If you’ve been looking for a new home to live in, you will have had to choose between renting and buying. There are a lot of pros and cons to each, and many people have the choice made for them by financial factors. Renting is simply a lot more affordable.
This is not to say that you’ll pay less on rent than you will on a mortgage. However, if you want to buy a house, you need a fair amount of money in savings to use for a downpayment. If you can’t afford to place thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars into a new home, renting is your best bet.
The associated expenses are also lower when you’re renting. A renters insurance policy costs a lot less than homeowners insurance. Furthermore, all maintenance is your landlord’s responsibility. When you own a home, you have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars every year just to keep it in good shape.
For people who have an eye for design, renting comes at a cost. You can’t make any permanent changes to the apartment and any interior decor that adds value to the home only benefits the owner. That being said, there is still plenty you can do to make your rented apartment feel like home.
Here’s what you need to know.
Make The Walls Your Canvas
Let’s start with the basics. Since walls can be painted over or wallpapered, you can use them as your personal canvas. After all, new paint jobs or wallpaper will eventually need to be applied anyway. The walls are the perfect space to ply your design skills for this reason.
When you do not have a huge amount of options for interior design, you need to make bold choices. This doesn’t mean your walls all need to be bright colors, but you should consider some interesting choices and occasional statement walls. Even if your walls are mostly painted white, your home can look exciting if one prominent wall has a rare color or mural.
You can also spruce up those white walls by applying vinyl wall decor to them. A white wall with a vinyl tree splashed across it can catch the eye while remaining classy.
Shelving Transcends Space
One of the most common reversible alterations you can make use of is shelving. Yes, you may need to drill into the walls in order to put shelves up, but you can fill those holes very easily when the time comes to leave. You may even find that your landlord wants to keep those shelves up if you’re willing to part with them.
The great thing about shelving is that it can transcend floor space. While you may have very little space to place interesting furniture or decor, floating shelves can do the job without encroaching on your living area.
Consider going with interesting designs, such as triangular or round floating shelves. If you go for regular flat shelving, arrange it in a unique way, rather than simply putting one above the other.
Ask Your Landlord About The Finishings
Painting the walls is always a safe bet. But what if you want to spruce up the look of the home by painting the finishings? These may be cupboard handles, faucets, skirting, or other common finishings.
In this case, the owner of the apartment may be perfectly happy for you to go ahead. If they see your vision, they might be glad for you to improve their home. If they do not, it may not be something that bothers them. When you leave, they may ask you to redo those finishings though.
Don’t Increase The Value Too Much
In theory, you could do any alterations to your rented apartment if the landlord approves. This can be tempting, especially if you plan on staying in the apartment for many years. However, it can also disadvantage you. After all, if you do renovations on the place, its value increases.
The owner has no responsibility to reward you for this. In fact, they can use it as a reason to increase your rent or to sell the place to someone who will no longer want to rent it out. Ultimately, you’ve put yourself out of pocket only to benefit someone else.
Of course, this depends on the kind of relationship you have with the landlord. If you are close, they might be happy to fund renovations that you suggest, with the commitment to keeping rent at the same price.
Living in a rented place can be frustrating if you want to dabble with the design. However, there is a lot you can do, as long as it can be reversed.
