Even if you don't own your property, you can still stamp your personality on it and make it feel like home. Here's how to do it without risking losing your deposit.
Do clever things with your walls
Go through your rental agreement with a fine tooth comb, before making any irreversible changes to your property. Some landlords will allow you to wallpaper or paint the walls, as long as it will be viewed as an improvement or if you agree to return the property to its original state at the end of your lease. Decals or wall stickers that peel off without a trace are the ideal alternative. Those bland tiles, landlords like to clad bathroom and kitchen walls with, can be jazzed up with tile stickers too.
Go through your rental agreement with a fine tooth comb, before making any irreversible changes to your property. Some landlords will allow you to wallpaper or paint the walls, as long as it will be viewed as an improvement or if you agree to return the property to its original state at the end of your lease. Decals or wall stickers that peel off without a trace are the ideal alternative. Those bland tiles, landlords like to clad bathroom and kitchen walls with, can be jazzed up with tile stickers too.
And, you can personalise your walls with prints and photographs. Or adorn them with a piece of original art. If you're worried about knocking nails into walls you don't own, try 3M Command strips and picture hooks. These adhesive strips of various sizes can hold quite heavy pieces to walls and they remove off cleanly when you're done. I've tried them. I found they did the trick and came off without a mark, providing you follow the instructions.
Floor it
When landlords dress their properties in preparation for rent, they tend to clothe their floors in hardwearing vinyls, engineered wood and neutral carpets. Warm and brighten up bland floors with a rug. And, it's not just living rooms that benefit from rugs, they work in bedrooms and hallways too.
When landlords dress their properties in preparation for rent, they tend to clothe their floors in hardwearing vinyls, engineered wood and neutral carpets. Warm and brighten up bland floors with a rug. And, it's not just living rooms that benefit from rugs, they work in bedrooms and hallways too.
Swap
You don't have to live with everything your landlord leaves you. Pack away any curtains or blinds that were up when you moved in and replace them for the period of your occupation with some more to your taste. Switch nasty nets with more stylish window film, think about putting on your own toilet seat and shower curtain. You don't need to live with their lampshades either.
You don't have to live with everything your landlord leaves you. Pack away any curtains or blinds that were up when you moved in and replace them for the period of your occupation with some more to your taste. Switch nasty nets with more stylish window film, think about putting on your own toilet seat and shower curtain. You don't need to live with their lampshades either.
Dress up the furniture
For the final touch, jazz up the furniture. Use cushions and throws to spruce up sofas and extra pillows and a bedspread to smarten up the beds. Then really make the place your own by filling the shelves and window sills with your decorative bits and pieces: books, vases, mirrors, photo frames and other treasured mementos.
For the final touch, jazz up the furniture. Use cushions and throws to spruce up sofas and extra pillows and a bedspread to smarten up the beds. Then really make the place your own by filling the shelves and window sills with your decorative bits and pieces: books, vases, mirrors, photo frames and other treasured mementos.
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