How to ask the landlord to fix lighting?

If your lease agreement does not forbid you from hanging pictures by drilling a small hole in the wall, you should be able to do this simple task without having it discuss it with the landlord.

Your responsibility is to return the apartment in the same condition it was in when you received it. If you have put some nail holes into the walls for hanging pictures or other things, use a product like Poly Filla. You don't need to leave it up to the landlord.

1. Fill hole using even a butter knife.

2. After it sets, lightly sand it or use a damp sponge over it. You'll never know where the hole was.

3, Touch up with a bit of paint [ask the landlord. He will be sure to have some on hand]

* You will not have to leave the light fixture since you are not making structural changes to the premises. Just make sure you fill in, clean up and paint where the holes were.

If you are not permitted to put in nail holes or screws into the walls, since some landlords insist that pictures be hung using adhesive material, ask the landlord for permission and assure him that all will be returned to normal when you vacate.

If their are ceiling fixtures that don't work, it is a code violation. Notify the land lord in writing that the lights are not working and need repair. The land lord has to repair them within a reasonable amount of time. In most states a reasonable amount of time is calling an electrician the next working day, plus what ever amount of time the electrician needs to get to your job. If the land lord does not repair the lights within a reasonable amount of time, you can sue in small claims court.

If your bedrooms do not have light fixtures, then it is up to you to provide your own lamps. Some homes, not all, built in the 1960's / early 1970's did not have ceiling light fixtures they relied upon lamps to light bedrooms.

Put some table or floor lamps in the room. In home centers like Home Depot or Lowes you can buy little gadgets that turn the lights on and off with a little remote. You won't have to ask the landlord anything.

Just ask, but understand that any material changes made to the property, stay with the property. That means if you get approval to install a light fixture, don't expect to take it with you when you leave.