Picture Hooks in a Rental Property

Hello all.

I'm considering supplying my tenant with a pack of 3M removable picture hooks when they move in (new house, no marks on any walls). From my own experience sometimes pictures suspended from these hooks have a habit of eventually crashing to the ground.

I'm not sure if I should install a small number of permanent hooks myself in main locations because the tenant may not desire a hook in the areas I choose. On the other hand I don't want them banging hooks in all over the place, nor do I want to be unreasonable by not allowing them to hang pictures in their own home.

Any suggestions?
 
Hi Ebbie, Im not sure what you mean by 'removable'. Do you mean the stick on ones? Ive just had to extract about half a dozen 3 inch nails from various walls in my IP. {why do people do that??} Leaving 'proper' picture hooks in the walls at strategic spots is a good idea. They are easily removed, leaving only a tiny hole, if they want to place them elsewhere.
Since Ive just had the floors sanded and polished, I left some packets of felt thingy's to put on furniture legs etc but whether the new tennants use them, remains to be seen!
 
Hi Sootygirl,

The 3M brand picture hooks are the sticky ones that can easily be removed without leaving any marks. They're supposed to be fairly strong but whenever I use them they eventually end up coming loose.

Where do you get the packets of felt thingy's to put on furniture legs to protect the floorboards?
 
Hi Ebbie

I had new tenants who bought packets of the self-stick-peel-off hook thingys.

I was aghast! I asked them to please take them back to the shop and that I would have no objection to a 'reasonable' amount of brass picture mounts being fixed to the wall.

The brass fittings are like a sort of compressed triangle and the brass nail comes in on an angle through a hole in the upper front of the triangle and through another hole on the long side of the fitting which is against the wall.

The brass doesn't rust and the weight of the picture is pressed against the wall.

The thought of adhesive anythings including blu-tac being used on my walls strikes fear into my heart. Tears in the paper covering the plasterboard are great nuisances and would require the entire wall to be repainted.

I have one property which is now seven years old and no one in all that time has so much as put up a calendar. I keep meaning to install the brass fittings but then forget to do that. No-one has complained so perhaps it's not really so much of an issue.

Cheers

Kristine
 
I just had tenants vacate. There were ample picture hooks in the wall when they moved in, however they put up at least 20 more, some even hanging on the edge of the cornice. They also had numerous things stuck into the gyprock with thumb tacks. I'm really annoyed as I only painted the place 2 years ago & now I have to fill & paint again. Such fun!
 
skater said:
I just had tenants vacate. There were ample picture hooks in the wall when they moved in, however they put up at least 20 more, some even hanging on the edge of the cornice. They also had numerous things stuck into the gyprock with thumb tacks. I'm really annoyed as I only painted the place 2 years ago & now I have to fill & paint again. Such fun!

skater
Why didn't the PM pick these up during inspections and request satisfactory fixing at the time?
Lplate
 
A tenant asked me for permission for blue tack for a picture. I told him to be sure it did not damage the wall.

It did damage the wall (Dulux suede effects, hard to cover well).

You do need to give people opportunities to make the place feel friendly.

Maybe the old picture rail is not a bad idea.

Apart from that, those, the brass hooks sound like a good idea.
 
Definately give tenants the opportunity to be house proud by providing a "reasonable" number of picture hooks. Ensure the number per room is noted on the condition report, and the lease can have additional clauses attached to cover the problem. These clauses tell the tenant you are serious about looking after the property, and tell the tenant the consequences of damage, and tell them how to try fro more hooks. Also, the clause is a reminder that there are "x" number of picture hooks in each room,(this reinforces the condition report), and that written permission must be secured in advance to instal additional picture hooks, permission may or may not be granted, and that any unauthorised picture hooks will be regarded as damage to the wall and will be subsequently removed and the wall repaired to original state all at the tenant's expense. That gives you control of the situation.
good luck
cheers
crest133
 
In QLd th the property must be returned to condition it was when the tenant leased it, aside from waer and tear. Picture hooks are not wear and tear and it is up to you or your property manager whether the tenant has to remove them and repair the holes afterwards. I personally allow brass picture hooks to remain but any nails etc have to be removed and the hole repaired. Those sticky picture hooks are terrible, best case scenario they leave a glue stain, worst they take the paint with it.

Darryl
 
RPI said:
Those sticky picture hooks are terrible, best case scenario they leave a glue stain, worst they take the paint with it.

My property manager agrees with you. She said it can be very hard to paint over the surface where the sticky picture hooks have been. It must leave some sort of residue. I think I will forget the idea of using them and provide a reasonable number of brass picture hooks instead (as suggested by Kristine and crest133). If the tenant requires any extra hooks other than the ones provided they will need to request permission first.

Thanks for your replies everyone.
 
RPI said:
In QLd th the property must be returned to condition it was when the tenant leased it, aside from waer and tear.

Absolutely !!

I used to (and expect all PM's to do the same) count the hooks etc and write them down on the condition report, which they sign when they take on the property. If that number changes then its the tenants responsibility (cost) to put it back the same as it was on entry.
 
Ebbie said:
Where do you get the packets of felt thingy's to put on furniture legs to protect the floorboards?

KMart have the felt disks with adhesive backs. These are OK for things that get moved occasionally and light use but they are definitely NOT adequate for chairs - they do move a bit and eventually come off.


Much better are ones from IKea. They have packs of felt pads that have a nylon back and a sharpened steel ring. You need a hammer to hit them hard enough to make them sink into chair legs.

These have lasted 5 years + on our dining chairs and are as good as new. So is the floor.
 
Blu tac a no no

Hi there

We once had our carpet cleaned and the chap told us that blutac was an awful thing to remove from carpets.

Just a thought I had ... perhaps a corkboard could be attached to a wall of a bedroom which was going to be used by kids - to attach their pictures to.

Just a thought.
 
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