Landlords preserve graffiti art at tenants’ request

Looking to leave a mark on your apartment before moving out? Graffiti — once treated as a crime — is now a boon to property values, DNAinfo reported. New York City landlords are increasingly leaving graffiti on the walls of apartments, as prospective renters ask to keep the “street art” intact.

Janine Young, a broker for BOND New York, said she recently has rented several graffiti-clad apartments. One was a Christopher Street studio featuring the trademark graffiti stylings of French artist Andrew Saraiva, the publication said.

“People call and ask, ‘Does the artwork come with the apartment?’” Young told DNAinfo.

Some incoming tenants have requested the graffiti be painted over, or expressed interest in having the artwork preserved during a gut renovation of the unit, the report said.

For example, two students asked for a mural to survive the renovation of a two-bedroom Apartment On West 141st Street, asking $1,850 a month, BOND broker Cindy Macio said. [DNAinfo] — Mark Maurer