Landlords took a bit of a beating at the hands of the Government and Bank of England (BoE) last year, so the New Year is bringing with it fresh opportunities to refresh your rental property. If you’re looking to make positive changes to your property’s interiors in 2018, we have ten top tips…
Transforming the interior of your rental property can not only make it stand out on the lettings market, but will also attract modern, savvy tenants that are more likely to look after their home if you’ve provided them with somewhere smart and stylish to live.
The fascinating environmental psychology theorem of place attachment demonstrates how strong the bond is between a person and their environment, meaning that the way a home is presented can have a subconscious, positive influence on its occupants. For landlords, this could mean that your tenants are more likely to stick around longer or give more care and attention to your property if they find the interior appealing.
With this in mind, the experts at Alexander James Interior Design – one of the world’s leading designers – have put together their ten easy ways to refresh your rental property for the New Year, which don’t require extensive funds or efforts.
Landlords, have some fun this year and enjoy revitalising your property with these top tips:
- Declutter and de-stress
If your tenants have recently moved out, or your existing tenants have taken their Christmas decorations down over the past week, you could dive straight into throwing out all of the home accessories and furniture pieces that are holding your property back from looking fresh and stylish.
Decluttering de-stresses and simplifies a home, allowing for a space in which every item has a considered, rightful place and creating a sense of harmony throughout your property. It’s the perfect way to create a blank canvas for new tenants, too.
Try Using Pantone’s Colour of the Year: Ultra Violet
TOP TIP: If you do want to get rid of some furniture or appliances in your property, remember to use the environmentally friendly and ethical way – such as using the Gone for Good app.
- Use the Colour of the Year
If you’re looking to bring colour into your rental property (alongside the recommended neutral colour scheme), Pantone’s newly announced Colour of the Year 2018 is the best place to start – Ultra Violet.
The Vice President of the Pantone Colour Institute, Laurie Pressman, says: “The Pantone Colour of the Year has come to mean so much more than what’s trending in the world of design; it’s truly a reflection of what’s needed in our world today.”
Inject this stunning shade into your interiors by using it as an accent colour, punctuating throughout the living space with new cushion fabrics, artwork and homewares.
Pantone describes the colour as “a dramatically provocative and thoughtful purple shade, PANTONE 18-3838 Ultra Violet communicates originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking that points us toward the future”.
- Re-position and reset
Rearranging your property’s furniture is the greener, cheaper and simpler way to refresh each room. In just a few simple movements, you can transform the ambience of a room and make a huge impact.
Place furniture in an entirely new location in the room, rotate it in a different direction, or even swap pieces from different rooms.
- Impact with artwork
Replacing artwork with new pieces is an extremely effective way of creating a fresh visual impact in your property’s interior.
It can change the key focal point of a room, completely shifting the style or tone of the space in a different direction, or it can be a powerful means of punctuating with your new scheme’s accent colour. If your purses are feeling a little stretched after Christmas, moving artwork into different rooms can have the desired effect.
- Luxuriate with cushion fabrics
An affordable and indulgent way to refresh your property and make it stand out on the lettings market is to replace your cushion fabrics. This allows you to introduce a new accent colour to a room, or rich, tactile textures, which will instantly transform the property into somewhere stylish that tenants will want to move into.
- Restyle the master bedroom
The master bedroom of a property is often one of the most important rooms to potential tenants. So why not market your property with a brand new bedding set and throw, to show off how comfortable and cosy your tenants could be there? This can dramatically freshen up the master bedroom and, more importantly, help your tenants get a good night’s sleep!
- Ambient aromas
10 Easy Ways to Refresh your Rental Property for the New Year
Scent plays an important role in interior design, dramatically influencing how one experiences a space, particularly during property viewings. The New Year has arrived, so it’s time for a new scent.
Use luxurious candles and diffusers during viewings to make prospective tenants feel welcome and at home.
- Revitalise the coffee table
Make the coffee table a focal point of the living room, restyling it with beautiful books, ornaments and a diffuser or candle. If you prefer a minimalistic look for your properties, use the rule of three to ensure that it looks balanced and stylish.
Apartment Therapy explains: “The rule guideline of threes say that things arranged in odd numbers are more appealing, memorable and effective than even-numbered groupings. Three seems to be the magic number.”
- Freshen with florals
Whether you opt for fresh flowers that emit an exquisite floral scent (but are more difficult to maintain), or faux florals that offer a beautiful, authentic look, adding flowers to your interior is the perfect way to freshen up your property for the New Year.
Display florals in all key rooms to rejuvenate the entire space with life and vitality – this will show off how fresh and full your property can be to potential tenants.
- Enhance with lighting
Rethinking a room’s lighting scheme can create a whole new atmosphere and give it the boost it needs. Introduce ambient or background lighting where there isn’t any, or accent lighting to highlight special features, colours and patterns in furnishings.
Adding table or floor lamps can also make for a stylish feature in any room, enhancing key areas and making rooms look more spacious.
TOP TIP: Remember that using LED bulbs will also help you comply with the Government’s new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES).
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