Should you update your rental with YOUR money?
It depends. Ok that’s it; there you have it. That’s your blog post. Just kidding. Let’s talk about it!
I would assume this is largely a conversation in places like where I live (NYC) where nearly everyone rents. We all want homes that reflect our personality and points of view but not all of us can afford real estate. So what are we to do? Can we upgrade our builder grade (or worse) rentals somehow? And can we do this affordably?
Good news: the answer is YES.
Should You Upgrade Your Rental with YOUR Money?
When I first moved here, I knew someone who said they spent $500 upgrading their rental kitchen (installed a backsplash, painted the cabinets and walls, installed new hardware) and I thought that was CRAZY. Why spend your hard earned money enhancing a property you don’t own???
Well…fast forward 4 years and a pandemic later and oops I did the same thing for the same amount of money:-) And I regret it 0%. Not only that, but if I ever moved to a different apartment, I would probably do it again too.
So what changed? Well, I got older and wiser.
I learned the importance of home and a space being so much more than just a place to lay your head.
Your home is your sanctuary. Your home affects your mood (I even wrote about it in a blog post). So living in an environment that you don’t love will affect many areas of your life. From your productivity to your confidence to your eating style.
How you live matters. And since your interior design’s #1 job is to support the way you live, you can see how a poor design could really affect your day to day life.
Crappy kitchen? You’ll cook and entertain less which means less healthy meals and less socialization. Dingy bathroom? There might be an aversion to taking a self care bath or having a guest stay over. Dark living room? Your mood might shift, especially in winter.
I truly believe that interior design speaks to our primal selves. The very first thing that needed to be designed for the very first humans on earth was a place of shelter. That need still exists in modern society; we all just want to experience the comfort of home.
Things to consider
Before you jump right in and start planning your upgrades, there are a few factors to consider:
1. Are you planning on living there long? Personally, I wouldn’t upgrade unless planning to stay at least 3 years.
2. Do you have permission from your landlord? Does your rental agreement prohibit changes to the apartment?
3. Do you have a landlord willing to split the cost? What I would propose is that you buy the fixtures and ask if they will take care of the labor (tips on how to have this conversation below).
4. How handy are you? Could you (mostly) DIY this with success if needed?
5. Could you rent or borrow power tools to cut costs?
Talking to your landlord
Whatever you do, ask permission first. Let the landlord know what you plan to do. It’s respectful and you don’t want the person in charge of giving you your security deposit back to be angry with you. Some landlords will be super cool, and some won’t…but with savvy negotiating skills, you can most likely turn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’.
Plan your argument and be strategic in getting permission. If you’re adding value to the apartment without the landlord having to pay for it, it’s going to be very difficult for the landlord to refuse!
There’s a lot you can get permission for if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work yourself. Seriously, just want YouTube videos. The amount of free information out there is amazing. You can learn a lot of skills for free.
Ask for affordable help through partnership! You could partner with your landlord’s handyman on payroll. The handyman is probably hopping from property to property so stopping by your place for a small job will be significantly cheaper than hiring your own person who will need a minimum number of hours before they come over.
Maybe even work out a discounted rate for labor? There are many options here; just treat it like a business deal. You could offer to pay for fixtures if the landlord handles labor cost (labor is what is costly here).
Still a no? Ask the landlord what their renovation schedule is. Is your apartment due for an upgrade that will probably happen after you leave? Leverage this information into getting what you want now while saving the landlord money later.
My rental upgrade + cost
What I did in my own apartment: I taught myself how to use a circle saw and cut brand new cabinet fronts, painted those cabinet fronts, installed new cabinet hardware and a backsplash.
My total cost: $550
*I’ll go into more detail in my next post where I’ll give you a bunch of affordable ideas to upgrade your own rental and also explain my own. Stay tuned:-)
I had zero experience doing any of this. I learned through YouTube videos! And I think maybe the pandemic gave me a little YOLO energy to give it a try. Because if you can’t leave the house, you might as well indulge in a crazy idea to upgrade your rental.
Disclaimer: It should be noted I sought out Youtube videos made by professionals so the advice I got was solid. Don’t just take any DIY advice from Uncle Steve in his garage. Anyone can make a how-to video even if their advice is horrible and unsafe. SAFETY FIRST. That’s how people lose thumbs so just be smart, please:-)
I hope this was helpful for you and maybe gave you some inspiration and confidence to upgrade your rental! I would love to know how you feel about this. Would you upgrade your rental using your own money? Comment below and let’s chat about it!