Resident Perspective: I Want to Decorate My Home for the Holidays

The holidays are here, and I want to decorate my home. I want to pull out the boxes that have been stored away all year, hang the decorations my kids made when they were little, put a wreath on the door, string up some lights and make the place feel festive. Maybe my traditions are religious. Maybe they are cultural. Maybe I just really love Christmas. Whatever the reason, this is the place where I live, where my family gathers, and where I am making memories. I want it to feel like my home.

That seems reasonable, doesn't it?

I think most housing providers would say yes. But this is also one of those areas where the perspectives of a resident and a property owner can collide pretty quickly. The resident sees the perfect spot for a string of lights. The housing provider sees brand-new siding and wonders how those lights are getting attached. The resident sees a beautiful Christmas tree. The housing provider starts thinking about water on the floor, fire hazards and pine needles everywhere. There has to be some middle ground.

Residents should be able to reasonably decorate the homes they rent. That doesn't mean they should be able to drill holes into exterior siding, climb onto the roof to install a giant display, paint a wall red and green for December, or make permanent alterations to the property. It does mean that ordinary, temporary decorating should generally be treated as part of living in a home.

The better question isn't whether the housing provider likes the decorations. It is whether they are likely to damage the property, create a safety issue, interfere with someone else's use of the property, or violate a rule that actually applies to the home. That distinction matters. A wreath hanging from a removable hook is very different from something screwed into an exterior door. Lights wrapped around a lanai railing are different from lights stapled into the siding. A few decorations outside an entry are different from decorations blocking a walkway. And a quiet display is different from an inflatable Santa accompanied by Christmas music playing until midnight. Reasonableness works both ways.

Practical tip: Don't forget about the rules imposed by the HOA/AOAO. Residents are required to comply with the HOA/AOAO House Rules regardless of what the owner says is permissible.

Safety also needs to be part of the conversation, particularly during the holidays. Lights and electrical decorations should be in good condition and rated for where they are being used. Extension cords and outlets shouldn't be overloaded, and decorations shouldn't block doors, stairs, walkways, smoke alarms or other safety equipment. Candles and other open flames require obvious care, and live trees need to be maintained so they don't become dry and combustible.

Here in Hawaii, we have another consideration: wind. Anything placed outside, particularly on a lanai, balcony, fence or yard, needs to be secured well enough that the next round of strong trades doesn't turn Rudolph into a neighborhood projectile.

Housing providers can make all of this much easier by being specific about what actually concerns them. If you don't want anything nailed or screwed into the exterior of the house, say that. If residents cannot attach anything to the roof, tell them. If the condominium or homeowners association has rules about exterior decorations, provide those rules. Don't make residents guess, and don't create a blanket prohibition when the real concern can be addressed much more narrowly.

A good approach might simply be: "Please decorate and enjoy your home. Just don't permanently alter or damage the property, create a safety hazard, block access, disturb the neighbors, or attach anything to the roof or exterior without checking with me first." That says something very different from "No decorations."

It also recognizes something important about the housing provider-resident relationship. We frequently ask residents to take pride in the property. We want them to care for it, keep it clean, report problems and treat it as though it matters to them. If we want residents to take pride in where they live, we also need to give them some room to make that space their own.

There will always be limits. A rental home belongs to someone else, and residents have a responsibility not to damage or permanently alter it without permission. But ownership and occupancy are two different things. The housing provider owns the property. For the period of the tenancy, however, someone else is building a life inside it.

During the holidays, that may mean lights in the window, stockings on the wall, a menorah on the table, a wreath on the door, or a collection of slightly ridiculous inflatable reindeer in the yard. Within reason, let them decorate. It is your property, but it is their home, and and when a tenant feels like it is their home, they are much more likely to take care of it.