5 landlord approved decorating ideas for your rental

As a tenant you want to make your rental property your own. It's your home so you want to make it comfortable. To make it a reflection of your personality. To make it...well, homely. Unfortunately, you can't just grab a paintbrush and an armful of wallpaper and crack on with decorating. Your tenancy agreement will outline exactly what you can and can't do. But most landlords will prohibit painting, papering and even hanging pictures. There are very good reasons for this.

If a landlord let every tenant do their own decorating, they would spend time and money at the end of every tenancy having to redecorate before putting their rental back on the market. This is why you can't decorate as much as you'd like.

So, you're restricted in what you can do. But just because you may not be able to paint the walls purple or use that hipster paper you found, doesn't mean you can't make your rented property your home. There is lots you can do without violating your tenancy agreement. To give you a little inspiration here's our top five home decorating ideas, which every landlord will approve of.

5 rental decoration ideas

1) Add a splash of colour. Most landlords decorate their properties in neutral colours, which is practical but can be uninspiring. You’ll have to use your initiative, if you want to jazz things up a little. You can't paint the walls but that needn't stop you from adding some colour. Grab some scatter cushions, statement wall art and other decorations. Choose colours you like and position the cushions on chairs, sofa and bed. It's amazing what a difference these little splashes of colour make.

2) Get a rug. You're pretty much stuck with the carpets you have. You can't replace them, but you can add your own touch by using rugs. Rugs come in all shapes, sizes, colours and styles and don't have to be expensive. A rug adds a lot of colour and warmth to any space.

3) Use lighting. Table lamps can really change a room. It doesn't matter if you're into contemporary, retro or minimalistic style, there's plenty to choose from. You don't have to spend much to completely transform a room. But you can use other lighting effects too. If you want to be different try smart bulbs. You can control them with your smartphone and change the colour of the lighting whenever you wish. You can also automate your lighting and even add timing.

4) Removable wallpaper. You can take a plain white wall and inject some real personality into it with removable wallpaper. However, before using it, it'll be wise to just check with your landlord. You just peel it off the roll and stick it on the wall. When it's time to move the paper simply peels off. Wipe down the wall and it'll be as good as new. Top tip - read the reviews before picking your wallpaper, as with anything and everything, the quality does vary.

5) New curtains. A simple but underestimated way to personalise a room. Choose colourful fabrics to match the cushions you've placed in the room. You can find high-quality but low-cost curtains at all the big homeware stores.

So, there you go. Five ideas to decorate without upsetting the landlord. All our home decorating tips have three things in common:

• They won't invalidate your tenancy agreement. Your landlord will approve.
• They're affordable.
• Very easy to implement.

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