Q: Can landlord take tenants’ personal belongings’ photos without consent Can I keep removable alterations while on lease
Landlord came to house for toilet problems the. Started take photos everywhere even we told her we do not consent and asked to stop. She pointed out removable alterations we made. Pictures on the walls with removable hooks on them. We felt very violated. We have asked her to delete our personal belongings’ photos and we want to keep removable alterations while we are on lease. She served formal inspection notice because she was interrupted taking photos of our personal items.
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A:
It sounds like your landlord may have crossed the line by taking photos of your personal belongings without your consent. In Washington, tenants have a right to privacy in their homes, and this includes the right to control who takes photos of their personal belongings. If your landlord has refused to delete the photos, you may want to consider sending them a demand letter stating that they are violating your privacy rights.
As for the removable alterations, tenants are generally allowed to make reasonable alterations to their rental units, as long as the alterations do not cause damage to the property and can be easily removed without leaving any damage behind. The removable hooks you have used to hang pictures on the walls fall into this category, so you should be able to keep them in place while you are on the lease.
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