Project example: a 50-inch TV on a swing arm in a rented apartment, with the landlord's answer first — what it looks like and what it costs

The scenario

The unit is a one-bedroom on the ground floor of a small apartment building: a living room that opens onto a kitchen counter with two stools, a futon sofa against the wall that backs onto the hallway and one window onto a courtyard.

The request is a 50-inch TV that can face the sofa and swing toward the stools when someone cooks. The lease says nothing about wall-mounting, and the tenant has asked the manager in writing and received a short written yes with a request to patch holes at move-out.

The only wall that works is an interior partition with wood studs under drywall. The nearest outlet is on the same wall, below the planned position, so the cable can follow a short raceway down.

What the job involves

1. The installer reads the landlord's written reply and notes the patching request.
2. A finder and a probe hole prove two studs at the planned position, away from the wall behind the bathroom.
3. The plate goes over both studs with a lag bolt in each, leveled before the last turn.
4. The swing arm goes on; two people raise the TV onto it and the reach is tried against the sofa and the counter.
5. The cable gets slack at the joints and runs down a short raceway to the outlet.
6. The installer shows the tenant how to fold the arm flat and leaves the bolt size written down for the move-out.

Hardware and materials

• Full-motion mount rated above the TV's weight
• Lag bolts for wood studs
• Stud finder, probe bit, laser level
• Short raceway kit
• Corner guards for the doorway and a small vacuum

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Take down an existing TV first — +$40–$80. A second short visit at move-out takes the TV down and leaves the holes ready to patch.
• Mount a soundbar as well — +$50–$80. A bar on its own bracket if the landlord's yes covers it.
• Hide the wires inside the wall — +$90–$150. Not suggested in a rental; the surface raceway needs fewer holes.

Why it is done this way

A rental mount is planned around the day it comes down. Two studs, four bolts and a surface raceway leave a short list of holes to patch, which is what the landlord asked for.

The swing arm earns its extra cost in a small apartment: one screen serves the sofa and the kitchen counter. The plate on two studs matters more with an arm than with a fixed mount, because the arm multiplies the pull at the wall.

The written yes is part of the job. Without it, the mount would be a risk for the tenant, whoever drilled it.

The move-out plan closes the loop. The bolt size and the hole positions are noted for the tenant, the arm is folded flat so a take-down is a ten-minute job, and the compound for four small holes is cheaper than a deposit dispute. A tenant who keeps the landlord's reply with the lease has everything needed for the day the keys go back.

What would change the price

• The studs sit off the planned position and the plate moves.
• The landlord's yes does not cover an arm and a fixed mount is used instead.
• The tenant wants the take-down at move-out booked now.
• A 65-inch screen replacing the 50 would keep the arm but shorten the reach to the counter.