I’ve spent 16 years renting all sorts of properties, from houses, to bungalows, to flats, so securing a tenancy agreement feels very familiar to me at this stage. I’ve become a serial renter - mostly due to buying a home falling way out of my financial limits - but in many ways it’s also allowed more flexibility for each changing life season within that time.
One common misconception in the UK is that renting is a second-class existence and means forfeiting any right for the property to feel like your home. I’ve however made it my mission to inspire renters to create homes that feel like spaces that reflect them, their needs, their personality and their memories. I’ve been rallying against the notion that you must feel like a squatter in a magnolia box, rather championing the right to feel settled somewhere you enjoy.
Even being approved for a tenancy now can be filled with process blocks from passing all the financial checks. Sometimes it’s so in depth it almost feels like applying for a mortgage, which if we’re honest defeats part of the point! This is where RentGuarantor becomes a hugely helpful resource.
If you do not meet the usual referencing criteria then often a guarantor is necessary to proceed. This could be because of your income, employment status, credit history or simply because you do not have enough UK financial history. Not everyone has a suitable option for a guarantor in their life but RentGuarantor can step into the gap and offer risk-managed solutions to support wannabe tenants, giving landlords and letting agents the confidence to say “yes!”.
This means those blocks for potential renters are removed and you can focus on the fun parts of making your rental feel like home because there’s no need for it to feel like a stop gap. Here’s some ideas on how to make that possible…
1) Address the walls: Read through your tenancy agreement and see what the landlord allows you to do. Some are quite strict and others might just involve you asking permission and seeing what the response is. I always ask if I can paint the walls, offering to paint them back to white on leaving. Ask about hanging things on the walls and propose filling any picture hook holes in at the end of the tenancy. These are both great ways to add personality to your new space if approved.
2) Peel & stick party: Embrace temporary peel and stick vinyls. Cover cabinets, worktops, windows, tiles with a peel and stick version for an instant upgrade to suit your taste. Just read what surfaces the specific product you’ve chosen is for, so that there’s no question it will be removable at the end of the tenancy.
3) Secondhand furniture: It’s an inexpensive way to furnish your rental that will still add plenty of character. Often when you move into a new rental home, old furniture may not fit the new space, so resources like Facebook Marketplace or second-hand furniture depots/charity shops can be a brilliant solution when buying an investment piece to last over a decade is not on the agenda.
4) Soft furnishings are your friend: Rugs are great for covering flooring you may not be such a fan of, for upping the cosiness-factor or even sectioning off an area. Throws, cushions, or swapping out curtains are an easy way to inject your own style into a room. The great thing is they can come with you when you leave!
5) Art speaks: Artwork and photos will hold memories and meaning, making a blank canvas into something that truly reflects you and your personality. It doesn’t need to be pricey, try framing postcards, gift wrap, fabric scraps or polaroids. If you aren’t allowed to put hooks in the walls then display them on top of shelves/drawers/side tables or buy yourself a pack of Command Strips.
So whether renting is the only option available to you or you’re one of the growing crowd who feel it better suits their lifestyle, there is a way to get into rental homes, no matter your financial situation, and it need not feel like living in limbo either. Our homes are a huge reflection of who we are and what we value and that should be able to the case whether you own or rent!
