How To Make A Rental House A Home

More people than ever are choosing a rental house instead of purchasing a home throughout the UK, and for good reason. Over the past decade, property prices have continually been on the increase, and that’s made it tough for many people to really become part of the property market. In fact, statistics indicate that those joining the market to get a  rental house instead of buying a home is in the increase. Some economists have even predicted that just 26% of individuals aged 20 – 39 years old will actually own a home in the next few years, and that’s down by almost 15% from just a few years ago.

For many, a key frustrating part of having a house rental is feeling like you’re in a situation that just isn’t very permanent. Any time you have a house rental, it can seem quite difficult to make it feel like your own. Yet ensuring the property feels like home is an absolute must. Everyone deserves a soft place to land after a long day, and making your rental house feel like home is just the way to do that. What can you do to help add a bit of personality to your house rental and make it feel like your own? These tips can help.

• Start with a Solid Cleaning: Virtually everyone feels better when they’re working in an incredibly clean space, and starting your new home experience with a solid cleaning is a great way to really get to know it. Before you start moving furniture in, give the entire space the good scrub it deserves from top to bottom. Wipe down every edge, the windows, and clean the floors. You’ll likely want to pull those appliances out as well to help clean behind and under them. Afterward, your place will look and smell absolutely amazing, and as you work, you’ll likely begin to get some idea of what should go where in your new space.
• Consider Adding Freestanding Furniture: House rentals don’t have a lot of extra space. You may not think you have extra space in your new house rental for furniture, but the simple reality is that rental homes and flats are often quite lacking when it comes to storage, and that may mean that clutter piles up almost everywhere in your new space. Don’t worry, though. There is a solution that doesn’t involve any permanent changes to your space. Invest in some freestanding bookcases and shelving. You’ll not only gain the storage areas you need for almost everything, but you’ll be decorating your space at the same time and adding a few touches of your own personality in the process.
• Think Lighting: Light is a more important element than you ever imagined. It has the ability to change your sleeping patterns, improve your cognition level, and enhance your overall wellbeing. It can even increase the number of positive thoughts you have on a daily basis. If your new house rental is a bit darker than you’d like it to be, there are actually several things you can do to change that. Start by cleaning the windows thoroughly if you didn’t hit them during your deep clean. From there, change the bulbs in all of the light fixtures in your new space. Go with brighter LEDs. If you see an outdated overhead light fixture, ask your landlord whether you can switch it out. If that’s not a possibility, consider adding several lamps to help brighten the darker corners of your new space. String lights here and there might set a cute tone as well to help brighten your new place. House rentals are often dark, so adding a little light can go a long way.
• Make Window Treatments and Rugs Your Friend: While you likely can’t make any permanent changes to your new space, there are lots of touches of your own you can add, including window treatments and rugs. Select rugs in a number of different sizes and colours that complement your existing furniture to help give a space a really nice touch. You’ll want to choose window treatments that mimic the same feel. While many rentals have outdated window treatments that may look damaged or discoloured, adding some bright, bold curtains can help both dress those windows up and help you feel better about framing the natural light that’s already coming into your space. If you want to make any serious updates, you’ll likely have to consult with your landlord, but in some cases, you may be able to add some cute shutter blinds or Roman blinds to help dress up a space and make it look a bit more vibrant.
• Use Your Wall Space: The uniform lightly coloured walls of new house rentals can be absolutely awful to look at for some time. Add some art that you love, photos of you and your favourite people, or even some mirrors to help make your rental house feel more like your own. Keep in mind that your landlord may not allow you to hang picture hooks, but fortunately, there are lots of temporary picture hanging strips available today that can allow you to hang up everything you want and take it back down without damaging the walls before you move.
• Don’t Forget Your Mementos! You want to surround yourself with all of the things you love most in any house rental. Maybe it’s a treasure you brought back from holiday or something your schoolmates bought for you long ago, but either way, be sure you display them prominently throughout your space. Use the freestanding shelves you purchased to fill your place with lots of objects that help brighten your day every time you see them.

Consider an Indoor Garden: Whether you add a single plant like a succulent or you get really creative and begin to include a herb garden in your kitchen, plants have a special way of helping to warm up any space. If you’re concerned that you simply can’t grow anything, you could even go with fake plants and still achieve the same vibe. The key is to select options that truly look great in your new space. A quick online search will help you learn more about plants that grow well even in small spaces like flats and rental houses!

In addition to these tips, there are a few other things you can do in your new house rental as long as you check with your landlord first. You may be allowed to paint in some areas of the rental home, giving you a chance to select the colour scheme that best matches your furniture. If that’s not an option, you may want to consider temporary wallpaper or faux tile. Both are available in a number of different styles, and textures and either one will be the perfect way to add a little colour without doing anything permanent that may displease your landlord.

Don’t forget, too, to explore the neighbourhood you’ve just joined. Take some time to meet your neighbours, visit the latest shop down the road, and head for the nearby park to get a better sense of what’s around you. Don’t forget to visit the local pub, try a few of those restaurants that surround you, and do what you can to make the most of your time in that area.

Making house rentals feel like home may seem impossible at times, but with a bit of hard work, you can make it feel like your perfect space.