6 Easy Rental Updates Your Landlord Won’t Mind

Unless you’re paying an arm and a leg, rental apartments are often boring and outdated. While you dream of a full-fledged renovation project, living in a place you don’t own means you can forget about a remodeling project. Even basic things like painting the walls may not be possible depending on your landlord.

That doesn’t mean your rental can’t look good. There are a ton of low-commitment fixes that will make a big impact. More importantly, they’re light on the wallet and won’t piss off your landlord (which means you’ll get your deposit back).

Change Out Your Lighting

The lighting installed in your apartment may be from the beginning of time or if you live in a newer place, it’s likely that the installed lighting is the cheapest one found in a big-box retailer. Since overhead lighting tends to be harsh anyway, add some cool table and floor lamps that fit your personality. Or drop a Benjamin and get an electrician to swap out the fixture for a much cooler piece and stash the old one in the back of our closet. Don’t forget to swap them again when you’re moving out.

Treat Your Windows

Standard-issue blinds are so boring. They also don’t do a very good job at blocking out light or keeping the cold/heat in during extreme weather months. Our advice? Invest in window treatments that match your style. You can find cloth blinds that are much prettier than those white plastic blinds or just throw some curtains up in front of them to make your place feel more homey.

Hardware Updates

No, not your computer hardware – we’re talking about updating your cabinet hardware. You might not be loving the old, ugly gold 1980s knobs your kitchen cabinets are sporting, so change it! With so many different options on the market, you’re sure to find something you love. It’s less than a half hour’s worth of work if you’re somewhat handy. Just remember to keep the old hardware and replace it back when you move.

Jazz Up Your Walls

You may not be able to paint but who says you can’t put up wallpaper? Temporary wallpaper is the newest thing and there are now so many colors and patterns available. You can do a whole room or just an accent wall. Most are priced pretty affordably, are easy to install and will come right down on moving day.

Cover Your Radiator

Too many of the older building have one of those old, ugly radiators. Let’s be honest – they’re an eyesore. Hide them up with a nice radiator cover. They’re perfect because not only do they make that area prettier, they also give you extra an extra display space.

Invest in Nice Furniture

Yeah, the walls are patchworked up and the floors have a stained area from three tenants ago, but the rent is too good to pass up! At the end of the day, no one’s going to be staring down the walls of your less-than-perfect rental. But they will be looking at your style. Invest in good quality furniture pieces that you’ll love forever.

For more tips on decorating your apartment, check out www.aptdeco.com!