Renovating a rental: permanent changes are out, smart styling is in

Simple style changes to make a big impact in a rental home.

While home ownership may still be the long-term goal, spiralling real estate prices and ongoing rate rises have put a damper, if not an absolute stop, to many trying to buy a property right now. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics around 66 per cent of Australian households own their own home – with or without a mortgage. That leaves a large proportion of households to rent. Which is fine – except when it comes to renovating or housing a pet. In regards to making any alterations to a property, the basic rule is that you can’t do much without your landlord’s permission. You may be paying rent, but the property is their investment. On the flip side, why spend your own money to make an improvement to a property you don’t own?

The Tenants’ Union of NSW states that as a renter you must “not add or remove any fixtures or do any renovations or alterations to the premises without the landlord’s written consent.

Another bone of contention is pet ownership in rentals. Although some headway has been made in the past couple of years relating to this issue, in all states, the landlord has the final say. Tenants Victoria states a pet request form must be submitted and “the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse their consent”. It’s not automatically guaranteed your pet will be allowed to stay.

Laws are changing to give tenants more rights in regards to having pets in their rental home. Picture: Jason Edwards

WHAT CAN I CHANGE?

Of course, the desire to make our home homely, regardless of ownership is a universal one, and while putting a nail through the wall or making any structural changes whatsoever are out of the question, there is still lots that can be done to personalise a space.

Discount retailers have become one of the go-to places for tenants as they look for non-permanent and affordable ways to spruce up a space. Kmart buyer, indoor furniture and outdoor living, Nicholas Holmes, says tenants are turning to DIY options to give their plain rental some personalised flair. “The decorator range allows renters to dramatically change a room with simplicity and ease,” he says.

“Currently with cost of living on the forefront of people’s mind, DIY will become even more important as our customers seek to save costs on home renovations and upcycling their furniture and homewares.”

Social media sites are awash with tenants sharing their rental home decor #DIYhacks.

Home decor #DIYhacks, which include self adhesive tiles for splashbacks, vinyl floor tiles and even wallpaper that can entirely transform the look and feel of a room. Most importantly, all these products are removable restoring a room to its original state. This is an all-important factor when it comes to getting a full bond refund. “If you ever leave a rental or decide to change the theme of a room, it can be easily removed,” says Nicholas.

Kmart DIY vinyl flooring is trending online

A plug-in wall light is another item that is popular with Kmart shoppers (“the benefit is that customers can easily install these themselves without needing to put a large hole in the wall”), as is a modular wardrobe. Unlike a built-in wardrobe, it is freestanding and can be configured to suit individual needs. Painting may seem like the easiest way to make an impact, but even this seemingly innocuous task requires permission from the landlord.

Thence, British Paints’ product manager, Carmen Jordan, agrees upcycling products around the home has become a great way to express personality in a rental.

“With the warmer weather on its way, transforming your rental’s outdoor area with some custom furniture, like a bench seat or table and chairs, could be an exciting project to try at home,” says Carmen.

Make big changes where you can, like painting outdoor furniture to make a dramatic change to a space.

“In some rental homes, gardening is out of the question, so adding pot plants to your outdoor space is the best way to enjoy a moment in nature. Often, the pots that your plants will arrive in are not the easiest on the eye. Another option is to transform your planters into fun, eye-catching statements with paint.”

Purchasing custom artwork for a rental can also be tricky. Will it also suit a future home? “If you’ve just completed a painting project and have some leftover paint or sample pots at home, you can easily create your own quirky piece of artwork.”

WHAT TO BUY

IKEA Hemnes chest of drawers

Make non-permanent changes by buying storage furniture that won’t be attached to walls.

Hemnes drawer, $699

ikea.com/au

Use 3m strips to use instead of nails commandbrand.com.au

In terms of simple tasks such as hanging items, 3M Command strips are your friend.

commandbrand.com.au

Jungle Forest themed blinds.

In rental properties where there are limitations on the redecorating you can do, fun blinds can be a variation to a feature wall.

luxaflex.com.au

You’ll need to ask your landlord for permission before you paint. Image: British Paints

If you have a friendly landlord, they may agree to letting you carry out simple renovations such as painting.

britishpaints.com.au

Originally published as Renovating a rental: permanent changes are out, smart styling is in