If a tenant buys and installs new kitchen cabinets, who will own them upon expiration of the lease?

• A. The tenant
• B. The landlord
• C. The HOA
• D. The property manager

Answer: (B)

Fixtures attached to a rental property become part of the real estate, so they belong to the landlord after the lease ends. When a tenant installs kitchen cabinets, they are permanently affixed and serve the property, which makes them fixtures. The end result is that, unless the lease specifically allows removal or requires restoration by the tenant, these improvements stay with the home and the landlord owns them when the lease expires. (Trade fixtures apply mainly to commercial settings; in residential leases, permanent installations are typically the landlord’s property.)