Opinions on renovating a rented house?

I would. If you’re planning on staying there a number of years potentially I would want to make it homely - I would try and spend the least amount you can whilst doing that though xx

I wouldn’t consider that renovating, it’s just making it your own. Have a look in your contract though, landlord should legally be responsible for replacing/fixing appliances that came with the house, it’s usually the case anyway! Definitely paint, it makes a big difference to feeling homely x

I think the essential stuff like a fridge or an oven, absolutely! Those are necessary expenses IMO. I wouldn’t spend a lot on any cosmetic renovations though- yes you hope to stay for a number of years and want it to feel homely etc, and yes the previous tenants stayed for a long time, but anything can change. Your landlord could for any reason decide they need/want to sell, anything could happen in your lives that mean the house suddenly doesn’t work for you in size/location etc. If you’re keen to, I would keep it as cheap as possible and bear in mind you often have to return it to the condition you first rented it in whenever you leave, so nothing too crazy to cover up/remove etc.

We’ve been renting our place for 18 months and have painted/decorated nearly every room in the house to our liking (with the landlords permission). Due to it being more aesthetics than necessity, we have paid for the materials and have done the work ourselves. But in the one room where it was a necessity (previous issue with damp due to a leak in the roof - fixed by our landlords contractor), our landlord has paid us back what we have spent to paint/decorate this room. It may not seem like a necessity to some, if you’re planning on staying there for a long while then it’s worth making the space your own so it feels like your home instead of a rented house. I would just ensure that your landlord is happy for you to make these cosmetic changes. Keep it classy and not too out there. Most landlords would be thankful for your time, effort and money spent.

We live in a little village in the North and landlord's are a lot more relaxed here with pets and decorating etc We've done everything cost effective but we've decorated the whole house over the years we've lived here! The landlords don't mind because in all honesty it was a dump and we've probably added value🤣 Plus we're the same as you. We'll be renting here until we can buy or if we're ever booted out for any reason lol so wanted to make it homely!

You can paint and buy furniture. The fridge is your landlord's responsibility as is any other major appliance. Make sure you ok everything in writing to avoid issues in the future. Keep copies of all receipts, especially if they say for you to pay and deduct it from rent. Our landlord forgot that he said he would deduct replacing the microwave from our rent. We had the receipt and the text he said as proof. The landlords are pretty good, they just don't always talk to each other (investment group of three people).

100% do it up and make it yours. A little lick of paint goes a long way and this is your children’s memories of their home. It took my sister 9 years to do something and I badgered her everyday about it. It’s your home, you can paint it back when you leave. Happiness is in the little things x

I'm a long term renter, I would never do anything to a property that I either couldn't change back (e.g paint walls back to cream) or take with me, so I wouldn't buy an oven I couldn't use elsewhere. I would also approach the landlord as the oven would generally be their responsibility to provide and therefore repair, if they say they won't make it clear you will take your oven with you. Basically, they are already profiting off you, don't let them profit further.

Our current landlord is good, has agreed to us painting and he is getting us a new stove cooker since the oven doesn’t work. We received the house painting in magnolia and loads of shades of greens and I hate it. I want more natural colours so anything green I want it a more relaxed colour. Our previous house was literally black and grey and they wouldn’t let us paint it was so miserable I just don’t want dark colours

I would try to persuade the landlord to invest in his property. If he is not interested in doing so and you don't want to move to another place, I would make practical ultra low cost home improvements. Make it homely but this is not a property where your funds should go.