With renting comes many challenges. Fighting mould appearances, Blu-tac arguments and flatmate fights are hard enough, without the worry of not getting your deposit back. Making your temporary home yours doesn’t have to be difficult, however, and can be very easily achieved with sticky VELCRO® brand strips and other renter-friendly solutions.

Read on for our ultimate guide to making a house a home with renter-friendly improvements, from VELCRO® strips to stylish storage solutions.

Renting Rules

In the UK, many landlords impose strict rules on what a renter can do with their rented home. This can be a hindrance to any plans you might have for your new home, from painting to decorating your space. To continue with your design ideas without risking your deposit, it’s vital to recognise a few factors before setting up.

Read this section for our tips on remaining within your renting regulations. 

Read Your Agreement Carefully

One of the best ways to ensure you don’t break any agreements is to make sure you read the rules of your rental agreement carefully. Within this agreement, there should be rules specifically detailed on what you are allowed to change within your property. This will usually include not allowing any major changes made to the property.

Some landlords will not allow you to paint the walls of your home, whereas others will allow you to do so as long as the property is repainted at the end of the tenancy. Knowing the rules is essential for reclaiming your deposit. 

Notify Your Landlord of Any Issues

Organising your home is usually the time when an issue makes itself known. If you have any problems in your home, make sure to let your landlord know as quickly as possible so that you aren’t charged or kept from your deposit later down the line. 

Some examples of issues might include holes in walls or an infestation of pests. By letting your landlord know early on, you can ensure the issue is quickly resolved, without any damage to your belongings.

Knowing Your Pet Rules

Often, people move into a new property for the main purpose of owning a pet. It’s vital therefore to check your tenancy agreement on the rules surrounding pets before setting your home up for one. 

Some landlords allow small pets, such as fish or hamsters, that won’t have major impacts on the property. Others allow cats and dogs but may have specific requirements for their ownership. These could be specific sizes for dogs or a limit on the number of pets you can have in the home. It’s therefore essential to make sure you are aware of these before adjusting your home for pet purposes.

Renter-Friendly Home Improvements

When moving into your new home, it largely will come as a blank canvas, ready to be added to. To make the most of this new space, choosing the perfect accessories that are renter-friendly is essential.

Read this section to learn about some renter-friendly adjustments you can make to your space.

Plants

One way to liven up any size space is to decorate with plants. Great for providing your home with clean air and soaking up any excess humidity, plants can be used in any room with a natural light source and ventilation.

Plants come in all shapes and sizes, making them great for any use. Try a snake plant as an easy beginner plant, as they are easily cared for and don’t require much attention. Likewise, spider plants are great for producing new plants, allowing you to easily fill your home with green touches.

If you have any rooms without the requirements needed for plant care, try decorating with cut flowers. These add a green touch to your rooms without worrying about dead plants littering your space, although it’s important to remember to replace these when they begin to wilt. You can regularly refresh the water that your flowers sit in to improve their longevity.

Pictures and Paintings

When it comes to making your home truly yours, personal touches can make a world of difference. Hanging up paintings and pictures that you have collected over the years is very important to make a space cosy, no matter how temporary your tenancy is. If you have no photos, opt to print some out and frame them, ready to hang on your walls.

When attaching your pictures to the walls, opt for sticky back VELCRO® to get the most secure solution. Nails cause instant damage to walls, which is exactly why many landlords choose to restrict their tenants from using nails. Some do allow it, however, they will require you to go through the process of filling holes at the end of your tenancy, which can be incredibly inconvenient. Instead, using self-adhesive VELCRO® sold by MPD Hook & Loop can save you from this hassle.

Multifunctional Furniture

Having limited space can feel like a burden when you move into your new home, but it doesn’t need to be. To maximise the use of your furniture, choose furnishings that have multiple uses to make it work best for you.

One example of multifunctional furniture is a sofa bed. Great for daily use, a sofa bed works by appearing as a normal sofa which then rolls out to act as a bed, brilliant for accommodating any visiting guests. Likewise, it’s great for movie nights, optimising the cosiness of your room.

Key Storage

We all know the frustration of not being able to find your keys when you’re about to leave the house. To help deal with this ongoing issue, install a wall-hanging keyholder, which will easily store your keys by your door. This can be attached with self-adhesive VELCRO® to create a strong bond that won’t fall off your walls easily. 

Key holders come in a myriad of designs, allowing you to add a personal touch while it performs a functional purpose. Many can easily be painted and decorated without detriment to your chances of receiving your deposit back at the end of your tenancy. 

Managing Your Belongings

Storing your belongings in your rented home doesn’t need to be challenging. While built-in storage is undeniably useful, there are ways in which you can make space for your items stylishly. Try flatpack furniture, which can easily be painted to coherently blend in with your unique design style. 

Keeping your belongings where they need to be also prevents damage to your rented space. Without the proper space for your items, you risk inadvertently causing chaos in your home that removes its ability to function properly. It can also encourage pests to come into your space, creating worse problems later on. Instead, organise your belongings into installed furniture for a pest-free solution.

Our Products

For renter-friendly products, our team at MPD Hook & Loop can help. We offer a variety of products, including the mentioned sticky back VELCRO® items in the sections above. VELCRO® brand items can make any task or project easier with their use. 

Read on to find out more about our products and how they can be used. 

Moving Out

When it comes to leaving your property at the end of your tenancy, moving large pieces of furniture can be a hassle. Without the proper solutions, damage can be caused to your furniture while in transit. To properly secure your larger items, choose VELCRO® straps that are easily removed at the end of the moving process, while securely protecting your items.

Similarly, our VELCRO® cable ties can be useful for keeping your items together during transit. Nothing is quite as frustrating as rebuilding your furniture after moving to find out you’re missing different parts. Securing them together using cable ties can solve this with ease. 

Other Products

To assist you no matter your needs, we have a variety of other products available at MPD Hook & Loop available for purchase. Try our VELCRO® sew-on materials, great for sewing into clothing for those with mobility issues, replacing buttons and hooks which can be difficult to use. Whether you require pre cut or specialist materials, our team can help you find the perfect fit. 

For more information on Rented Home Improvements With Sticky VELCRO® Brand Strips talk to MPD Hook and Loop