Surprising new research has revealed that three quarters of landlords would allow a tenant to redecorate their home, and half of landlords would pay for the costs of completing the work.

Kent-based mortgage firm OSB Group commissioned a behavioural science consultancy to interview both tenants and landlords and found a ‘changing dynamic’ between the two.

This includes how landlords are increasingly becoming more relaxed about tenants changing or ‘personalising’ a property’s interion and that the research marks a “new era of cooperation, with landlords recognising that offering tenants autonomy leads to stronger tenant-property connections and longer tenures”.

“The trend towards allowing tenants more freedom in decorating their homes represents a positive development for the private rented sector,” says Jon Hall, Group Managing Director Mortgages & Savings at OSB Group (main image, inset).

“As the rental market continues to evolve, these findings highlight the importance of fostering positive tenant-landlord relationships built on trust, communication and adaptability.

Empowering tenants to create spaces that feel like home is emerging as a key strategy for maintaining successful and harmonious tenancies.”

One tenant that consultancy Innovation Bubble talked to, Claudia Kennedy, revealed she had painted her lounge and garden fences, mounted artwork, and updated her kitchen with her landlord’s support.

“It has made the space feel like home and extended my stay,” she said.

But as LandlordZONE has highlighted several times in the past, allowing tenants to complete work on their homes can be problematical when they leave a property and the check-out inventory discovers the tenants’ interiors work has been shoddy , not recorded or agreed.

Common dispute

Suzy Hershman (pictured), resolution lead at My Deposits and Property Redress says: “The most common dispute is nearly always about the décor, when the tenant has not asked for permission to decorate or has used a completely different colour to the one recorded in the check-in inspection.

“Where landlords fall down is not making any permission, they do give conditional on how it needs to be left when the tenancy ends.”