Can You Change A Rental Property?

Interested in making changes to your rental property to make it feel more like home? A lot of people have this desire when choosing a place to rent. And in fact, a few changes can often make it more likely for a tenant to stay longer. But before any demo’ing, painting, or replacing hits the pipeline, make sure to consider these key factors that can impact the changes that you are able to make.

Consider Your Tenancy Agreement

Before you even think about making any changes to your rental property - and we do mean any - you should consider the tenancy agreement. Usually, a landlord will include details about changes here that are and aren’t acceptable. You need to make sure that you are checking this carefully. Do not agree to rent a property without reading the agreement. It’s possible that there are issues here that could give you pause for thought. Particularly, if you want a little creative freedom in terms of how you choose to decorate and redesign your rental property. 

Length Of Lease

Length of lease is another factor that you should consider. If you’re looking at rental properties you should always check the length of lease being advertised. Some landlords are looking for someone to stay in the property for the long term. This could be years. Others are more interested in filling six or twelve month gaps. When you are thinking about lease lengths, be aware that longer leases will usually mean that you have more freedom to change the property in a variety of different ways. Although, you may still want to run larger changes by the landlord to see whether they have any issues. 

Aesthetic Changes

Generally speaking aesthetic changes will be accepted by a landlord and you may not even need to ask permission depending on your agreement. However, there are areas that are a little more shady here. For instance, you might love the idea of repainting the property. Generally speaking, this should be acceptable. However, it depends on how extreme the color choices are. If you want to decorate with bright or glaring color choices, then your landlord may have something to say about this. They may even ask you to repaint the walls after a surprise inspection. 

Structural Changes 

Finally, you might want to consider structural changes to the property. Structural changes are unlikely to be agreed on by a landlord and regardless of whether you think you have a right to make a change like this, you should always ask permission. Structurally changes are more likely for longer leases but it’s still only a small chance that your landlord will agree. Structural changes could include significant alterations to the flooring of the property or potentially even changing the walls. If you do this without permission, expect a legal complaint, a fee and potentially an eviction. 

We hope this helps you understand how much you can realistically change a rental property and the key factors that impact the level of changes that you can make. Remember, before you do anything it’s always best to check with the landlord. That way, you can save yourself from any headaches or arguments in the future.