Generation Rent often find themselves moving from place to place rather than establishing roots in a long-term home. Being a tenant means that by and large you must keep the rented property as it was when you moved in, or you risk questions from your landlord or having money knocked off your deposit. But that shouldn’t mean that you can’t personalise the space that you call home.

Here are our top 5 tips on how to redecorate your rented home without causing annoyance for your landlord. 

Move the furniture around

One of the first things that you can do when you move into a rented home is reshuffle the furniture and establish your own space. Whether you’re into feng shui, or you just want to create more room, enlist your heavy-lifting friends and move big furniture like your bed, sofa, desk and table to redesign the rooms to your liking. If your home is on the smaller side, then think about what you actually want from each room – like is your kitchen table better suited as a working or study area, or can a sofa be brought into the kitchen if it’s open-plan and you use it a social space?‍

Revamp floor space ‍

So, rented homes can often have decades old laminate flooring or dull carpets that you wouldn’t dream of ever choosing. You might not be able to strip the flooring and start afresh, but you can place rugs and runners on the floor that hide what’s there and bring your own style to the home. Footstalls, pouffes, and textiles like cushions and throws for the sofa can all also brighten up and add colour to a room, without taking on any risky DIY redecorating jobs.

Get creative with the walls‍

You can quite easily decorate the walls of your rented home without resorting to painting or wallpapering. Adding artwork is the best way to add your own stamp to a home. Knocking nails into the wall to hang up frames isn’t advised in a rented home, so a better option would be to buy some Command Strips to hang up your art. There are some beautiful wall hangings that can create a feature wall in a room, or you can even buy stick-on mosaic tiles from furniture shops to add style to walls, staircases, or doors.

‍Bring Summer into your home

A great way of personalising your home, without taking on any renovations, is to play around with the décor according to the seasons. This can be done on a budget, too. Think about softer colour schemes or pastels, and recreate that with smaller accessories like cushions or table runners. And don’t underestimate the power of bringing the outdoors, in. House plants can bring life to any room, or why not have a go at growing your own herbs. 

Suss out your landlord ‍

The freedom you have to redecorate your rented home will vary from tenancy to tenancy. The best thing to do is to have an honest conversation with your landlord and determine what they are or aren’t comfortable with you doing. Some might welcome you giving the walls a fresh lick of paint if you stick to neutral colours, or installing shelving units like spice racks onto the wall if you need extra storage. It’s important to be honest as a tenant and your landlord should appreciate this communication.