What to Agree With Your Landlord Before Altering a Bali Villa

Repairs, upgrades and alterations are three different things

Your landlord may welcome improvements to the villa and still expect the rent in full. That distinction becomes apparent when the air conditioner stops cooling, or when you decide a home office would work better with different furniture.

Start with the reason for the change. Fixing an existing defect is different from scheduled servicing. Repainting a bedroom for personal taste is an optional upgrade. Adding an AC circuit or making an opening in an external wall moves into alterations that can affect the building itself.

Indonesia’s Civil Code deals with a landlord’s maintenance obligations and certain tenant responsibilities, while your particular lease supplies much of the working detail. Neither the nationality of the tenant nor the fact that the stay is long-term removes the need to read those terms.

Three decisions belong in the conversation from the outset: permission to carry out the work, responsibility for the bill, and what will happen to the finished improvement at check-out. A casual yes to the first tells you little about the other two.

Who pays when the AC, plumbing or existing furniture fails?

Suppose the bedroom AC begins shutting itself off after several months of normal use. A technician might find blocked filters, a failing compressor or damage caused by incorrect operation. Those diagnoses can lead to very different discussions about payment, so ordering a replacement unit before anyone knows the cause is a poor starting point.

A dated video helps establish the fault. So do the move-in photographs, the inventory entry for the appliance and any earlier service records. The landlord can then arrange a technician or authorise someone selected by the tenant. The same evidence matters when a bathroom fitting leaks or an existing piece of furniture fails.

Under articles 1550–1552 of the Indonesian Civil Code, the lessor has duties concerning the condition and use of the rented property. Article 1564 deals with damage occurring during the tenancy, and article 1583 addresses minor day-to-day repairs. The lease and the actual cause of the problem still have to be considered; it would be misleading to claim either party always pays for AC work.

Reporting a problem does not automatically authorise an expensive solution. If the inspection reveals that a compressor or entire unit needs replacing, the person approving the diagnosis should also settle the specification, contractor and cost responsibility. Otherwise a genuine maintenance issue can turn into a dispute about an unauthorised purchase.

When you need the owner’s written consent

Something that seemed temporary can leave permanent marks at move-out. Shelf brackets leave holes, paint may not match the original finish, and drilling a bathroom tile can leave a repair that is hard to disguise. That is why even modest decorating deserves a look at the lease’s alterations clause.

A useful approval identifies the actual surface and finish. Permission to repaint the bedroom says little about changing the exterior walls; agreement to move a sofa is not permission to dispose of the landlord’s property. The original furniture may need secure storage for the rest of the tenancy, with responsibility agreed in advance.

An additional air conditioner is a more consequential example. It requires a location for the indoor and outdoor units, a route for drainage and refrigerant lines, and possibly electrical work. An owner may accept the unit but reject the proposed opening through the façade. A broad message saying “you can improve the room” is too easy to interpret differently later.

Written consent should make clear whether the work is reversible and what finish is expected at handover. Letting a contractor through the gate proves access was arranged, not that all changes were authorised. Separate building-approval questions arise only if the work itself falls within the relevant technical rules.

How to get a renovation request properly approved

Managing a property does not always include authority to change the owner’s financial obligations. That matters most when the answer arrives through WhatsApp: a message confirming technician access is not necessarily approval for a costly alteration or a rent credit.

A decision-ready request makes the proposal visible. It can include before photographs, a room-by-room description, marked drilling points, a contractor quotation and a proposed work window. For an AC replacement, the quote should distinguish diagnosis, equipment and installation. For repainting, the owner needs to see which surfaces and materials are involved.

The request should also explain what happens if the contractor discovers more work. A damaged pipe behind a tiled wall can turn a small repair into a much larger one; without a spending limit and a rule for additional approval, both sides may believe the other accepted the extra cost.

One precise question often works better than a long conversation: “Do you approve this specified unit, installation position and quotation, and will it remain with the property at the end of my lease?” The answer should come from the landlord or someone demonstrably authorised to give it. Keep the attachments alongside the reply so the consent cannot become detached from the scope.

A signed lease addendum is appropriate for major expense or irreversible changes. For a minor task, a clear message may be adequate if the agreement permits that form and the sender has the relevant authority. The distinction is about proving an agreement, not simply collecting screenshots.

Paying for the work and offsetting it against rent

A repair can be approved without being reimbursable. The landlord may agree to repainting while expecting the tenant to fund it; a tenant may agree to cover an AC upgrade without acquiring the right to remove the unit later. The payment arrangement deserves its own written decision.

There are four common ways to settle the bill: the owner pays, the tenant pays, the parties divide particular line items, or an agreed amount is credited to an identified rent instalment. A split can make sense when an old component needs replacing but the tenant wants a more expensive specification. One undivided invoice makes that agreement much harder to prove.

An agreed budget should name the ceiling, what labour and materials it covers, how unexpected work gets approved and when any reimbursement will arrive. Currency and transfer method matter when the owner, manager and contractor use different accounts. Receipts establish how much was spent, but a receipt alone does not show that the owner promised to repay it.

Rent credits require more care than a casual “take it off next month”. The credit amount, payment date and approving party should be identifiable from the written record. Deducting costs on your own initiative can create a claim for overdue rent even while you are arguing about a legitimate defect. A disputed contractual right is a matter for independent Indonesian legal advice, not an assumption based on a general guide.

What happens to the furniture and fittings you paid for?

The invoice for a new sofa tells you who bought it. It says much less about an air conditioner attached to the wall, with pipework passing through the exterior and wiring connected to the villa. Ownership, permission to install and permission to remove are related questions, but they are not interchangeable.

Article 1567 of Indonesia’s Civil Code allows a tenant, in certain circumstances, to remove things made at their expense provided the rented property is not damaged. The physical condition matters. Taking down a cabinet could leave fixings and broken finish; removing an AC could affect drainage, electrical connections and the façade. Your lease may also set terms that need to be read alongside the legal provision.

Loose furniture raises a different problem. If you replace the landlord’s sofa for comfort, someone must decide where the original goes and who is responsible if it is scratched, damp or missing when you leave. Keeping the move-in inventory accurate avoids arguments over which items belonged to the villa in the first place.

Settle the outcome item by item while the work is still proposed. An owner might prefer the new fixture to remain without paying for it, or may require the tenant to restore the surface. Neither arrangement should be guessed from the fact that installation was approved.

Structural work, electrical changes and building approvals

A one-day job can still have lasting consequences. Duration is a poor test of safety. Moving an electrical panel, cutting a new opening, changing roof elements or connecting drainage incorrectly can affect the building long after the contractor leaves.

Indonesia’s Government Regulation No. 16 of 2021 sets a national framework for building matters. Depending on the nature of substantial works, the owner may need to check PBG building approval and, where relevant, the SLF certificate of functional fitness. The applicable process is handled through SIMBG and the relevant regency or city offices. Ordinary repainting does not, by itself, call for the same treatment as a structural alteration.

A second AC unit sits between these extremes. The proposal must deal with the outdoor condenser, drainage, openings, wiring and the available electricity supply. If the connected capacity is inadequate, PLN provides a formal application for increased power through PLN Mobile. Installing a larger unit before that question is resolved can create both technical and contractual problems.

The tenant should not be the person taking a builder’s word that permits are already in place. The owner and qualified professionals need to establish what the particular structure and scope require. This article cannot replace an electrical assessment, building inspection or project-specific approval advice.

Document the finished work before it becomes a deposit dispute

The finished room may look fine until the final inspection. The owner may object to the paint shade, or a new AC may be cooling the room while its drainage leaves damp marks outside. Agreeing that work is finished is therefore different from confirming that the villa has been handed back in the condition required by the lease.

Matching before-and-after photographs help enormously. Show the same wall, the same fixing points and any affected tiles. Test the equipment while the contractor is still available, including drainage and nearby electrical outlets where relevant. Record any defects and who will correct them, instead of leaving a verbal promise to be remembered months later.

The inventory should change when the property changes. If an old unit was removed, identify the replacement; if the tenant bought furniture, note what happened to the landlord’s originals. Keep the approval messages, addendum, quotes, invoices, transfers and signed acceptance in one accessible file so each decision can be traced.

At move-out, a deduction for restoration should be compared with the actual approved work and the original condition record. Ask for an itemised explanation rather than treating a disputed total as settled. If authorisation is denied or a significant deposit is withheld, the next step is a documented attempt to resolve the disagreement and, if needed, independent Indonesian legal advice before withholding payments or removing fixed equipment.