7 Renter-Friendly Upgrades You and Your Landlord Will Love

If you love decorating your place, you’ve probably scoured the internet for DIY home improvement projects that you can easily undo when you're ready to move on. But what if we told you all that work you put in to decorate may be able to stay after you leave because your landlord is such a fan?

We teamed up with Thumbtack (a home improvement contractor database) and combed through our listing data to identify budget-friendly ways to personalize your space that have the potential to add value to your rental — value that your landlord may appreciate down the road. Most of these home upgrades are associated with a boost in listing saves and shares on Zillow from prospective renters, based on data we collected from listing descriptions of almost 5.6 million homes listed for rent on Zillow between June 2023 and May 2024. 

“There are so many improvements that are both beneficial to a landlord and allow renters to make their space feel more like home,” Zillow® rental trends expert Emily McDonald said. “If a renter can show how the upgrades add function or style, they may be more likely to get buy-in.”

McDonald said, with the knowledge that these home updates are particularly popular with other prospective renters, you may even be able to convince your landlord to split the cost of your project. Below, we paired this interior design inspiration with the stats to help you make a stronger case.

1. Get trendy with black hardware

When things feel drab, switching out handles and knobs can easily give your space a fresh feel. Think of hardware as jewelry for your kitchen and bathroom: it’s a small, but powerful, finishing touch. Choose half circles, fluted, or curved hardware for a modern vibe.

When it comes to color choice, matte black finishes can modernize a space and really transform a room. Plus, matte black hardware can help a rental listing get 25% more saves and 49% more shares per day on Zillow Rentals®, according to our analysis.

2. Install open shelving

Open shelving is a simple and effective way to display your personal mementos, art, or books without adding bulky furniture that takes up valuable square footage. And by “open shelving,” we mean shelves that don’t have any walls or doors, where you can see its contents straight-on.

You can place these shelves pretty much anywhere you want; just be sure they’re secure and that you’re not putting too much weight on them. 

Zillow research finds rental listings with open shelving get 36% more saves per day than similar Zillow Rentals units.

3. Swap out your lights with smart bulbs

App-controlled smart lighting systems are trending with renters, boosting daily saves by 22% and daily shares by 35% on Zillow Rentals in our analysis. Installing your own can instantly change the mood of your space, and it can save you money on energy bills. Using your phone or a voice assistant, you can change the color of your smart bulb and brightness, and remotely turn it off when you’re not in the room. 

Thumbtack finds the average cost for lighting installation is about $150, but it ultimately depends on the number and type of fixtures installed. For example, recessed lights cost about $215 to install, according to Thumbtack.

4. Design a patio garden

Whether you’re looking to practice feng shui in your space, improve your home’s air quality, or just cheer up your surroundings, plants can make a difference — and on a patio or balcony, they do double duty. Our analysis shows that listings featuring patio gardens can boost a rental’s daily views by 24.2%. No patio? Try installing window or railing boxes to add color. Or consider adding the popular plant ledge indoors and filling them with your favorite greenery. Ferns, snake plants, and peace lilies are good ones to start with.

5. Add depth with a mirrored wall

A bold design choice that visually enlarges and brightens a room, mirrored walls tend to receive about 10% more saves and shares daily on Zillow Rentals. But installing one can be a lot of work and certainly cost more than a mirror here and there. If you’re wanting to create the effect without an expensive installation, you can use mirrored panels, or arrange individual mirrors along an accent wall — organic shapes like curvy, circular, and arched mirrors are popular for adding playful visual interest. 

Putting up a mirror is a pretty straightforward DIY task, and if you're clever about where you shop, you might just score a nice vintage piece for under $100.

6. Choose a moody hue

Fresh paint helps a rental listing get 14% more saves and 17% more shares per day on Zillow Rentals. Keep in mind your new coat may not look so “fresh” if you move out years after the fact, but opting for a neutral color popular with shoppers may help get buy-in from your landlord as there may be less need to re-paint down the line. Darker hues like deep gray or charcoal were found to be generally preferred over white walls by shoppers touring homes, according to Zillow's 2023 research on paint colors. 

According to Thumbtack, the national average cost to paint a room runs from $320-$1,620. Homes with higher ceilings and bigger walls will typically cost more to paint, so to keep the costs down, consider painting only an accent wall or even just the trim to add dimension.

If you plan to paint any part of your home yourself, there’s some prep you should do before you dust off your favorite old T-shirt.

7. Get bold with wallpaper

Stick-and-peel wallpaper has become a popular alternative to paint that can still add personality to a room. Floral designs, small creatures like birds and butterflies, and bold, maximalist wallpaper patterns are huge right now. If you use something in that vein, you could tell your landlord as much, show them exactly what design you plan to use, and bring up similar points to paint: fresh walls equal more clicks.

You can use wallpaper in your kitchen as well: temporary backsplash applications are trending along with adhesive floor tiles or stickers. 

Just know the wallpaper route is generally more expensive than paint and can be tricky to apply. If you want to hire a pro, expect to shell out $300 to $450 on average for wallpaper installation.

Pro tip: Approach your landlord with tact

While each of the above improvement ideas are technically reversible, always check your lease for rules your landlord may have about any changes to the property before you move forward.

The way you approach your landlord with your ideas can determine whether you get the “OK” or not. Have a clear plan prepared outlining what changes you want to make and how you propose you’ll do them. If you’re hiring pros to do the job, specify that and give your landlord an idea of how disruptive they’ll be in terms of noise and coming in and out of the building. That could save your landlord and your neighbors any confusion or frustration. And of course, if you’ve been a good tenant so far, that could work in your favor.

For more tips, read this renter decor advice from two rental interior designers.