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How To Decorate Your Property To Let - Painting Tips For Landlords

According to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), you need to decorate your rental property to attract the best tenants. Good quality tenants are like the Holy Grail; they’re more likely to look after your property, saving you money in the long run because there’ll be fewer touch-ups required between tenancies.

If you get the decorating and renovation right, you can potentially achieve a higher rent and return on your investment and avoid unnecessary void periods. Get it wrong and you’ll put tenants off so any money spent on decorating could be wasted.

Neutral is king

Imagine your buy-to-let is one of several identical properties in terms of layout and location. The only way prospective tenants can differentiate between them is if they like the feel and look of the place.

If you want to appeal to the largest number of people within your target market, there’s only one colour scheme to choose: neutrals. You might personally think it’s bland but anyone viewing your rental property needs to be able to see it as a blank canvas, and to picture their own possessions and furniture there.

With strong colours, there’s a risk you’ll put people off. Neutral tones are more calming, they go with everything and they make a property look light and bright, providing an illusion of space. And you don’t have to use magnolia! Warm yellows, soft greys and light beiges work just as well. Whilst white is proving popular for modern properties.

Make it durable

It’s a cliché but in the world of buy-to-let, time is money. By making sure the décor is both practical and durable, even if it initially costs a little extra, it will save you money in the long run. That’s because you can just do a few touch-ups between tenancies so you’ll have the fastest possible turnaround between tenants and a shorter void period.

Recommend products

For walls, durable paints such as Dulux Diamond Matt, Crown Clean Extreme and Johnstone’s Acrylic Matt, which come in a range of colours including magnolia and white, are popular with our landlord customers. For refreshing and protecting interior wood, Dulux Trade Protective Woodsheen produces a durable finish to resist wear and tear.

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