How To Renovate Your Rental Home Without Losing Your Deposit

Living in a rental can be challenging, especially if you're in a big city, and can't afford to pay ridiculous money for a fancy place. Sometimes you're going to have to deal with issues like horribly stained floors or walls, and aside from not looking nice, they can actually make you depressed too.

In fact, your environment can impact your well-being. A study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests that people who describe their homes as cluttered or unfinished experience an increase in depressed mood over the course of the day.

While some places allow you to make your home feel more "yours", other landlords will look for every little excuse to keep your deposit, and any changes, whether good or bad, can cause you to lose it.

Don't despair though, even if you're landlord is trying to get you, there are a few ways you can upgrade your house without having to actually make any long-term modifications.

Stephanie Black, a 25-year-old photographer influencer, known on TikTok as _stephbb, shared a few tips with Newsweek on how you can renovate your rental without losing your deposit.

1. Peel-And-Stick Wallpaper

If you do not like the way your walls look, but aren't allowed to paint over them, you can use peel-and-stick wallpaper.

Peel-and-stick wallpaper can be taken down in minutes, in contrast with regular wallpaper, which can require days of working just to finish a single wall. Plus, this removable wallpaper leaves almost no damage to the surface underneath.

However, this product requires meticulous installation. Peel-and-stick wallpaper adheres to the wall immediately, and if you make a mistake you are going to have to remove it and start again.

Stephanie Black said she used her wallpaper to cover her closet doors and it just completely transformed the space for her, adding: "I was not in love with the original wood look of these doors and this is just way more bright and more to my style."

2. Change The Light Shades And Lamps

Another thing you can do to make your rental feel more like your home is to replace your light shades. According to Black, this is a very straightforward process, where all you have to do is unscrew the old ones and replace them with something that's more in your style.

But, before you do that, you should make sure to isolate the circuit or cut the mains electricity supply to the whole house. Homeserve says that if your house is wired correctly, the lighting circuitry should all be isolated from a single point.

They suggest going to your fuse box or consumer unit and switching off the circuit breaker on the 'lighting', or whichever circuit you're going to be working on. After doing that you should test the lighting with an approved voltage tester, which will tell you for sure if the lighting circuit you want to work on is dead and safe.

3. Peel-And-Stick Vinyl Flooring

Another great way to transform your space is to use peel-and-stick vinyl on your floor.

Peel-and-stick vinyl is relatively cheap, and its price starts at 75 cents per square meter. It's durable, easy to install, and should leave almost no damage to the floor.

But, it needs flawless underlayment and it is not recyclable, and you need to be very careful when cleaning, as water can seep through edges.

4. Switch Handles/Knobs On Cabinets

Another easy trick to make your place look fancier and feel more your own, according to Black, is switching out the knobs.

Knobs are quite cheap and there are hundreds of styles, from the most simple black knobs to the most extravagant ones with designs and patterns.

She said: "I've seen knobs shaped like butterflies and such, or if you're into the eclectic style you could have a variety of different ones to make the space more unique."

5. Peel-And-Stick Vinyl On Countertops

Peel-and-stick vinyl can also be used on countertops, and it makes a huge difference to your space. You can choose your own design, whether it be marble, stone, concrete, wood, or any other style you'd like to use.

Black said: "It is not that easiest to install but it isn't permanent so it is renter-friendly and can really transform a kitchen."

6. Add An Area Rug

Area rugs are a great way to cover any kind of stains or damage your flooring may have.

Prices vary, but a quality rug will generally start at around $400 and can go all the way up to $10,000. But, you could always try and snag a second-hand one from Facebook Marketplace, a flea market, or eBay.

According to Black, when your landlord doesn't allow you to paint, you should bring your favorite colors and patterns into the space using an area rug instead.