Though we all love putting up pictures, painting the walls, laying down carpets and generally putting our stamp on a new home, if the property is rented, the measures we can take to spruce it up are limited.
However, with a bit of work, it is possible to make a rented property your own, all you need is a little bit of imagination and a touch of creativity.
Furniture
If the property you’ve rented is furnished, you won’t be able to customise or get rid of any of the items that are currently in place. The inventory your landlord or estate agent took before you moved in will list every item in the house, so don’t be tempted to take that out dated sofa to the tip or smash up that cumbersome coffee table.
What you can do is put throws on sofas that don’t match your tastes, place smaller items in the cellar, cupboard or loft or, if there are any pieces that you really don’t like, ask your landlord kindly to remove them.
If you’ve rented an unfurnished property, you can fill the house with as much or as little furniture as you want. Just remember, the more you buy, the more you’ll have to move when your tenancy is up.
Soft furnishings
If the carpets in your new rental property aren’t to your taste, try covering them up with a few large rugs. Not only will this help to make the room your own, it will also help to protect the existing carpets for the duration of your tenancy.
Cushions and curtains that offend your interior design tastes can easily be stored away in cupboards and attics and replaced with pieces that match your style. Pack soft furnishings away carefully to ensure they’re not damaged by damp, mould or moths while they’re in storage and return them to their original positions when you move out.
Walls
Decorating the walls is often a contentious issue in rental properties and you’ll need to speak to your landlord to see what they will and won’t allow. Some landlords will let you hang pictures and paint walls on the condition you fill holes and return walls to white when you vacate the property. However some landlords will baulk at the idea of putting a single nail in the wall.
However you choose to personalise your rental property, it’s important that you don’t damage its furnishings or its structure. If you’re unsure what you can and can’t do, talk to your letting agent or give your landlord a call.
