What work needs to be done on a rental property in Luxembourg?

You are a landlord in Luxembourg and your tenant has contacted you to ask for permission to carry out certain repairs in the apartment he rents. Could you stop him from doing so if you wanted to? How do you get everyone to agree? When you work with someone, it's important to know your rights as well as theirs. Our answers!

The tenant's right to decorate

Disputes concerning the completion (or lack thereof) of home improvement projects are a frequent source of friction in the individual real estate market in Luxembourg. In practice, the lease remains the reference contract that sets out the uses, rights and responsibilities of each party.

For this reason, the tenant may be required by the lease to return the property with the same color paint on the walls. However, this will not prevent the tenant from painting the walls in any style he or she wishes while living there. After taking inventory of the fixtures to be removed, he can easily restore them to their original color.

You have no legal standing to prevent your tenant from decorating his studio with paint. He has the possibility to use colors totally different from the standard palette if he wishes. The tenant is responsible for all costs associated with returning the apartment to its pre-tenancy condition, including but not limited to painting the walls before the lease is considered terminated.

Any changes or repairs must always be approved by the landlord

Your studio tenant writes or calls you to let you know that they want to make renovations to make the space more livable. Rearranging the kitchen by getting rid of old furniture, updating the bathroom with water-saving faucets, or even installing glass over the bathtub can all be helpful.

You must make a formal request for the tenant to undertake any of these activities; otherwise, they will not be undertaken. And if it's just a few minor tweaks, they can't force you to invest with them (but if you agree to the work and think it's a pretty good idea, you can freely contribute to the expense).

Although your tenant may be willing to make repairs or renovations to the apartment at his or her own expense, you are entitled to refuse these requests. If he or she changes the apartment without your permission, for example by replacing the faucets, you can ask him or her to return everything to its previous state.

Agree with your tenant!

Negotiations between tenants and landlords can be difficult when it comes to making changes to the apartment, as tenants and landlords often have different ideas about what constitutes an acceptable improvement (and not necessarily the same concept of comfort). However, in order to keep the peace during the lease, you should pay close attention to your tenant's requests and not be afraid to hire an agency to handle the administration of work, repairs and other complaints that may arise. This will save you time, avoid disputes and lighten your daily load.