Decor troubles

With millions of expats living in rented properties for the long haul, it’s only natural for tenants to make decorative changes that will make their houses feel like homes.

However, experts warn that by doing so, tenants may be unknowingly breaching the law. Mohammad Khalifa Bin Hamad, Senior Manager — Real Estate Relations at the Dubai Land Department, explains that the landlord must approve in writing any change that involves altering the integrity of the floors, walls, ceiling or any other part of the premises, including the garden.

It’s in the lease

“[Making] changes includes anything that would require a degree of effort and/or expense to revert to its original state,” he says.

This includes decorative alterations, such as painting walls and drilling to install shelves or hang photos.

“Nearly all leases contain a no-alteration clause, so it’s clear that you can’t make any alterations to the property,” says John Stevens, Managing Director of Asteco Property Management. “For any alteration, whether it’s painting or installing cupboards, you should be asking your landlord in writing.”

But property managers say they often discover these alterations only when the tenant has vacated the premises, especially with painting, drilling and flooring.

Security deposit

Although most landlords are aware that these changes are important for tenants to feel at home, the alterations often lead to disputes when tenants reclaim their security deposit.

“Tenants who unilaterally change the decor or alter the interior of a property without permission run the risk of losing some or all of their deposit, as the landlord will need to spend money restoring the premises to its original state,” says Mario Volpi, Managing Director of Prestige Real Estate. “The security deposit is always a cause of complaints and arguments. There are some landlords or companies that automatically take out the cost of repainting from the deposit, even if this deduction is debatable.”

Most property owners will repaint between tenants, but it is more difficult to return coloured walls to the original condition, Stevens explains, hence the charges.

Unapproved floor alterations are also common.

“Quite often, you’ll see carpets in bedrooms. They tend to glue it on the floor, so when tenants leave, it takes effort for the landlord to remove it and get it back to the required condition,” says Stevens.

“You have to understand, if you remove it and it is found that the floor was damaged during the installation, those costs are going to be levied on you.

“I haven’t seen requests [from the tenants to install carpets], but we find them when people were leaving.”

During the negotiation process, some landlords may choose to keep the alterations or to split the cost. However, some issues make that less likely.

“Operationally, if you have a compound of 30 villas, you don’t want one suddenly different, because when you get it back you don’t know the quality, how long it’s going to last and whether it’s going to be the taste of someone who moves in,” says Stevens. “And then, once you change it, who maintains it thereafter — is it the tenant or the landlord?”

Wrong paint or wallpaper

Paint can drastically change the look and feel of a home, but choosing poor-quality paint or the wrong type can do more harm than good.

Mistakes are commonly made when choosing paint for bathrooms and the outdoors, says Dilip Dolwani, Managing Partner of Plus Painting Works, a flooring and painting contractor.

“I have seen bathroom disasters with mildew and mould growing on the walls,” he says. “And it’s because people don’t use the right paint. They need to make sure the paint they purchase is moisture-resistant.”

Once mildew seeps into the walls, the problem could grow into a more serious issue.

“People then start paying double or triple the amount just to fix it rather than paying the extra bit for the right paint in the first place,” says Dolwani. “Another aspect is the lack of knowledge. It’s important to always look at the technical data sheet of the product, which tells you everything — what it’s designed for and what it should be used for.”

Effect of UV rays

Similarly, the right paint needs to be used outdoors. In the UAE, it is particularly important to use paint that can withstand the heat and sunlight, which can cause fading, explains Biren Arora, General Manager of Jotun Paints UAE.

“Ultraviolet [UV] rays are approximately 3 per cent of the composition of sunlight. This 3 per cent is extremely powerful due to shorter wavelengths and hence higher energy,” says Arora.

“This leads to degradation of the polymer and pigment and the fading of colour. Our [exterior] paints use durable pigments, which have been selected accurately and therefore provide protection against the damaging effect of UV rays.”

Arora advises against using extremely bright and luminous colours, such as bright reds, yellows, oranges, violets and pinks.

“The energy of the UV rays exceed the energy of the chemical bonds in the pigment of these colours, which leads to fading,” he says.

Health risks

Poor-quality paint will not only result in flaking and peeling, but could also contain lead, which poses health risks, as well as high levels of volatile organic compounds that are not environmentally friendly and could lead to structural damage. “When carbon dioxide in the atmosphere combines with water, it creates carbonic acid, the primary cause of chalking and peeling of the paint surface,” says Arora. “Chloride ions and moisture create hydrochloric acid, which penetrates concrete and erodes the steel rebars. On rusting, metal expands, thus cracking the concrete.”

Dolwani says they rarely recommend wallpaper as an alternative to paint.

“When you decide to change it, it’s a tedious and very labour-intensive process,” he says. “Wallpaper is removed with a stripper, a hot iron used to heat the wallpaper so the glue will emulsify and the paper comes off. This can damage the walls, so you need to put a skin coat, such as a plaster, to level it.”

Although wallpaper is not ideal in rental homes, there are options that are durable and easy to remove such as vinyl, grasscloth and suede, explains Lydia Mariano, Sales Consultant at Couture Furniture Manufacturing.

Vinyl is moisture-resistant and washable and comes in matte and glossy options. Grasscloth wallpaper, such as bamboo, is environmentally friendly and can give the home a natural look, while suede works well in lavish interior designs.

Similar to paint, different types of wallpaper are available for indoor and outdoor use, as well as for kitchens and bathrooms.

“A client may be looking for a particular pattern or design not achievable through paint, commonly floral designs,” says Mariano. “We have moisture-resistant vinyl or bamboo, as well as special wallpaper that can withstand heat.”

Most wallpapers come in moisture-resistant and washable options, so it’s important to ask vendors when making a purchase.

Quality wallpaper can range anywhere from Dh300 to more than Dh2,000 per roll, covering 5 sq m. And although wallpaper is available in the market at a fraction of the price, tenants must be weary of the possible consequences.

“We frequently have clients who have gone [for less-expensive options] and then complain that the colour fades or the paper erodes when they wipe the wallpaper, similar to when you’re scrubbing jeans,” she says. “They also say that sometimes they can see the glue under the wallpaper, or that it is impossible to remove without ruining the wall. It’s a mix of poor-quality wallpaper and incorrect application.”

Parquet, tile or carpet?

While the choice usually comes down to individual taste, each type of flooring has its pros and cons.

Tile, the standard in apartments and villas, is the most durable and requires the least maintenance. The cons? “It tends to give off a hospital look,” says Dolwani. “But it’s good in the sense that it’s easy to clean and there’s no maintenance. It also doesn’t have whopping effects like with wood.”

Tiles can start at as little as Dh15 per piece and reach more than Dh200, with the lower end more prone to chipping and cracking.

Those who prefer a cosier and warmer look can go the parquet route, but there are factors to be considered. The options available are solid wood, engineered wood and wood laminate or veneer. People living in rental units tend to choose wood laminate or veneer, as it is affordable and can be easily placed over the tile with a protective underlay. However, it can be costly.

Problem with doors

“You can put your parquet on top of tiles and the tiles won’t get damaged if it is done right,” says Dolwani. “What happens, though, is you raise the level of the floor, so you have to modify the doors, closets, etc., because they won’t be able to close.”

Furthermore, wooden floors tend to expand and contract with temperature. “The thing to remember when applying a wooden floor is to put a strip at the end and to leave a gap to allow the wood to expand,” Dolwani explains. “I have seen many wooden floors gone bad — you suddenly see a bulge in the middle. When the wood expands, it has to go somewhere, so it bulges. As a result it may start creaking and wobbling when you walk over it.

“Also, avoid putting wood in potentially wet areas, such as bathrooms or kitchens, because they’ll expand or bulge as soon as you spill coffee or water.”

Price of parquet

On average, solid wood costs about Dh400 per sq m, engineered wood Dh300-Dh500 and wood laminate anywhere between Dh50 and Dh300. The price depends on the product’s quality, including its durability and its ability to withstand temperature changes.

Carpet is least recommended because it collects dirt and dust. If properly installed, carpets will not ruin floors, but poor choices and lack of knowledge often lead to damage.

“Some customers choose to forgo the underlay because it’s cheaper, and instead glue it directly to the floor. That’s when problems happen,” says Mariano. “There is an option, however, where we can just stitch the carpet along the edges.”

Whenever tenants consider making permanent alterations to a rental home, Dolwani advises to ask themselves one important question: “Which will cause the least problems when you move out, if you have to return the property to its original condition?

“The answer to that question is probably the best route to take.”