After 14 Years, It’s Time for Some Fresh Paint

QUESTION: I moved into my one-bedroom Brentwood apartment in April, 1981. I think that I have been an excellent tenant with few demands.

While there have been periodic rent raises, the rent has not been raised in the last two years. My problem is that the apartment has not been painted since I moved in.

I don’t think that it’s fair for me to have to paint the apartment, and I can’t live with it like it is.

I’m afraid that if I ask the owner to paint the apartment he’ll raise the rent at the same time. Is the landlord obligated to paint the apartment periodically?

ANSWER: Generally, landlords are not required to periodically paint apartments in the State of California. At least one local jurisdiction, the City of West Hollywood, does require periodic painting, but the City of Los Angeles, of which Brentwood is a part, does not.

Even though the law does not mandate that the owner paint the apartment, that does not mean that you cannot ask for a new paint job, or that asking has to be uncomfortable.

You can request the painting verbally if you see the owner from time to time or have his phone number. Otherwise, a letter will suffice. Either way, you should first ask the owner if he would paint the apartment, or have it painted, for you.

Don’t give up even if he says no. You might next change your tactics, by asking him if he would be willing to split the cost with you, or buy the paint and allow you to do the work.

Regardless of how you ask, or which proposals you make, you are always better off requesting enhancements with a smile on your face and timely, monthly rent payments.

More Ideas About Secondhand Smoke

Q: I am a former mechanical contractor living in Lompoc and enjoyed your answer to the April 9 question headlined “What to Do About Secondhand Smoke.”

I would like to add to your comments by noting that many California jurisdictions have adopted Section 1206 (c) of the state mechanical code. It says that, “Return air from one dwelling unit shall not be discharged into another dwelling unit through the cooling system.”

Readers plagued by secondhand smoke coming through the cooling system may first check to see if this code applies to their situation.

Remember, however, that even if your city has adopted the code, the property may still have an exclusion or exemption from it. Verify that the code applies to your particular property before attempting to use it.

If the code does not apply, or if the smoke is coming from somewhere other that the cooling system, your recommendation to install an electrostatic filter is a good one. Also, I definitely would recommend installing the filter in the smoker’s apartment rather than the nonsmoker’s dwelling.

A: Thanks for your informative letter. Another reader indicated that he thought we should have stressed that the Gas Co., even though it’s not a government or consumer agency, will test for carbon monoxide emissions at no charge in addition to private heating and cooling companies.

Still another group that read the column, called SAFE (Smokefree Air for Everyone), which characterizes itself as “a network of individuals who have been injured or disabled by secondhand smoke,” said it was “delighted to see the letter about secondhand smoke. . . .”

SAFE can be reached at P.O. Box 246, Newbury Park, Calif. 91319. They can provide readers with additional information and resources relating to this issue.

But don’t get your hopes up too high. The SAFE letter concluded saying, “At the present time, when people complain that they are being exposed to secondhand smoke in an apartment, condo or townhouse, we suggest that their only remedy may be to move and that they seek an accommodation with their new landlord about protecting them from exposure to secondhand smoke.”

Postema is the editor of Apartment Age magazine, a publication of the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, an apartment owners’ service group. Mail your questions on any aspect of apartment living to AAGLA, 12012 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90025.

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“Apartment Life” columnist Kevin Postema has published “The Best of Apartment Life: How to Survive Apartment Living and Ownership,” a 154-page compilation of columns printed in The Times over the last five years.

It provides answers to 85 of the most frequently asked questions about apartment living, managing and ownership. The 23 chapters include “Nightmare on Elm Street: Tenant Screening,” “Water, Water Everywhere: Rules for Pools” and “When the Party’s Over: All About Moving Out.”

The book sells for $12.75, which includes tax, postage and packaging. Checks, made payable to AAGLA, should be sent to Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles, c/o Kevin Postema, 621 S. Westmoreland Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90005. Allow three weeks for delivery.