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It can be tricky making your rented home feel like your own space when there are still restrictions on what you can and can’t do. That doesn’t mean, though, you have to keep things as they were on move-in day. We’ve got the advice for how to spice up your rent-to-buy home in non-damaging ways so that you feel more comfortable every day.
Here are our top tips for making your rent-to-buy house feel like your own:
Keep reading to learn whether you’re eligible for rent to buy and how to spice up your home without breaking the bank.
Rent to Buy is a government-backed initiative that allows people in permanent employment to rent a home for less than it would be on the market (usually around 20% lower) while saving for a deposit.
To be eligible for Rent to Buy, there are some criteria you must fulfil and tasks you must complete:
Whether you’ve had the same furniture for years or are starting completely anew, you can do a lot to improve your space with only a handful of updates. And often, the best changes are also renter-friendly! Here are some of our top tips for making your rent-to-buy house feel like your own.
For this tip, charity shops and adhesive strips will be your best friends. Figure out a gallery wall style that’s true to you – whether that resembles jumbled beauty, measured perfection, or anything in between – and gather frames to suit.
Fill your frames with colour samples, artwork, photographs, and mementoes and then hang them on the walls with adhesive strips. This will help create the sense that your home is properly lived in by cutting up huge empty spaces, while simultaneously not posing a threat to the walls thanks to the adhesives.
A quick and simple fix that might not be available to everyone. Check your cupboards before browsing new handles to see if they easily detach and reattach. If not, skip this one; you don’t want to risk causing unnecessary damage to your rent-to-buy home.
Swapping out handles can be a great way to introduce consistency across your home, and it doesn’t cause any permanent damage. Try changing up the colour, material, or even shape of cupboard handles around your kitchen and bathroom to add more character to your home.
As with any replacements, though, make sure that you don’t lose the originals. When it comes to moving out, you’ll then be able to take your handles off and between homes.
Did you see a fun pillow or chair in IKEA during your last browse? Maybe, tragically, you thought, “Yeah, that’s nice, but it wouldn’t match the rug”. We’re giving you permission to just go for it!
If it helps, start small and work your way up to bigger, bolder, more personalised pieces. It’s all in the name of making your space your own.
First comes the novelty James Bond coaster set. Then the handmade blanket you bought on holiday. Before you know it, you’re committing to the huge lime green armchair you always see but worry about standing out too much. Each thing weaves the tapestry of your life and makes your home feel much more human and loved.
Your home should make you happy, so fill it with oddities and furniture you love for themselves, not for the idea of having a matching set.
Quick, easy, cheap. Peel-and-stick tiles are renter-friendly and can add a splash of colour or texture to any wall within moments. They’re best used in small nooks like above worktops and under overhang cupboards so that they blend in well, and certain waterproof types can also provide excellent protection against splashes and sauce stains for when things get messy in the kitchen.
Sometimes you might have bought all the right furniture, decorated the walls impeccably, but still feel like something is off. Chances are, your lights are working against you.
Buy 2–3 lamps per room in a variety of styles — floor-standing, tabletop, or even fairy lights — and dot them all around. Use warm-coloured bulbs to transform your clinical, static-feeling rooms into cosy, homely nests full of humming life.
One of the boldest (and more expensive) updates you can make to your home is to introduce a beautiful rug. Rugs are great for making a room feel cohesive, even when individual parts don’t match.
Even the most basic rugs can add texture, colour, warmth, and structure to a room without threatening your deposit. You don’t have to go super fancy, but if you do have the budget to splash out, a powerful rug can become the centrepiece of a room effortlessly.
Rent to Buy can be an incredible opportunity for getting onto the property ladder, all while giving you some financial breathing room to save. At Plumlife, we’re proud to support first-time buyers in securing their first home. Check out our incredible line-up of new builds under the Rent to Buy scheme online today.
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