As Eastbourne landlords we all know the nightmare scenario; your tenant has decided to redecorate but at whose expense? Invariably it’s at yours, the landlord. Sloppy paint jobs, badly chosen colours, damage to the fixtures and fittings, the removal of interior doors and carpets – these things just aren’t acceptable in a rental property. So should all landlords enforce a hard line on these sorts of DIY decorations or should tenants be given some guidelines on what is ok and what is not ok to do the property? After all, whilst you might be the owner they are the ones who, even temporarily, have to call it home. The following are some useful suggestions that can be passed onto to your tenants and which will allow them to customise their homes in a chic modern way.
Permission
The first thing is to make sure any tenant knows that they need to be transparent with you and obtain your permission before they go ahead and make any changes to the property. This is the golden rule and should never be forgotten. If you get the chance to vet any potential changes before they take place there’s much less of a chance your tenant can cause damage to the property.
Wall stickers and frames
Most rented flats will have plain white walls and adding a little touch of the custom to these is not as hard or potentially damaging as you might think. One of the more recent innovations is large scale wall stickers. These are removable beautiful designs that can cover entire walls with contemporary and artistic designs.
The other alternative is to do the Shoreditch thing of framing posters but leaving them leaning against the wall – sans hooks! Not only does it save the walls but it’s en vogue in the trendiest circles – fortunate for landlords!
Sofas and soft furnishings
Not only can ugly or uninspiring sofas be covered with a throw but an even better way to mix things up is to change soft furnishings like sofas and cushions – these can cause some pretty dramatic effects! Voile curtains can be used to screen off sections of a room and change the visual layout of it by acting as a room divider. These can even be hung from the ceiling with two small hook and some picture wire and so can minimise any potential damage to the property. Another great way to break up the living space is to obtain a standing screen – not only can these be extremely elegant but can create a fantastic vintage look.
Open shelving
Shelving does minimal damage to the property but can be used to achieve some original visual effects. Not all shelves need to be used for the purpose of books or keepsakes. Pictures can be balanced on shelves to minimise wall damage or just to create an easily adaptable visual environment. Plants are another great shelf decoration and one can easily achieve a ‘sea of green’ effect with a few hanging ferns. The real key is to minimise on damage to the property whilst providing the most amount of versatility to the tenant, allowing them to change up their space and keep it fresh and exciting.
