It gets me very irritated when I read articles on awful landlords, like the article I read this morning about HMO landlords shirking their responsibilities and generally being rubbish at what they’ve chosen to do. To my mind, if you decide to enter the rental market as a landlord, you shouldn’t rent out anything you wouldn’t be prepared to live in full time. If you wouldn’t dream of living in it, then you shouldn’t be renting it out.
Practising what I preach, we’ve this week been upcycling four lovely chairs for one of the apartments we rent out as the existing ones are a bit rickety. They’ve been repainted in Dulux Candle Cream and the seat pads reupholstered using some gorgeous Designers Guild remnant fabric I was lucky to find on Ebay. Total cost: 1/4 tin of Satinwood (£5), £20 in fabric and some staples instead of what would probably be about £80 each to buy new.
It doesn’t cost a lot to make things beautiful and beside, if you go into business as a landlord providing HOMES not just houses, then you should definitely put the effort in when it’s needed!
Wish some of my previous landlords had been like you! As a student I lived in an awful flat with damp and mice… though even this became a much loved home, with some nice furniture and paintings. I’m sure your tennants appreciate it!
Thanks Rebecca, I think it was my dreadful student accommodation – no heating, damp, dark and dingy – which inspired me to be a better landlord!
Lucky tenants! Though I’m not sure I’d have gone for white seat pads. 😉
It’s in the contracts that tenants must have clean bottoms at all times 😉
Great choice of fabric!
Thank you so much, we love it too 🙂