How to Mount a TV in a Rental Apartment Without Damaging the Wall

“Can I mount a TV in my rental apartment?” is the question we get more than almost any other in Los Angeles. The answer is almost always yes — you just need to know what you are doing.

Here is what professional installers do in rentals every day, and how to do it without losing your security deposit.

What your landlord actually cares about

Before we talk technique, let’s clarify what matters. Landlords almost never care about a TV mount specifically. They care about:

1. Holes bigger than a normal nail hole (which they expect to fill with spackle anyway)
2. Unpainted patches that do not match the wall
3. Exposed wiring or cable runs that look unprofessional
4. Damage to outlets, trim, or finishes

A TV mount fills the first two boxes if you do it wrong — a full-motion bracket makes four 1/4” holes that are way too big for basic spackle. Done right, the mount leaves holes that are hidden, patchable, and color-matched.

Quick note: read your lease. Some have specific clauses about “drilling holes in walls”. Most do not, and most landlords would rather get a professionally-mounted unit back than a tenant who hung a $3,000 TV off a command strip. When in doubt, ask — most landlords say yes, especially if you mention a professional installer.

The four methods, ranked by wall impact

Method 1: Single-stud mount (our default)

Wall damage: 2 holes, standard size, easy to patch

The lowest-impact way to mount a TV that actually holds. You use a single-stud mount (like the Sanus VMPL50A) that attaches to one vertical stud with two large lag bolts. Total holes in the wall: 2.

Why this works for rentals:

• Two holes is the same footprint as a picture frame
• The holes are always behind the TV itself, so they are invisible during use
• When you move out, patch them with a $3 tube of spackle and a dab of matching paint

Supported TV size: Up to 65” on most single-stud mounts. Above that, look at Method 2.

Method 2: Two-stud mount with toggle bolts below

Wall damage: 4 holes, small-to-medium, fillable

For larger TVs that need more support, use a standard two-stud mount. Two of the four bolts go into studs (large holes), the other two go into drywall with toggle bolts (medium holes).

Toggle bolts leave a 3/8” hole that is bigger than spackle can easily fill — you need a small drywall patch. Not hard, but not zero effort.

Professional installers bring pre-cut drywall repair patches and can patch toggle holes in 5 minutes on the way out. If you are DIY-ing the removal later, budget 30 minutes and a $10 patch kit.

Method 3: Surface-mount adhesive brackets

Wall damage: Zero

For small TVs (under 40”) in rentals with very strict landlords, Monoprice and a few other brands make heavy-duty adhesive mounts that use 3M Command-style strips rated for up to 30 lb.

We are going to be honest: we do not love these. The weight ratings are optimistic, the adhesive can fail if temperature changes are extreme, and if the TV falls it takes the wall with it.

But for small kitchen TVs, bedroom alarm-clock TVs, and similar low-stakes installs, they work fine and leave absolutely no damage.

Method 4: Floor-stand behind a console

Wall damage: Zero

Not technically a wall mount, but a full-motion TV stand behind a low console can look nearly identical to a wall mount. We install these occasionally for tenants who cannot drill at all. Ikea’s MITTZON and a few similar products hold the TV at the right height with the arm hidden behind the console.

Not as clean as a wall mount, but a genuine zero-damage option.

Cable concealment for rentals

Mounting the TV is only half the job. Exposed cables ruin the “clean rental install” look. Here are the rental-friendly methods.

Option A: Surface raceway with adhesive backing

Wall damage: Zero (with adhesive)

A paintable plastic channel that sticks to the wall with 3M adhesive strips, holds your cables, and peels off cleanly when you move out. We install these daily in Santa Monica, Venice, and Mid-City rentals.

Paint the raceway to match your wall before installing it — the result is nearly invisible from more than a few feet away.

Option B: Corner cable routing

Wall damage: Zero

If your outlet is in a corner of the room, you can run cables up the corner where the two walls meet. A small piece of corner trim hides the cables and the visual impact is minimal.

Option C: Do not hide them

Honestly? Some rentals are not worth the effort. If you are mounting a basic TV in a short-term apartment and you have a dark wall, leaving the cables visible is fine. They are not that ugly and they save you time.

What to say when you ask your landlord

If you want to ask permission (recommended), keep it simple:

“Hi [landlord], I am planning to mount my TV on the living room wall. I am using a professional installer who specializes in rental-friendly installs — the holes are small and easily patched when I move out. Is that okay with you?”

The “professional installer” framing matters. Landlords are more worried about tenants with a drill and no idea what they are doing than about professional work.

If they say no, the fallback is a floor stand behind a console or an adhesive mount for a small TV.

What to do when you move out

Six months before your lease ends, take a photo of the TV mount install so you remember what the wall looks like. When you move out:

1. Unmount the TV (you may need two people)
2. Remove the mount bracket from the wall
3. Pull any raceways off the wall (peel slowly — if it was adhesive-mounted, it comes off clean)
4. Fill holes with lightweight spackle (a small tube is $3 at any hardware store)
5. Sand flat once dry
6. Touch up with matching paint (ask your landlord for the paint name/color or get a small sample at Home Depot)

Total cost: $10. Total time: 30 minutes. Deposit saved: possibly hundreds of dollars.

Book a rental-friendly install in LA

mountLA specializes in rental installs across Los Angeles and Orange County. We use minimum-footprint anchors, document the before/after state, and give you the cleanup info you need for when you move out. Licensed, insured, and experienced with every landlord-tenant situation you can imagine.