Getsafe logo
Getsafe wordmark
Close icon

Make the most of your home – without breaking your tenancy agreement

5 tips to spice up your home, without incurring the wrath of your landlord!

Article
5 minute read2020-11-11
Blog image

Winter is almost here and, unfortunately, so too is another lockdown. That means you’ll likely be spending plenty of time at home. But fear not, we’ve prepared some tips for you to spice up your home, without incurring the wrath of your landlord!

Renting is becoming more common in the United Kingdom. While renting a home offers you greater freedom in terms of moving again and not being tied to mortgage, you may not be contractually allowed to alter certain things in your rented home compared to an owned one. So, let’s take a look at what you can do that will keep you – and your landlord happy.

1. Add a bit of character to your walls with pictures

During lockdown, you might find yourself staring at the same four walls for long periods of time. The good news is that you can add a bit of life to these walls with pictures and posters. And these could feature anything. Perhaps you want calming colours and patterns to keep you at ease. Or maybe you want pictures of people or things that inspire you to keep you motivated at home. Alternatively, you might even want to try your hand at art and hang it on the wall. All of these things make your home more vibrant and add character.

However, you need to be careful not to damage your wall. Your landlord may have rules about using bluetack, for example. Check your tenant agreement or contact your landlord, if you’re unsure.

2. Bring some nature into your home

Adding plants to your home is a great way to freshen up your place – particularly if you live in an urban area. And the upside of choosing this home makeover? There’s not much you can do to break your tenancy agreement. Research shows that people feel happier with plants in their home. And this stands to reason. After all, plants improve air quality within a room. Try creating your own urban jungle to bring some of the outdoors inside.

3. Introduce some new colour

This one is maybe a bit trickier, as it involves painting the walls, which are rented from your landlord. Despite this, if you don’t do anything drastic that would be hard to cover over, such as painting the walls in extremely dark colour (why would you?!), then you should be fine. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a huge overhaul. Perhaps you can paint just one wall to bring new character to your home.

That being said, before you begin painting, make sure that your landlord is ok with this! Every tenancy contract is different. Nonetheless, you may even be able to come to agreement with the property owner about painting, regardless of your contract. The key is communication.

4. Create ambience with lighting

Light plays a huge role in how we feel. Not only natural light, which you often can’t influence, but also electric lighting. Lamps and lightbulbs come in all different styles and strengths. You might like mellow lighting that makes you feel warm. If so, you can use vintage-style lamps that cast a more ambient glow. Or maybe you need brighter light to feel switched on and focused. There are so many options here, so consider which one suits you, your personality, and your home best.

5. Rearrange your furniture

This sounds like an obvious one, but how often do you really change the layout of your home? Probably not that often. But how your furniture is organised can be a significant factor in how you feel at home. In fact, the practice or optimally arranging items within a home has been around since ancient China, with the practice known as feng shui. It says a lot that this concept is still popular today. You also don’t need a major overhaul. Perhaps you could add a wooly rug to bring an extra degree of comfort to where you live. The possibilities are endless. Take some time to reimagine the layout of your rooms, and you’ll likely feel the benefits.

Cover the items that you love against damage

And those are our tips for sprucing up your rented home, without getting grief from your landlord. We understand that lockdown is difficult for many and hope you found these tips useful and that you have fun giving where you live a new look. Remember, you can protect everything you have in your home for just a few pounds a month with Getsafe Contents insurance. Find out more about covering your universe. Stay safe!

Contents insurance from £2.71 / month*

*Additional terms and conditions apply


Jacob
Author: Jacob