A Room-By-Room Guide to Doing Minor Maintenance in Your Apartment

We all know the feeling when something in your apartment begins to malfunction — one minute you’re doing the dishes, and the next, you’re debating whether to text your landlord about the clogged sink.

You (and your property management) would likely prefer if you could properly handle the issue on your own instead of having to schedule a plumber or handyman visit for a minor maintenance task. That’s when being your own handyman comes in, well, handy! Shaun Cook, owner of Shaun Can Fix It LLC, is here to offer some go-to handyman hacks and tips that will help get pesky apartment jobs done. (Just remember: Before making any needed repairs, check your lease agreement and look for a maintenance-related clause.)

Cook recommends that when a tenant moves into an apartment, they have a select few tools and gadgets on hand just in case anything goes wrong. Some things you likely have in your possession already: A hammer, a drill, a tape measure, and some flathead and Phillips head screwdrivers. 

But if you really want to be fully equipped to handle all your simple fixes and keep your apartment in good condition, Cook recommends acquiring the following items:

With much of the plumbing and appliances in the kitchen, there’s lots of opportunity for system malfunctions. The good news: Many of the parts in your kitchen are actually more user-friendly than you’d think. 

“I would try to avoid using Drano,” says Cook. Instead: “Just unscrew the J-hook to unclog the drain.” He’s referring to the J-shaped piping piece under the sink, which is where solid food and other items can get trapped. 

Small bits of food should get washed down by the running water, but too much can cause build up — so your sink will require some upkeep. “Make sure you have a small bucket available to catch water and debris in the sink,” Cook says. “It’s very easy, very affordable, and less messy than using Drano.”

“Generally, if the disposal is not working, it’s usually clogged or the breaker is tripped.” On newer models, you can reset the system by pressing a small red button on the bottom of the machine (which is usually a cylindrical plastic unit between the drain and the pipes). 

If you don’t have a red button, you’ll have to check your apartment’s electrical panel to see if there’s a breaker tripped or displaying “off” in the box of switches. If that doesn’t work, check under your sink for a wrench. You may be able to manually unclog the garbage disposal by fitting this wrench in the under-sink unit’s corresponding hole and turning it to loosen the jam. 

Similar to the kitchen, the bathroom is the site for much of the plumbing in a rental property, including high-volume water usage and many faucets. The good thing is, since the bathroom sees lots of use, you’ll likely catch any issues before they become more than simply a drip or slight clog. 

This is a situation that might be trickier than others, so don’t move forward unless you feel prepared to follow detailed instructions. But, as Cook says, “if you have the patience for it, it can definitely be done.” In most cases, he says, you’ll need to access the valve stem (inside the handle) and check if the washer is worn. If it is, it’ll need to be replaced. That’s when you’ll want to call your landlord to get your sink back in working order.

“If the toilet is not flushing properly, there’s generally one of three issues,” says Cook. “A malfunctioning fill valve, a malfunctioning flush valve, or an obstruction in the drain line.” You can use a plunger or drain snake to check if it’s the third problem, and if it’s not, it’s likely one of the first two. In those cases, you can open the lid at the back of the toilet and see if you can spot anything unusual.

According to Cook, if the water isn’t getting hot, it’s one of two reasons. “On an electrical water heater, the thermostat may have been tripped and you may have to reset it by the press of a button inside the water heater,” Cook says. “On a gas heater, the pilot light may have gone out, or the gas may have been cut off.” Make sure your gas bill has been paid, and if it has: “We may have a maintenance issue with the water heater that may need to be looked at on a deeper level,” he says.

In most states, local laws dictate that access to hot water is included in the implied warranty of habitability — so this is one that your landlord will need to fix in a timely manner.

You might not encounter as many noticeable pesky maintenance issues in your living room due to the lack of plumbing. But there are some do-it-yourself projects that are worth learning so that you can take control in your space and save money on third-party installers.

“Mounting a TV is a lot easier than most people think,” says Cook. “It just depends on the size of the television.” If you have a very large or heavy TV, for example, you’ll need another person to help lift and deposition the TV on the mount. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

Your TV mount box will have instructions specific to your mount’s model, but you’ll want to drill pilot holes in the wall (if there aren’t any from the last renter in your unit), hang the mount on the wall, and attach the tv to the mounts. Cook says that for apartment renters, being able to spackle holes when you move out (if your landlord prefers it) is another TV-related maintenance issue to consider. 

If you aren’t into the look of a TV hanging in your living room, check out this tutorial to DIY a decorative TV cover.

Sometimes, renters can get permission from a landlord to paint the walls in the apartment. “The key to painting your walls is making sure that everything is protected before you start your project,” says Cook. “The right tools, tape, floor covers, and roller brushes will make your project a whole lot easier and you definitely can do it on your own.” Painter’s tape will help you maintain straight edges, floor covers will protect carpets and wood panels, and roller brushes will help you get the job done quickly (although you’ll also need regular paint brushes to paint your edges). Keep in mind that some landlords will allow their tenants to paint their walls upon move-in, but will ask that they paint the walls back to their original color before move-out to get their security deposit back. Otherwise, they may deduct the cost of repainting.

Since the bedroom is your main space for relaxation and unwinding, you want to make sure that your maintenance issues can be fixed quickly — and the best way to ensure that is to do it yourself. 

One of the common features you’ll find in every room is ceiling lights, and in many apartment buildings, they’re small, dome-shaped flush mounts. When the light starts flickering or goes out, you’ll want to turn the light off before you do anything else. Then, pull up a stationary chair, stool, or ladder to reach the ceiling light. 

You’ll likely need to twist off the glass dome. It will drop soon after being loosened, so be careful to have a hand on the bottom when you twist. Then, switch out the light bulb.

For any type of lighting, Cook recommends using light bulbs that won’t burn out so quickly: “Generally in flush mount ceiling, converting to LEDs would be the best method because you won’t have to worry about the bulbs dying in the future so soon,” he says. For recessed lighting, where the bulb sits in a hole within the ceiling, Cook recommends using par 30 flood lights.

This is an easy fix that you’ve likely attempted before. If your bed squeaks when you move around or get in it, you’ll need to tighten the screws and make sure that the legs are tight. In some beds, Cook says, you can twist and adjust them to tighten them. If you tend to put together your own furniture, it can help to save your instruction manuals and any tools that came with the bed. 

“Believe it or not, minor electrical issues are very easy to fix,” says Cook. For example, changing lightbulbs and replacing light fixtures can be simple. “This process is just a simple as unscrewing the dome, pairing the colors on the wires and putting the new light in the ceiling,” he says. 

But, he says when it comes to light switches and electrical outlets, it’s important to be careful and be honest with yourself about your comfort level. It’s always better to be safe. In fact, there are some hard-and-fast rules that Cook recommends following, especially as a renter. “I never work with electricity around water for example, I don’t change outlets while it’s raining, and always use insulated tools when we’re dealing with electricity.”

A few other things that Cook wouldn’t recommend dealing with on your own in your rental unit: 

“In this growing economy, a lot of people are learning to do things on their own, especially when you have situations where a lot of service providers are expensive,” he says. “[Handymen are] always here to give people advice… A lot of it really is just that simple.”