Renter friendly refresh
Our homes are where our treasured possessions belong – from clothes and accessories to that oh-so-crucial clutter. But with millions of us living in house shares and other less-than-spacious living arrangements, where do we find room for all our precious STUFF?
We polled 2,000 UK adults to get their thoughts on space, style, and some inspirational home hacks. How can we make our home sweet home that little bit sweeter?
- The big squeeze. Just 57% of renters say their living space suits their lifestyle and needs ‘well’. This was lowest in Birmingham (47%) and highest in Norwich (84%).
- Money talks. On average, renters would happily pay an extra £96.55 monthly so they could live in a home with fewer rental restrictions.
- Online inspiration. 57% of 18-24 year olds said they’ve used TikTok to discover rental-friendly space and storage hacks. Just 32% of 55+ year olds have done the same.
- Gender perspectives. Men were more likely than women – 64% versus 52% – to say their space worked ‘well’ for their living arrangements and lifestyle.
- Style matters. Young millennials were the most likely (47%) to say they have avoided renting a property due to the lack of storage or personalisation potential.
The race for space
There are 8.6 million rental households in the UK, and sadly, few of us live in a vast and sprawling castle. Renting can be a squeeze, so how does that affect our attitudes towards storage and space-saving?
We asked people who currently live in private or socially rented housing whether size really matters.
Home is where the heart is, but not always where the space is. A lack of built-in storage, such as closets and shelves, came out top as the biggest storage challenge (36% of respondents). This rose to 40% among Gen Z, and 50% in Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Across the country, Brits were split on whether they have enough room.
- Three-quarters (75%) of people in the East of England said their rental space worked ‘well’ for their lifestyle and needs, compared to just 51% in Greater London and 49% in the West Midlands.
- People in Birmingham were the least likely to say their space worked ‘well’ (47%) while those in Norwich were the most likely (84%).
- Overall, men were more likely than women – 64% versus 52% – to say their space worked ‘well’ for their living arrangements and lifestyle.
While opinions differed, young renters were the most likely to agree that having space is pretty ace. In fact, 32% of Gen Z and 35% of young millennials said they’d be willing to pay more to get better storage or space-saving features.
In contrast, just 15% of Boomers – and 24% of people overall – said they’d happily pay a little more rent for a little more room.
This time, it’s personal
We’d all love a home with space to swing a cat – not recommended, by the way – but for many of us, it’s not just space that matters, but style.
The way we rent appears to influence how we perceive our home sweet home. For example, 74% of people in private rentals told us that personalising their living space is ‘important’, whereas 66% of social housing tenants said the same.
A majority (53%) of all respondents agreed that ‘landlords should provide more customisation (and storage) options for renters’. Young millennials were the most likely to agree (73%) with this statement compared to just 37% of Boomers.
Landlords, take note: does a lack of customisation come at a cost? Young millennials were the most likely (47%) to say they have avoided renting a property due to the lack of storage or customisation potential.
Rental restrictions – mapped
They say “an Englishman’s home is his castle”, and whether we own or rent a property, everyone deserves a place where they can kick back, relax and fire up the Fire Stick.
We wanted to uncover Britain’s biggest bugbears when it comes to making their rental accommodation feel like home.
Many of us like to vent about rent, but as our survey shows, people have different challenges across the UK.
- While a majority (55%) of renters in the North East were most peeved about restrictions on permanent changes, just 15% of East Midlanders felt the same way.
- Losing the security deposit due to accidental damage was the top concern in Edinburgh (60%), Bristol (44%), Glasgow (40%) and London (30%).
- Many people said their rental restrictions – such as ‘no drilling’ or ‘no painting’ –limits their ability to personalise their living space. This was highest in the West Midlands (26%) and Greater London (25%).
According to our survey, most renters would be happy to dip into their pockets for a bit more freedom. On average, renters told us they’d happily fork out £96.55 per month in extra rent so they could live in a home with fewer rental restrictions, such as the ability to paint walls or install shelves. The city most willing to pay extra rent was Norwich (£117).
Press the refresh button
Sure, we renters might not be able to build an extension or dig a basement tunnel to the South Pole, but there are still plenty of creative ways we can get some extra storage. And when it comes to making space, many of the renters we polled are ahead of the curve.
35% of all respondents told us they’ve actively searched for renter-friendly hacks to improve their living space – rising to a mahoosive 74% among Gen Z.
Greater London was the region where people were most likely (55%) to say they’ve sought out renter-friendly hacks.
Meanwhile, Manchester was the city where people were most likely (29%) to say they’d bought home décor after seeing it on social media. Among young millennials the figure rose to 46%.
So there’s a world of inspiration out there, but where are people getting their space-making ideas from?
- Women were more likely than men to search on TikTok (49% versus 47%) but men were more likely to search using all other social channels.
- YouTube was the most popular platform across all regions except for the East Midlands, where TikTok came out on top (48%), and Northern Ireland, where TikTok and Instagram shared the number one spot (43%).
- Across the generations, 57% of 18-24 year olds said they’ve used TikTok for rental-friendly space and storage hacks, compared to 32% of 55+ year olds.
And this rental refresh is getting results. 72% of people told us that renter-friendly hacks had successfully improved their space and storage. This climbed to 82% among young millennials.
Top 5 renter-friendly hacks
As we discovered, many renters are thinking outside the box when it comes to enhancing their storage, space and style. But whether we live in a beloved bolthole, or a house share that’s kinda ‘meh’, here are just some of the ways we can make our living space feel bigger and better.
So there you have it. For more inspiration on how to give your home a fresh start, read the TK Maxx guide on how to declutter your living space.