Moveout question: Removing blinds I installed?

I don't see any reason you should not take the blinds with you, as you would any item you'd paid for and installed yourself. In fact, most landlords would expect vacating tenants to remove items they'd installed themselves--like book shelving, AC units, etc.

I once had a tenant ask to leave an entire built-in murphy bed/shelving system, arguing it 'upgraded' the apartment. Nope. Take yer crap with ya.

You handyman can easily patch the holes for a small tip in case you do not want to get into argument with the landlord.

I'm not telling you not to do it, but most leases have wording along the lines of "anything 'installed' by tenant becomes property of landlord."

You're complaining about the "ugly blinds" in the prior unit and are purchasing your new ones from Lowe's???? Hello pot, this is kettle, you're black!!!!!!!

Since you're buying in the same building ask your real estate lawyer.

I would just ask your landlord. I was in the same position with a murphy bed that I installed in my SF studio right out of grad school. The lease said that any fixtures I installed stayed with the apartment. However, because my landlord had been a great landlord, I asked her her preference because it fundamentally altered the apartment and I know murphy beds are not for everyone.

She said she’d prefer that I remove it and I was happy to oblige, because again, she had been a great landlord. However, if she had been a bad landlord, I might have just stood on the lease terms and left it there.

You are on the flip side because you actually want to take your fixtures. Check your lease because it should answer the question, but either way, a simple conversation with your landlord might reveal you two are in agreement regardless of what the lease says.

I know not all landlords are the same. I have had 9 landlords in my life, 8 of whom were great, but the one bad one was really bad. I hope it works out, but definitely check your lease because as 30yrs’ comment noted, most leases have a provision that will govern this and answer the question one way or the other.

@bramster - As a tenant I have always felt that I should leave the apartment as I found it and totally understand a landlord’s wanting the tenant to remove whatever they installed. Do you use a standard lease with your tenants and what does it have a provision in it covering fixtures or improvements? This is not intended as legal advice, just a question!

Years ago I got a little industrious in a rental apartment. It started by running power outside to the "terrace" that was above the restaurant downstairs.

Then I put some planters out there, and then a 8x12 deck (I built it in 4x4ft sections in the living room and bolted them together outside). Then some lattice and vines to help block the view of the giant HVAC units. The plants needed water, so I tapped into the cold water line under the bathroom sink and ran a pipe through an adjacent closet, out to the living room, into the bedroom and out the window.

There were some loose tiles in the bathroom floor so I tore those out and put down new ones. That made the linoleum tiles in the kitchen look pretty bad so I pulled those out too and put down porcelain.

A couple light fixtures just had to be updated, including moving the box on the one above the bathroom sink so it was actually centered.

I always wondered what would happen when I moved out. Then I got a letter in the mail one day asking to terminate my lease early. Not because of my "improvements" but because the landlord was selling the building. All my work now sits in a landfill and a tower stands in its place.

To the OP: They're just blinds. Have the handyman move them, fill the holes, and move on.

@multi--I should have been a bit clearer in my response.

My landlord experience has been solely as a co-op shareholder subletting my unit. So my sublease agreement does not allow any major alterations. Hanging blinds, bookshelves and the like does not fall under the category of alterations; it's considered furniture/personal belongings and is expected to be removed, with any resulting damage patched/repaired, when tenant vacates.

>> All my work now sits in a landfill and a tower stands in its place.

But we have your story now, don’t we? Perhaps you’d rather have your time & money, but I’d rather have your story. It didn’t cost me a thing ;).

I LOVE the story. Before I bought here, I did the same as you in a building in California and my situation was the same: after I finished installing gorgeous Brazilian cherry wood floors (VERY carefully and a piece at a time so the super wouldn't catch wind of it), my downstairs neighbor complained of noise and I was forced to cover 80% of my masterpiece. I was so upset that I moved here and even with the hideous Covid situation, there is no place like Manhattan, so my indiscretion turned out to be the best "mistake" have ever made!!!!!!