Landlords and Facebook

Plenty of people have worried about their future boss seeing what’s on their facebook page but this week a new concern has popped up. What happens when your future landlord sees what’s on your page? This past week there was an application rejected because after receiving the application the landlord “Facebooked” the person applying and didn’t like what they saw. Photos of the applicant drunk large speakers in the background and people everywhere made the landlord uncomfortable that their place would be well maintained. The discovery is one that many people who have grown up with Facebook may have to deal with a lot more in the future.

The landlord didn’t break any fair housing laws when rejecting the applicant but at the same time it seems unfair. I’ll be the first to admit that a good portion of the photos on Facebook reflect this behavior but that’s because times of enjoyment are times when people take photos. No one has the photos of them studying for that large final exam, or when they are giving that big important presentation at work. So what can be done? Change your privacy settings. Know that just like your future employer may look at your Facebook page, so will your future landlord.

Before and After

It never ceases to amaze me what a big change some paint and furniture can make in how you view a space. Take a look at what Ashley Whitaker Design was able to do with this dining room.

Now see what some minor and major work can do.

The difference is pretty amazing and when you look at was done, it really was a lot! No worries though, you can get a similar look accomplished for much less. The major work that was done: removing the beams in the ceiling, staining the floors, minor electrical and adding the built in cabinet. Now how do you accomplish this all for much less?

1. Don’t worry about the floors! (If you don’t own, you can’t make this change anyways!) If you notice, an area rug covers most of the floor so there’s little bare wood showing anyways. Find a rug that works with your furniture in terms of colors and you won’t have to worry about the floor at all.
2. Don’t worry about custom built-ins. There are plenty of companies that make pieces you can self assemble that serve the same purpose. Ikea will allow you build a similar cabinet at half the cost of a custom built cabinet.
3. Paint changes everything! Perhaps one of the biggest changes you can make in a room, is the color you paint the room. Know what colors work well with the furniture you’re planning to place in the room. This is what will help make the change seem so dramatic. Most landlords allow tenants to paint as long as the tenant paints it back before they move out.

Three simple steps that can dramatically change the way a room looks and how it is used.