How to Improve Your Rental Home
Residing in a rental property has always been a lot less liberating compared with owning your own place. Obviously making any drastic structural changes to your rental is out of the question as those kinds of changes are often irreversible. However, over the years more and more laws have been introduced to protect owners in their bid to rent out their property -with many opting to utilise property management services or real estate to enforce them. Lasting changes aren’t the only barriers renters find themselves facing, restrictions on pet ownership and decorative choices can also be limiting. Nonetheless, renting can still be very convenient or necessary for those who aren’t eligible or able to access property finance options. But don’t stress, there are plenty of ways to work with the restrictions and rules and still make the most of the space you call home.
Depending on the style of rental you engage in you may have more freedom to make semi permeant changes. For instance, if you are moving into a cheaper or run-down building you may find that your landlord gives some leeway in decorative options such as painting or other small renovations due to the likely improvement this will make. This may also be the case for a long term rental. If you are thinking of painting your walls it is best to get specific approval from your landlord or real estate before going ahead as you may find that unauthorised changes could impact the return of your deposit. Alternatively, in the circumstance where you aren’t granted permission, you could always look into painting it and then ensuring you put it back to the original colour before the end of your lease – much easier to achieve if your walls are white or another colour that is simple to match. Giving your new home a lick of paint can freshen it up. It can be a great way to brighten the rooms or even cover up scuffs and marks on the walls from before you moved in. You may even find it handy to get slightly more than you need and save any leftovers so you can cover up any marks of your own before moving out.
The opportunity to use furnishings to improve your new home depends on whether you move into a furnished, part furnished or unfurnished dwelling. Even if you do move into a fully furnished place, you can liaise with the landlord or real estate and many will be open to discussions around having some or all of the furniture removed. This is particularly handy if you already own a house load of your own stuff. The way you furnish your home will greatly impact the standard of your living space but can also be used to personalise it. If you want to bring the beach life to your city dwelling why not deck yourself out with some beach style furniture or beach homeware. A trip to an op shop or antique dealer can be a great way to get affordable items whilst also increasing your sustainability. Storage is extremely important in any home and not all houses have enough built-in. Popping down a rug can be an easy way to change up a room, especially if the carpet isn’t much to look at. Getting creative with your storage options and utilising a number of different styles will be exceptionally practical but will also add to the aesthetic of your space. Take a tip-off some home interior designers in magazines or online articles – most suggestions they make can be done slightly different or less costly if required and after all, they are the experts.
No matter your style or tastes, hanging things from or on your walls is a must for every home. Unlike in one you might own, you’ll often have to get a bit creative with how you hang things, particularly in brick walls. You may struggle to mount your canvas painting or floor length mirror without a drill, particularly in brick. However, thankfully many simple inventions are easy to come by and make decorating your rental that little bit easier. For instance, there are several hooks and hangers available at most hardware stores that stick directly to your wall and can be removed after time with little if any marks left behind. These can also be handy to stick on the backs of doors for jackets or on the walls of your kitchen to hang utensils but are predominantly used for hanging small to medium-sized frames. If you go more to the posters/unframed art route these won’t work for you. A common material used for this style of decoration is Blue Tac. However, beware of how it can fuse with the wall over time – you may find you’re pulling more than just your poster off the wall when it comes time to move. Instead, try using double sided poster tape that will come off with ease and leave no greasy marks behind.
Between the toilet and our hygiene routine, we all spend much more time in our bathrooms than we might realise. Many overlook it when thinking of decorating their new rental home and while it may not be worth calling on the bathroom interior designers to do so, it is certainly worth putting in a little bit of effort. A great option is to invest in a floor-standing plant. Great for oxygenating the room and they aren’t likely to be negatively impacted by your super steamy shower. If you’re someone who struggles to look after plant life, you’ll also find a range of realistic, fake plants that will have a similar effect. You might also consider adding some furniture to your bathroom if there is available space. Whether that is simply a freestanding towel rack or a full set of drawers, adding that little bit extra can not only provide convenient hanging/storage but also help make the place feel like your own.
