Improving a rent stabilized apartment?
Won $6k from some free slots on Stake US want to upgrade my rent stabilized apt without pissing off LL - what's actually allowed?
Been in my rent stabilized place for a few years, planning to stay long term. Just hit a nice $6k win and thinking about making this place more liveable since I'm basically locked into these great 2% increases.
The bathroom is depressing, kitchen is straight out of 1975, and everything feels grimy no matter how much I clean. But I know rent stabilized LLs can be super petty about ANY changes.
For those who've dealt with this - what upgrades can I realistically do without getting into a war with my LL? I know I can't touch plumbing or electrical, but there's gotta be some grey area between "hang pictures" and "gut renovation" right? Dishwasher on wheels? Portable washing machine?
Specifically wondering about:
- Those peel and stick backsplashes - do they actually look decent?
- Can I upgrade light fixtures if I keep the old ones?
- Is painting really allowed or is that just something everyone "gets away with"?
- Anyone tried those vinyl floor overlays?
Also interested in furniture solutions, and looking for actual apartment improvements I can get away with. Really don't want to screw up my stabilized status over some backsplash tiles...