Hey, I hope this is the right area for this....
So in April I moved into a lovely new apartment with 9 huge windows for plenty of natural sunlight. The apartment is on the ground floor and is at the very front of the building. So, all of my windows are at eye-level to pedestrians and the street. The unit came with standard blinds in each window, but the blinds are not sufficient. Anyone sitting outside at night can still see fairly well into my home, and being a single female - it really unsettles me.
I want to put up drapes but my lease specifically states I'm not allowed to hang up, put up. or attach anything to the walls (there are several rules, but no penalty for breaking rules is outlined in the lease except for rules concerning timely payment of rent). Curtain rod hardware would obviously conflict with this. I don't mind putting putty and painting over the holes upon move out (which is something I know how to do very well), and I don't mind losing my security deposit even after puttying as a penalty for making the holes in the first place, I just am worried about potentially needing the property manager to come in for a repair or something like that and she sees the curtains - could she issue me any sort of fine then? Or could she even evict me on the spot for breach of contract? I'm in Louisiana, if that helps.
I'd also really, really like to paint the walls (again - no problem with repainting once my lease is up) and am worried about it being seen between now and when I'd be repainting and what would/could happen. I tried asking my property manager about this before and even offered to add an additional amount to my initial security deposit - but she just ignored me (...?). And yes, I've looked into peel and stick options and its just been a headache and a waste of money - I'm very much leaning towards taking my chances with painting. (I've already tried 2, but the "best" peel and stick option would not even be the right color and would cost me $1200+; while losing my security deposit from painting would cost me $700)
Everything else about the apartment is - thus far - perfect. Plus its in a very competitive location and rent is about $300+ cheaper then anything comparable in the area and its a top to bottom new renovation. I'm the first tenant to live here, which I like. I intend to live here atleast until I finish undergraduate, so I'm in this for the long-haul.
I guess my overall money related question is - can landlords and property managers actually penalize you for changes you make to your home during the course of your lease? Or can they only hold you accountable to the state the apartment is in once you return the keys vs the state it was in when they gave said keys to you?



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