How tenants can make their rental feel like home

As a tenant, you want your rental to feel like home but there’s only so much you can do without breaching the terms of your lease. You can’t renovate but you can certainly decorate to reflect your personal style. If you think outside the box, you might be able to do more than you think.

Homes.com.au provides the following tips for tenants to help you style your rental abode.

1. Read your tenancy agreement

Your tenancy agreement will detail your responsibilities in caring for the property. These agreements are based on local laws, strata regulations and landlords’ preferences. They restrict the work you can do on the property in order to preserve its condition.

Don’t let this stop you from thinking creatively!

“If you have an idea to improve the property, give your property manager a call,” said homes.com.au Founder & Managing Director, Pat Carbone.

“Many landlords are open to their tenants painting or making small changes, as this should improve the property’s value while also making the tenants happier to live there.”

2. Think hard about what’s worth renovating

If you’re interested in renovating your rental, you first need to weigh up the costs. Your landlord will likely ask you to pay for the renovations, as you are the one suggesting them. However, if your lease is up for renewal, you could make renovating part of the negotiations. Perhaps your landlord will agree not to raise the rent if you carry out certain renovations at your cost.

Also, consider how long you intend to stay in the property. Most leases in Australia are six or 12 months but remember, your landlord can ask you to leave at the end of your lease if they are considering selling or moving into the property themselves.

Once again, if your lease is up for renewal, ask for a longer lease in exchange for small renovations, carried out by you, to make the property feel more like your own while also increasing its value.

Make sure you negotiate a written agreement with your landlord before carrying out any work.

3. Decorate!

If you and your landlord can’t come to an agreement on renovating, then get creative! Think about other options to make your rental reflect your personal style. Add colour using rugs, curtains and cushions. Brighten up rooms with some well-placed lamps. Hang some artwork or a mirror using high quality stick-on hooks.

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Whether renovating or decorating your rental property, thinking creatively is the key ingredient to making your place feel like home!