A Swedish man has been fined by his landlord for carrying out shoddy DIY work and painting his house an abnormal shade of green.
A Rent and Tenancy Tribunal fined the tenant of two years SEK 32,000 (EUR 3,470) after agreeing that the work was carried out in an amateurish fashion and that the colour of the man’s bedroom deviated, “from what can be seen as normal and established”.
The landlord, who says the Gothenburg property was originally well-maintained, with oiled wooden floors and skirting boards, asked the Swedish Tenants’ Association to compile a report after finding the stairwell, bedroom and other rooms inadequately decorated after the lodger moved out. He had apparently crudely painted over the specially treated wooden surfaces and left many areas unfinished.
Speaking to The Local, Ase Sundstorm from the tribunal explained that such cases are uncommon. “According to legislation, a tenant is allowed to wallpaper or repaint the rented flat, but if the landlord thinks that the work has decreased the value of the flat he can demand compensation,” she said. “If there is a disagreement it will always be a judgement call and not everyone will have the same views on style,” she added.