The housing market has experienced record highs consistently in recent years, having reaching five separate all-time highs for property price in 2022 alone. While this is good news for those already on the property market, rising prices serve to price even more first-time buyers out of the market – leaving more people to rely on renting property.
But rental properties can often feel that bit less personal, especially where contracts forbid you from making any major decorative changes to the property. So, what are some ways you can approach making a rental home your own without leaving a mark?
What are the Ground Rules?
Firstly, you need to establish exactly what you can and can’t do in your property. Not all rental agreements are the same, and it may be that your agreement is much more lenient than others in terms of allowances for decoration and improvement. The terms of your rental agreement are easiest found in your contract, provided by your letting agency or private landlord.
However different agreements may be, there are some clauses common to a majority of agreements that relate to property condition and tenant renovations. Typically, minor projects like painting rooms are allowed, subject to approval by the letting agency or landlord. But major interventions are by and large prohibited, in the form of ‘permanent changes’ to the property.
Knowing your limitations legally can help you structure your repairs accordingly. But what kind of decorations can you introduce to imbue a sense of personality in a rented space, without making major or permanent changes to it?
Cover Up Unfavourable Flooring
Rental properties are not always blessed with beautiful hardwood flooring; instead, dark or neutral-colored carpets are often used as an inexpensive form of flooring, and one which can easily cover up any spills between tenants. While you are likely unable to replace or remove any carpets from your property, you can cover them up with rugs that are much more to your taste.
Temporary Wall-Hanging Techniques
While some private landlords can be more amenable to tenants using nails to hang wall art, or even installing shelves, the vast majority will include clauses against making marks of any kind on the wall. Some will even go as far as to prohibit the use of blue-tack on walls in order to prevent any potential staining.
With this in mind, there are other ways you can temporarily display artwork or hang features in your home. For example, wall-mounting tabs are available that enable you to hang pictures without making a permanent change.
Updating Your Kitchen Without Leaving a Mark
The same philosophy can be applied to your kitchen, where big stylistic changes can be enacted without drastically changing existing features. Sticky-back vinyl prints can be used to create a splashback tile effect, and vinyl flooring can also be used to change your floor design without needing to lay new laminate or tiles.
If you’re canny with a screwdriver, you could even make minor reversible changes to your kitchen units. You could swap out your cabinet and shelf handles for those with a different design, to give its furniture a different feel altogether.