Hi. I have a question. Is the first time when this happen to me. I moved recently into a property, but with agency not directly with landlord I had the deal.

So .. I understand they need to check the house every 6 months .no problem , it s ok.

They was here first time and the report received back wasn’t satisfactory.

I have kids so I decided to apply stickers on the walls, everywhere. I take the responsibility to clean the walls and everywhere when the tenancy will end ! I will leave the walls how was at the beginning of the tenancy . I paid and the deposit as well .

Now I received an email from the agency where is writed to remove all the stickers as soon as possible because the landlord said and they will come again to make photos and to check everything. I m feel uncomfortable with this situation , I m feel frustrated because I m feel a stranger in this house .

The landlord have the right to do this during the agreement???

I haven’t “borrow” the house for free! I ve pay every month for everything and the deposit as well to cover any damage in the house !

NE/PA please don’t speak about my kids !!! You think when you open your mouth? About what respect you tolk? They are kids !! They imagine the room to be with princess , colourful and everything like this .

Why you rent if you don’t want anyone to touch your property? What do you think ? All people will come and they will just sleep like in hotel ? In what world do you live ? Landlords have a lot of requirements, but in the same time have responsibilities no? Don’t forget this !

It seems you are looking for a landlord to say it's OK what you are doing.

You will not, because is not.

Your rental agreement should / probably has a clause where it says the house needs to be maintained in a neat, clean, pest-free condition during your occupancy as well as returning it in the same condition.

The person who owns this house has determined that stickers all over the walls is not the proper way to keep the house.

(I have raised three children and never had any stickers on any walls - not on ceilings, floors, cabinets or appliances either.)

You must maintain it to the standard that the owner says is proper and acceptable.

If these are "regular" stickers, they will be hard to remove. There will be sticky stuff left on the wall and the wall be all scratched up and damaged in the process of getting them off. Then the wall will need to be repaired and repainted.

See how much work it can be? Get started doing what you need to do - remove them - then you will understand better that it is damage to the house.

Maintain the house to the owner's standard, be thankful you have a decent place for your kids & yourself, make sure you always pay rent on time, and promptly report things that are broken or dripping. That is not too much to ask.

OR.....

give proper notice, pay any fee required to break the lease and move out

If you keep the attitude you have now, you will have nothing but trouble the whole time you are living there. Even if you truly think you are right on something, you need to obey the rule of the person who OWNS the house, for as long as you live there.

If you have used the more expensive, wall decals that are truly removable, you might NICELY give this information to the management and ASK if those type are OK.

@DJ are not regular stickers !! Not my kids applied stickers on the wall ! I ve maded ! Are special “stickers” for decoration !!! Who can be removed without to affect the wall or the colour!

And like I ve said ! If something like that will happen, like the wall to be affected and if need to be painted I will do by my self and I will repair everything !

Sorry ? To be thankful because I have a decent place to stay ? The landlord don’t picked me from the street ! If the tenants will disappear, the landlord’s will calm down and persons like you , will stop to be so rude and arrogant!

@DJ I used special stickers what don’t affect the walls . And if something like that will happen I will repair everything.

I haven't any idea about ON laws.

But, I know about the proximity to the US and that the history of laws in ON is based on English Common law, so I expect SOME similarity of tradition if not statute. Thus, my advice would be as follows, but disclaiming any actual knowledge of how it works in ON.

Your question was, "The landlord have the right to do this during the agreement???" regarding stickers on the wall.

My answer is NO, he doesn't.

You received the premises in some specific condition, and your obligation is to return them in the same condition, ordinary wear & tear excepted. I don't know of any states or laws that govern how you are required to maintain them during the tenancy, except when you have affected some permanent (actual) DAMAGE to the premises.

I suggest that you consult a local attorney to ask about your obligations, but I would be discouraged to think that LL has a right to stop you from putting stickers on the wall.

Perhaps Legal Aid Ontario can answer your questions simply over the telephone.

I would ask about:

1. Your OBLIGATION to not use the walls for stickers during the tenancy. There are products like GOOF-OFF that do a pretty effective job of removing stickers and their residue. Are you FORBIDDEN to put up stickers, or just responsible to repair any actual DAMAGE at end of tenancy (OR, may landlord simply deduct from security any cost of repairing actual damage after move-out)?

2. What are your rights regarding quiet enjoyment of the premises?

3. What is landlord's recourse if you (two) disagree about your rights in this regard? What procedures are required?

4. What are your rights regarding the "possession" of the walls during your "possession" of the dwelling? The landlord retains title to the dwelling, but you have legal possession of the dwelling. Who has possession of the walls during the tenancy?

5. Is posting stickers (specify what kind) part of ordinary wear & tear as a result of simply using the premises as your abode?

It all seems like the proverbial tempest in a teapot to me. Why can't you all get along and reason your way to finding a reasonable solution to whatever problem landlord seems to have?

What works for me may not work for you, depending on your style. What I would do is this:

I would write a letter responding to the landlord's demand to remove the stickers, pointing out that you are of course anxious to please the landlord and to work together with him to iron out minor disagreements like this one, having due regard to your (mutual) rights and responsibilities. Therefore (I would ask) what is his insistence that I remove the stickers immediately based upon, instead of waiting until you leave?

But that works well for me, because I am sometimes a smart-a$$, and you should handle it however you and/or the advisor decide.

Are you kidding me? YOU applied stickers to the walls? Do you know how hard they are to remove? How 8 times out of 10 the drywall paper comes with it? And then you have to skim coat and paint it all over again!

You just caused THOUSANDS of dollars worth of damage! It is $2000 just to paint the inside of a house.

What are you 6 years old!? Did you grow up in a trailer park?

"I decided to apply stickers on the walls, everywhere"

"Are you kidding me? YOU applied stickers to the walls? Do you know how hard they are to remove? How 8 times out of 10 the drywall paper comes with it? And then you have to skim coat and paint it all over again!"

Are YOU kidding me?

So she applied stickers to the walls.

Do YOU know how hard they are to remove? (or how easy?) Please tell us about that. Any experience with goo-gone or goof-off? How about WD-40, alcohol, ammonia, vinegar or even mayonnaise?

You ought to paint completely anyway, after a tenant moves out, for the benefit of the new tenant. Or, are you one of those guys that expect the premises to look unused, and then collect a free paint job at tenant expense every few tenants?

Who are you kidding? I know about turning over apartments, too. So do judges. Paint is part of normal turnover. And a goo-gone'ed sticker doesn't cause any extra problems which would be give a landlord legitimate right to collect anything extra. Do you mean to tell me that you don't paint over (simple good paint) properties between tenants? Do you get tenants that you deserve?

A VERY quick internet search uncovers a site called "Steps to Justice: Your Guide to Law in Ontario", which claims that

"The law gives you the right to make decorative changes to your home. For example, you can hang pictures or put up shelves.

But if your decorations cause too much damage, the law allows your landlord to evict you or ask for money for repairs.

You and your landlord have these rights whether you have a written rental agreement or a spoken rental agreement."

So you might ask the question at Legal Aid Ontario about stickers as damage.

The "Steps to Justice" site also states that

"You don't need permission from your landlord to hang decorations like pictures on your walls or to put up window coverings like curtains. You can also put up shelves or install a wall-mounted television. It's probably unreasonable for your landlord to have rules about these kinds of decorative changes. For example, it would be unreasonable for your landlord to say you can't put any nails in the walls to hang pictures."

So another question might be: what about stickers as being better or worse than nails in the walls.

"Now I know you’re not a real landlord Moshe. “You ought to paint completely anyway, for the benefit of the new tenant”. Hahahahaha."

You mean to say that you don't even paint for a new tenant? What kind of tenants do you get?

I'm a REAL landlord, not a slumlord, a professional, and I get tenants at prices that match, even when I discount rents. I follow laws and good conduct, I have happy tenants without disputes, I haven't gone to court in 30 or 40 years, and I just don't have hassles like so many complaints to Mr. Landlord.

YES, why would you?

When I present an apartment to a new tenant, it looks good, smells nice, its a pleasure to move into. I don't know about you, but if you don't do that, I suppose that you are getting the tenants that you deserve.

After a couple of years living, apartments could always use a new coat of paint, dirt, scuffs, handprints. Units do NOT require tenant to turnover in "rentable" condition. normal wear & tear is excepted. New tenants are entitled to a clean and sparkling environment, and thats how I get the kind of tenants that I get, and keep them.

So, why would YOU do the extra work? For me its professionalism, maybe for you its not. You're afraid of extra work, I'm not. Maybe thats how you get the kind of tenants that you do.

Well, we certain;y don't need you to paint the floors.

Are the walls clean enough eat off of? But only when you come to rent them? Or, all the time?

We all would like tenants that keep the property as clean as when they moved-in. Do you suppose that turning over clean properties when they move-in helps to make that come true? How long do your tenants stay? What do you do for new tenants? Anything?

Remember, the point of this thread is about stickers.

I hate any kind of stickers. We bought a repo doublewide and they were everywhere. It was hell getting them off. I told my 1st tenant in that property how I hated those things and how bad it was. What did she do? Put stickers everywhere! Well guess what? After she left in about 18 months, it didn't go well for her, she likes to change men and houses real often. When she wanted to rent from me again later, I always had a reason not to rent to her. I never forgot it. She was a total pain in the tookus always whining about something.

I hate whiners and I hate stickers.

Yes Moshe I have removed stickers from mirrors, ceilings, walls and I had 1 tenant leave Fedex stickers on 1960s interior wood doors.

They can be extremely hard to remove and labor intensive.

Because of these incidents my leases clearly says:

What is the point, here, is what is tenants' obligation? To immediately remove stickers, or to challenge landlord about his right to demand.

In Ontario.

I for one, am curious about the respective rights and responsibilities. Alexandra, I hope you will contact Legal Aid Ontario, and report to us what they say. I would like to know.

I wouldn’t worry if this was my tenant, it’s something I can easily deal with.

I do concern myself with the tenants willingness to quickly sour the relationship.

@Moshe you have perfectly right !

Bonanza, I notice that your lease clause says, "damage", not some other word (damage usually has a specific meaning), it doesn't except wear & tear, and a few other things.

I don't know if NC is one of those states with formerly garbage-men for JPs, or if your legal system is modern enough, but your lease clause leaves a lot of holes for what modern legal thinking would enforce. I don't find stickers to be even the slightest problem.

“ I don’t paint for new tenants unless my unit needs new paint. Why would I? --24.152.xxx.xx”

Now I understand why you prefer to have tenants who come like an hotel just to sleep . For you is just business! Just win but not investment! Smart !

Alexandra, I do not have the wisdom as a lot of others on this forum, but I do have a slight amount of experience as to what you are concerned about with the stickers.

Before I get to my example, part of the problem that I see is that as the property owner, they, the owner, has invested a lot of money and time into a building that they are putting perfect strangers in. As the owner, they are concerned with getting a return on their investment as that is the whole point in investing in rentals to start with. In order to try and ensure that they make the rental profitable, they need to place certain guidelines and rules in place for the tenants to follow. The reason for the periodic inspections is twofold. One, to check for any Maintenace issues that need to be addressed that the LL is responsible for. Second, is to ensure that the tenants are following the rules and not damaging the place. You already said that you understand the reason for the inspection and that you are okay with that. That is a good start.

Try to look at it from the owner/LL perspective. They have rented to strangers and have no idea what type of person you really are other than some screening before approving you as a tenant. They really have no idea as to whether you will return the unit as it was, nor as to what type of decals that you are using. They are not trying to be offensive but rather protecting their investment. I believe that you would probably feel the same as the LL in this case if the tables were turned. You would be wanting to protect your investment.

I am betting that the LL may not know of the more modern style decals out there today but has probably experienced the dreaded older style decals that are very difficult to remove and cause damage. I am also thinking that a wiser approach for you to take would be to first look over your lease and see if it mentions anything about decals or certain types of decorations. I also think that good communication will go a long way. You may try asking the LL if you can show him/her how the decals are easily removed without damage to the walls to ease their concern. However, if they don't agree and still say to remove them than it would most likely be in your best interest to just remove them. If you ended up having to remove them and you are not happy with that than you can always move when your lease is up. Nobody wants to be in an upset landlord/tenant relationship. It doesn't work out well for either party.

Now for my example: I once rented to a young lady with a very nice and polite little girl. I went over to do a quarterly maintenance check one time and there were crayon marks all over the shower stall. The kid had obviously enjoyed herself, but I thought I was going to die and was looking at a several thousand-dollar bathroom remodel to a bathroom that had already been remodeled. I asked the mother if those crayon marks would clean off and she explained to me that they would as they were made to wash right off. Sure enough, I go over to do the next maintenance check and the shower stall was clean. What a relief. However, I then noticed that she had put decals all over the little girl's room. I thought I was going to die again. Turns out that they were the kind of decals that you mention you are using, and they left no damage when removed. I now have no problem with that, but at first, I didn't know. The biggest key, I think, is that that tenant and I could communicate at a respectable level. So, maybe first kindly ask to show the LL that the decals you are using do no damage and see what happens. After all, the decals are already there.

I hope this helps give you some insight into how the LL may be thinking about this and why their concern. I hope that things will work out for both you and the LL and that you can both communicate well and have a good landlord/tenant relationship.

Please do update us on what you decided to do and how it goes.

Never believe the marketing. I've seen all kinds of stickers, tapes, clay's, and the like over the last 40 years and not one of them when left for more than a little while comes off without damage. Your landlord knows what he is talking about. He has a right to protect his property.

If you really want to keep the stickers then address the landlords concern. He likely doesn't believe he has enough deposit to cover the cost and we all have had dozens of tenants say they will take care of it and then bolt leaving the cost to repair on the landlord. Simply offer to give him an extra $5000 for a security deposit. That should be close to enough to make the repairs once they don't come off. He may request more if his labor rates are high.

My lease is clear no stickers alowed period. I provide ook hooks to hang pictures and rubber feet for furniture. Command strips do peel paint and the drywall. And the vinyl rub on stickers are also difficult to remove after a year or more, ask me how I know. When you get them off you will also see the ghost shadow of them because the paint has discolored on the rest of the wall, from those harmless candles and smokers.

If this isn't a joke it certainly shows the off-the-charts hubris of tenants these days post C19. Just b/c you pay rent doesn't mean you own the place! Try returning your furniture and appliances to rent-a-centre with stickers all over everything.

Over time the adhesive becomes practically concrete. Moshe is militantly pro-tenant and probably doesn't even own any rental property so of course the OP agrees with him.

BTW "Racissss" has lost all meaning as it is used as frequently as salt on fries and 99% of the time without justification.

You might want to call Mr. Convenience or Rental City and see what their policy is on returning items with adhesive/stickers plastered all over the item(s).

You might want to call Mr. Convenience or Rental City and see what their policy is on returning items with adhesive/stickers plastered all over the item(s).

I've had problems with lots of different 'removable' stickers damaging walls, including the command strips that claim they're removable. I think many / most companies selling stickers claim they're 'removable' when they are not, to increase their sales.

Map, I would beg to differ with your comment about it being no different.

They are flushable. It's the problem created after they are flushed that causes issues.

Plenty MO I had a few tenants TRY it three or four times and then had the collection box cleaned. Cost 300.00.

I see several problems in this thread. The first being a tenant coming to a LL website and asking a question and expecting to get the answer they want. I can assure you, this will rarely be the case. The second major issue is the tenant then arguing when they didn't get the answer they wanted. That seems to have not gone over very well.

6x6 did a pretty good job of laying it out. In his scenario, he also said he checked the stickers and they were removable. I would add just a little bit in that they were removable when they were recently applied. I've had these stickers on walls and I HATE them. After they've been on the wall for a period of time, that removable feature isn't so removable anymore. I can say that any tenant that has put stickers on the wall hasn't gotten a deposit back, even if they take them down before leaving. The reason is you can still see the outline from the stickers, sticky stuff was still on the wall or the tenant damaged the wall when taking them down (because they weren't truly removable). I then had to repair and repaint the wall.

So I guess at the end of the day you are asking if you have the right to put stickers up. My answer is "probably", but I would check your lease and area laws on this. I would add though that it may not be a good idea. You already know your landlord hates this idea and if you start a fight over it, I'm afraid you won't come out on the winning end. If you find that the stickers aren't truly removable as the packages claim, you will end up paying for repairs that were easily avoided.

An alternative I would suggest. This is just a suggestion to keep the peace with the LL and only a suggestion. You proceed how you wish. Get 3 or 4 picture frames 8x10 or larger. Hang them in your kids room and constantly change what's in them. They can draw some art to display, make a collage of stickers, print some pictures they take or any number of things. The kids may love it because anything in those frames they had a choice on and directly contributed to making it happen.

At the end of the day, I don't think anyone here was saying you couldn't decorate. A lot of us have just had experiences with these stickers you are talking about and would prefer you found a different form of decoration. They really are a pain in the rear to get off the wall, even if the packaging says removable.

Alexandra, you and your landlord have an agreement that you will not put stickers on the walls. Your landlord expects you to honor your agreement. That you accept financial responsibility for repairs at time of move out doesn’t change your agreement to not put stickers on the walls.

You are expected to do everything that you agreed to do and you are expected not to do anything that you agreed to not do.

SHORT EASY ANSWER:

Doogie's suggestion about picture frames is excellent.

Alternatively, talk to your agency reps about getting a project display board from Walmart or wherever you get school supplies (about $3.50 USD) and putting the stickers on that, and then attaching the display board to the wall with thumbtacks, a push pin, or something else agreeable. You both win that way. You get to personalize for your daughters. The landlord doesn't have any further wall damage.

LONG HARDER ANSWER:

Alexandra,

Many posters on this site have given you some good advice, both in terms of staying on good terms with your agency and with your landlord, and for saving you time and money and minimizing additional costs that may come from your security deposit (or exceed your security deposit) or cause you not to have a good rental reference when you have to move.

If your landlord is uncomfortable with you, they will not renew your lease regardless of whether you want to stay there. Think about that when deciding which battles you want to fight and how you want to fight them.

Your disappointment is understandable regarding not being able to decorate extensively in certain ways. DJ has given good advice in terms of decorating with curtains and bedding, throw pillows, and rugs. These things personalize a home, and can be taken with you without any damage.

Each landlord can set their own criteria, and it may be different than another landlord. I give my tenants guidance to decorate with no more than 5 nail holes per room, and will now be updating my tenant paperwork to include a limitation on wall stickers. The reason is as others have stated - It can be very costly to patch and repair drywall, prime, and then repaint. Tenants who attempt repair often do it incorrectly, and then it costs them even more than if they had left it alone.

Moshe is trying to be supportive to you, but may be misleading you in some of the practical aspects of life. You may consult an attorney or Legal Aid, but if a tenant told me they had done so over a decorating matter, they have also told me that I should not renew their lease and they will need to find a new home. In fact, if they even started talking about their legal rights versus trying to solve the issue at hand, they would soon be gone. You can help Moshe satisfy his curiosity regarding Legal Aid Ontario, but it is doubtful that he will be helping you find housing if things turn sour. ( Moshe has been an active and respected participant on this forum and given many landlords good advice, but that advice is usually geared towards landlords who can bear the consequences of their actions, and not tenants who may have limited resources.)

Moshe's experience with attempting to remove sticker residue with goo-gone, goof-off, WD-40, alcohol, ammonia, vinegar or mayonnaise does not mirror mine. Those have not been the magic or instant remedies many think they are. I wonder how often he has actually used those, or if he simply reporting the results of a Google search.

Moshe also paints between every tenant and in his words, "get tenants at prices that match." If your pocketbook is not as deep as Moshe implies his tenants' pocketbook are, don't assume that repainting is required by landlords at turnover. I've only heard the claim that a landlord is required to paint after every tenant from a citiot who caused a lot of wall damage that could not simply be painted over, and was contemptuous of all feedback that would help her mitigate and avoid further damage. It cost her multiples of her security deposit to repair walls in every room of the house, with payments being made for far longer than she was in the house.

In my area, people who do not come from a large city don't make those wild "landlord is supposed to" claims as often. Outside of big cities, people often have the different depth of home or community training that comes about when it is inevitable that you will run into people or their relatives elsewhere in town. In other words, they learn how to maintain things from a young age.

I use good quality, name brand, washable paint that, written into my lease, should last a minimum of 5 years. The actual product specs state it should several times longer. It is a low VOC paint, so new paint smell is minimized. My tenant handbook gives guidance as to how to care for the paint on walls, including instructions on how to clean high touch areas. Dirt, scuffs, and handprints disappear with a quick light wipe. All of this is useless if there is sufficient drywall damage that has to be repaired and then repainted.

If an apartment is not painted between tenants, the professional sparkling cleaning job and the smell of clean impresses prospects during showings. That includes the nicely cleaned walls.

When my sister moved out of her city apartment after a couple of years of living there, the apartment manager was impressed, and stated that she did not think that they would have to paint. The apartment was both in rentable condition and move-in condition.

The last tenant moveout I oversaw was in excellent condition, and very clean.

Most rooms in my own home have not been painted in over 20 years. People have thought that I have repainted several times over the years. All I do is wipe off spots on the walls once or twice a year with a damp white rag. Takes less than 15 minutes. The same is true for my relatives homes, even those who are raising or have raised kids. A lot of stickers on the wall looks great on TV shows and in movies where there is a set designer, but is not practical in real life.

Best wishes with the next inspection.

Moshe,

I'm not Bonanza, but I am a NC resident. I have met my fair share of current of both current and former garbage-men. They all have a lot more sense and wisdom than the people who talk down to them and about them. They may even make excellent JPs, if called upon to serve, as they would take the job and its impacts on people seriously. As to whether our legal system is "modern enough", my remote observation is that magistrates seem to try to avoid leaving people in a bad lurch for the sake of ego and elitism, while still being within the bounds of the law. Whether that is modern, or ancient, or whatever you want to call it, there is merit to a pragmatic, thoughtful approach. If you haven't been near a courtroom in 30 to 40 years, please don't give vulnerable and housing challenged people advice that could lead them into getting into a courtroom situation they may ill afford or otherwise losing their housing. Save the theoretical legal advice for the landlords.

Have had many a tenant come up with creative ways to decorate without damage and allow their children fun in helping decorate. One great idea was to have his children draw and color pictures. The father then attached the pictures to yarn

If Moshe is silent on putting stickers on his car, then legally he has given implicit permission for us to do so.

If he breaks his silence and says no, then we know he does not have full confidence in goo-gone, goof-off, WD-40, alcohol, ammonia, vinegar or mayonnaise.

Whether he gives us implicit or explicit permission to do so, I'm certain that he will bring a car to a Mr. Landlord convention to be plastered with stickers. Then he will satisfy his curiosity by testing some of the sticker removal methods. He will also leave some stickers on the car a long time (until a subsequent convention) to see how easily they will be removed with time and whether the glue leaves a residue. If he brings a rental car, he will satisfy his curiosity by bringing his legal arguments to the car rental agency, and let us know how that turns out. If he doesn't show up, or shows up without a car, he is giving us permission (on behalf of garbage men everywhere) to paste a crow badge on his shirt the next time any of us sees him.

Moshe can tell us what other legal interpretation can be made by an answer or non-answer.

Whens the next meeting ?

I've always been confused about Moshe's sex. Sometimes she sounds distinctly female, other times completely male.

Stickers: a NO STICKERS ANYWHERE clause went into my lease several years ago after a tenant put cute pink "puffy" stickers all over her BRAND NEW FRIDGE. You guys know we always buy used, this was an experiment and we installed a new one - it was a newly built ADU and everything ELSE was new, so we tried. When she attempted to remove the stickers at move-out, their color had bled into the finish of the fridge and couldn't be washed off. We had to paint it and now it looks just like the used ones we always get.

Lessons learned: no new appliances. And NO STICKERS ANYWHERE.