From stick-on tiles to bookshelves: nine easy ways to update your rental home on a budget

Want to make your rental property feel more like home? These practical and affordable tips will have you covered

• 12 space-saving tricks to make small rooms feel bigger

Renting often means living with someone else’s design choices, from magnolia walls and tired carpets to ugly furniture. And the worst part is, you usually can’t do much about it. While social media is full of dreamy interiors and home renovation projects, most renters don’t have the option to knock down walls, retile a bathroom, or even paint without permission.

As someone who’s rented a string of different flats – furnished, unfurnished, shoebox-sized, and occasionally some with questionable landlord DIY – I’ve learned to get creative. Making a place feel like home when you can’t even hang up artwork makes those smaller, temporary changes even more important.