Neutral Colours in interior design really are landlord's best bet
Why neutrals really are a landlord’s best bet
It’s quite common in the lettings industry to be told that your property should be decorated in neutral tones. But, as a landlord, do you really know why? Our guest, specialist lettings expert Just Landlords explains why landlords should decorate and furnish their London properties with neutral shades before looking for new tenants:
Avoid putting tenants off
These days, potential tenants usually look for their next rental homes online, using a property portal. They will set the location, budget and type of property that they’re looking for, before searching through the portal’s listings. At this stage, your prospective tenant will see thumbnail photos of your property – first impressions will determine whether they click through to find out more, or move onto the next property.
Even if your property suits the tenant’s needs, garish wallpapers or sickly colour combinations can prevent them from getting in touch to view their potential new home. In result, leaving your investment on the market for longer. Remember that, the more neutral the property is, the wider range of tenants that it will appeal to at the outset,.
Make the property seem bigger
Whatever we’re buying, we all like to get our money’s worth. The same goes when looking at a potential rental property – the more spacious the home seems, the more we feel we’re getting for our monthly rent. Light, neutral tones can add a bright airiness to the property, reflecting the natural light more and making a room seem more spacious. This is demonstrated well by our interior designers in our Warriner Gardens project, showing that this London property maintains the spacious and cosy feel, with contemporary elements.
Sticking with pale tones, especially in smaller rooms, can open the space and prevent the property from feeling too dingy. It also allows possible creative ideas to flourish with interior design possibilities which appeals to a client. This is incredibly important when it comes to viewings, as prospective tenants will feel like they have more freedom and space for their money.
Add personal touches
At the same time, neutral décor allows your tenants to put their own spin on your property. Be it through bright cushions on the sofa or personal photos on the walls. There is a range of colours for cushions that our interior designers found on AMARA under A by Amara that you can select depending on your colour scheme. At property viewings, seeing a blank canvas can enable you to picture yourself living in the home. This may be the difference between securing a let or moving onto the next one.
As a landlord, it’s also beneficial for you if your tenants feel comfortable and at home in your property. This will make them more likely to look after the place and stay there for longer (adding security for your finances). A neutral home gives them the option to add their own personal touches.
It won’t date as easily
Our interior designers believe that a dated property is more likely to be stuck on the lettings market without much interest, than one that appeals to the modern tenant. Using a natural, plain colour palette prevents prematurely ageing a home, meaning that you don’t need to decorate as frequently.
Additionally, a more contemporary feel will appeal to the widest pool of prospective tenants possible. Your chances of success will increase when putting your rental onto the market – you may even be able to secure a higher rent price.
Easier to choose furniture
For landlords providing furnished properties, decorating with a neutral colour palette is essential. It enables you to choose simple furnishings that will compliment each other. If you stick to whites, beiges and greys, then the varying tones within this colour scheme will all work together.
Not only does this make your life easier when it comes to replacing furniture in the future, as mentioned above, it will also enable your tenants to make your property feel like a home, which is invaluable to landlords.
Hide wear and tear
Ordinary wear and tear is quite common in rental properties, due to the frequent turnover of tenants. To keep your home interior looking fresh for new tenants, it’s important that the décor covers as much wear and tear as possible. The right neutral tones can hugely help with this. A dark grey carpet won’t show up as many stains as a cream one for example, but remains inoffensive. Our interior designers recommend this simple yet, delicate architectural Casellario Monocromo rug.
In areas that are generally used more than others (such as the hallway and kitchen), focus on choosing a darker toned palette. You can leave pale shades to the living room and bedrooms.
As you can see, there are many reasons why choosing neutral shades for your rental properties is your best bet – get decorating!
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