Can my landlord evict me for painting my wall and kitchen cabinets without permission? (apartment)

[CRAZYSEXYCOOL]

I have lived in my apartment for 11 years and have painted my walls and kitchen cabinets without permission from the property management company. I am worried that if they see it they will evict me. I know that when I move I will have to paint over them. I painted one wall dark teal and the kitchen cabinets black. I have to say that the kitchen cabinets had already had years of being painted over them before I painted them black. The paint they used would not allow me to just wipe them off and the cabinets are so warped they dont even all close properly. I know I am making excuses for my actions but I feel like I made them look better even replacing all the knobs, I tried to replace the other hardware but they are so old and painted over so many times I could not get them off when I tried. Again I intend on painting everything back when I move I am just concerned that if they came in now they would evict me. But I know that one of my neighbors has painted their room a bright pink also.

[Grainraiser]

Your original lease will answer this question for you.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by CRAZYSEXYCOOL

I have lived in my apartment for 11 years and have painted my walls and kitchen cabinets without permission from the property management company. I am worried that if they see it they will evict me. I know that when I move I will have to paint over them. I painted one wall dark teal and the kitchen cabinets black. I have to say that the kitchen cabinets had already had years of being painted over them before I painted them black. The paint they used would not allow me to just wipe them off and the cabinets are so warped they dont even all close properly. I know I am making excuses for my actions but I feel like I made them look better even replacing all the knobs, I tried to replace the other hardware but they are so old and painted over so many times I could not get them off when I tried. Again I intend on painting everything back when I move I am just concerned that if they came in now they would evict me. But I know that one of my neighbors has painted their room a bright pink also.

First, what does your lease/rental agreement say about making any modifications?

Your landlord can decide to evict you for violating the terms of your lease. All the excuses you gave, what color you chose, what color your neighbor chose, how neglected your unit's cabinets are, how nice you think the result is, are beside the point. YOU chose the place and stayed all those years despite its condition. If you had wanted to make changes to someone else's property you should have gotten permission first. You didn't for whatever reason. Why not? Not only does that violate your contract with the property owner, it shows disregard for someone else's property rights and flaunted their authority. How happy would you be if you rented a bedroom in your house to someone and they decided to paint YOUR walls (color doesn't matter) without asking you first?

If your landlord does mandated safety or maintenance inspections of your unit, they're going to discover your unauthorized paint job eventually. They are probably within their rights to evict. Or, they could also charge some sort of fine, even withhold your security deposit if/when you do move out. Read your lease!

[Ultrarunner]

A big problem can be paint compatibility… especially on older units.

Premium paint for decades was oils base and I have experienced nightmares when tenants painted latex over oil… disaster where it eventually all checks and peels.

Oils are phased out in California and to convert to latex requires added steps to scuff and then oil primer before latex… never seen a renter do this.