owner must renovate it.
And if I don’t like the decoration, and I decide to redo the paintings, can I ask for a refund?
If you are repainting for your convenience, no. But in the event of obsolescence noted in the inventory of fixtures of entry, I can require the lessor to redo the apartment clean, or take it at my expense, and he must compensate me since it is linked to its obligation to issue, either with a reduction in rent, or with other compensation.
Do I have the right to use colors?
In principle, we do what we want, but certain colors considered to be eccentric, garish and which would make the accommodation uninhabitable, the color chosen would prevent the lessor from re-renting behind, so case law considers that the authorization of the lessor is required. .
A tenant was thus ordered to restore the original color, because he had repainted the entire apartment in red and green.
What about the bigger jobs?
The principle is that the tenant can do all the decoration work alone, without the permission of the landlord. As soon as this involves the rented premises or the equipment, written authorization is required. Removing a bidet, putting a bathtub in place of a shower, knocking down a partition, putting in an armored door, all of this requires the authorization of the landlord.
If I do embellishments, will I be able to get a refund?
No, it is linked to your personal convenience, to feel good at home, it does not entitle you to any compensation;
And then there is the famous question of the holes …
We have the right to make them, but we must recap them. The filling must be clean, smooth, you are just asked to take a filler to fill. There shouldn’t be any difference in color or roughness.
You have to be vigilant, there are tenants who leave without filling in the holes and the landlord can charge for the repair of the walls, and in practice, it is 10 euros per hole!