As a landlord for students, you’ll have plenty of tenants coming and going regularly, so what sort of interior design ideas should you be thinking about? Take a look.
If you already own a student rental property or intend to buy one, you may be aware that maintaining one can be a challenge. As your tenants will be coming and going regularly, it’s essential to make sure that you pay close attention to each properties’ interior design.
While the vast majority of your tenants won’t cause any issues, students have garnered a reputation for leaving some properties in a state of disrepair. So, while you’ll want to make sure your interior design choices are visually appealing, you’ll also want to have durability in mind.
So, if you’ve obtained an instant conveyancing quote online and are ready to move forward with your ownership of student rental property, here are eight interior design ideas you should pay attention to.
Focus On Good Quality Beds
Student properties should always come fully furnished, ready for each new tenant that moves in. As the majority of your tenants will only be staying for a maximum of two or three years, this means you’ll need to invest in good quality items of furniture – with beds being your biggest priority.
The last thing you’re going to want is for a new tenant to move in, only for their bed to break after living in the property for a few weeks. Buying a good quality bed with a long-expected lifespan will save you plenty of money and potential hassle further down the road.
Hard Flooring Over Carpets
Going off of personal experience, students can be a messy bunch. So, when choosing the type of flooring you want installed in the property, you’re usually better off going for hard flooring. This can be easily cleaned when it’s inevitably covered in booze or a half-eaten pizza.
Hard flooring doesn’t have to be expensive – laminate flooring will usually do the job – and it will be easy to clean up if there are any unfortunate accidents.
Install Corkboards
Students always have plenty that they want to put up on their walls; calendars, revision notes, pictures from home, or posters. You name it; a student will probably want to stick it to their bedroom wall. That can present an issue if they decide to use Blu-tack or hooks, both of which can compromise the wall’s integrity.
You can make it easier for your tenants by providing a corkboard, which allows them to make non-permanent tweaks to their bedroom without causing any damage to the wall. Result!
Have Fabric Sofas With Removable Covers
If your student property has a communal area, you’d best think about getting a sofa (or two!). While students *should* be spending most of their time in their rooms studying, they’ll still want to have some downtime. This will usually involve lounging out on a sofa in front of the TV.
If you don’t have a dining table, the sofa will also be where your tenants eat, which could spell disaster – especially if they’re partial to indulging in a greasy takeaway after a night out. Fabric sofas with removable covers are a must, as they can be washed and wiped down easily, ready to be reused. Just make sure you don’t choose a white sofa, for obvious reasons.
Go Second-Hand And Upcycle
One of the benefits of having students as your tenants is that their expectations will be much more manageable than a standard tenant. So long as the interior design choices and furnishings are durable, clean, and well maintained, there’s not much chance that they’ll be kicking up a fuss.
With that in mind, you could always save yourself a few pennies by looking for second-hand furniture that you can repurpose and upcycle. So long as it’s good quality, no student will complain that something isn’t brand new. After all, they’ll be well aware that their living situation isn’t permanent.
Consider Security
When you’re thinking about your interior design choices for your student rental property, you may need to consider how you integrate security features. One common feature of many student properties is having bedroom doors that have individual locks.
Your tenants will have all of their personal belongings in their bedrooms. So, you can help them to reassure them by providing them with a key that they can use to lock their door if they are away for the holidays.
Choose The Right Paint For The Job
Different types of interior paint achieve different results, so you’ll have to carefully pick which sorts of paint you want to use in your student rental property.
For instance, satin paints may be the right course of action for the majority of the property as marks and stains can be easily cleaned. Then, semi-gloss paint should be used for bathrooms as it tends to be mould and mildew-resistant. It’s essential to do your research.
Work With The Professionals For A Quick Turnaround
When you’re a student landlord, you’ll be in the unenviable position of having to quickly redesign the interior of the property every time a batch of tenants moves out at the end of an academic year. Often, this will only leave a short window before the next tenants are set to move in, limiting what you’re able to do.
If you don’t have many practical skills, it may be best to get some help from professionals. They can help you with all of your interior design needs, setting you up for your next tenants to move in.
Are You A Student Landlord Looking For Interior Design Advice?
So, there you have it! Hopefully, if you’re a student landlord, these tips have given you a better idea as to the sort of interior design choices you should be making for your rental property.
Have you got any questions about any of the tips? Or would you like to share some tips of your own? Feel free to leave a comment below!
