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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Those of you who rent, do you nest or not bother?

116 replies

KnittedBreast · 09/02/2011 14:58

I privatly rent my house and this is the first one I am determined to settle in. This means I need to stop looking at similar budgets in cheaper parts of the UK and depressing myself. I am currently doing up my house, today i went looking at oak to make shelves (didnt realise how expensive oak was, looks like wel only be getting 2 shelves this month!)

to those of you who rent, do you bother to make your home your own knowing it isnt yours and yo could be asked to move, all that wasted time and money etc...

I never used to but having realised unless someone dies il never buy ive decided to do it, fuck the deposit (like il ever see it again anyway). ive painted walls and put up coat things and am planning on shelves and outisde ornaments. Its my little bit of paradise even if i wouldnt chose to live in this house if i had the choice to move

OP posts:
kreecherlivesupstairs · 09/02/2011 15:04

We have a foot in both camps. Currently we are renting (in Belgium) and have done quite a lot to make it 'ours'.
We also have a house in England that DD and I will be moving to. That, obviously will have much more time and money spent on it.

gobehindabushfgs · 09/02/2011 15:05

I spent a lot of time and money making rented houses into our homes while we were there

My family thought I was pissing into a sieve

but I felt that as my children were spending part of their childhoods there, and they wouldn't get another childhood, it was worth the effort and the money

allsquareknickersnofurcoat · 09/02/2011 15:09

I make my house home, but it is owned by my parents til I am in a position to buy it back (owned it with my ex), so I guess thats different.

I made my flat home by never cleaning the oven Grin Needless to say, that came out of my bond!

Ryoko · 09/02/2011 15:14

We rent a flat, we chose to have it unfurnished so we could have our stuff for a change as the last place was fully furnished not to our taste (we was given a choice this time).

Wouldn't do anything major or paint the place, would bang a few holes in the wall to hang pictures and stuff (then fill em in before leaving).

Dunoon · 09/02/2011 15:18

I made some effort but then gave up and still have no pictures on the walls [permission to bang in picture hooks], have stuff lying about which should be in storage cupboards [cost money and may not need them in next place] etc. If/when we rent again I will make more effort.

marriednotdead · 09/02/2011 15:24

Unless I receive a major inheritance or win the lottery, I will always be in rented accommodation. That's the way it is. Luckily, I am in a Housing Association property so I have an affordable rent and relative security of tenure.

I do spend money on my home, decor, flooring, shelving etc and plants for the garden. I couldn't afford it for the first few years I was here but now the DCs are older, it's not so bad.

I spend a huge part of my life there, and to not make any effort to make it homely would feel like I was neglecting a part of myself IYSWIM.

mamalino · 09/02/2011 15:24

The problem for tenants is that there is no security of tenure usually. I'm a great believer in long term secure tenancies as would encourage tenants to make homes and this is normally a win win situation for landlords.

FabbyChic · 09/02/2011 15:25

I rent, and I have decorated to my taste, replaced flooring that was old and looked shite, in fact i spent 1k on doing it up when I moved in, even if I was only going to be here a year I'd still have spent that, because this is my home and I wanted to make it mine.

mamalino · 09/02/2011 15:26

In the private rental sector I mean.

expatinscotland · 09/02/2011 15:26

Privately rented?

Nope. Never did a thing to any of those.

MmeLindt · 09/02/2011 15:26

We have always rented, and in recent years have moved every 3 - 5 years.

I don't repaint (unless it is really needing it and only in white), but do hang curtains, pictures etc.

No matter how long we are here, I want to feel at home.

bubblewrapped · 09/02/2011 15:26

I know people who rent privately and they put their own touches to their homes, but they always check with the landlord first.

Most landlords are quite happy so long as you arent thinking of doing it in outrageous colours or knocking holes in the walls.

newbeemummy · 09/02/2011 15:28

I did once, and will not bother again, unfortunately I have had landlords wishing to either sell the houses we've rented or move back in themselves. So as a result I have been in 6 houses in the last 10 years and we're about to have to move again.

I normally spend a bit of money in the garden, because I like to have a nice garden, but don't bother with painting or general improvements anymore.

expatinscotland · 09/02/2011 15:30

We've always been too poor to do stuff to the places.

There always needs to be a grand or two set aside for when you'll need to move again.

FabbyChic · 09/02/2011 15:31

I was given this property because I done the previous one up, was told it would need work, so it was expected I would do it.

It was a shit hole before!

FabbyChic · 09/02/2011 15:31

I even treated the damp in the bathroom sealing the walls before I repainted.

SummerRain · 09/02/2011 15:31

I have three children and feel strongly that their home should feel like their home so we paint and do as much as we can afford to do easily... however we don't spend more than we feel is adequate to make the place comfortable as it's all lost money when we move and tbh, i don't love this house so find it difficult to muster up much enthusiasm for making it beautiful.

BluddyMoFo · 09/02/2011 15:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LaWeaselMys · 09/02/2011 15:34

Yes, we do.

In fact we are about to move so rang the ll to check if he wanted to walls back to magnolia but he said no. This is our home, we make an effort for it to look nice.

It's a pain in the bum having to work out when we will get the chance to take down shelves/fill holes repaint those parts and meant we've had to overlap with the new rental.

Spent lots on the garden as I love pottering about there.

Am not intending on doing anything at all to next place though, as I'm not sure if I want to stay there long.

Quenelle · 09/02/2011 15:35

We rented our last house. We laid vinyl flooring in the bathroom and put shelves and blinds up. And we painted DS's room. Nothing too expensive but we were there for five years so we wanted it to be comfortable.

falsemessageoflethargy · 09/02/2011 15:37

No - we only do quite a lot in the garden - otherwise nothing beyond putting pictures up(though we always rent unf so it does look like ours iyswim) - I cant risk losing a 2k deposit and its a lot of effort if they decide to sell after a year [grr]

Ryoko · 09/02/2011 15:38

We are on a 1 year which runs out in a week, hopefully be able to get a longer one on the same terms but not heard from em yet.

I think what the place looks like has a lot to do with it as well, the last place I was in had awful patterned carpet and chintz wallpaper and curtains.

this place has plan blue carpets, cream walls and natural wood blinds, so nothing to dislike or like really just a neutral shell that goes with all things, if they said feel free to paint the walls I wouldn't bother.

SummerRain · 09/02/2011 15:41

Should have added... we consulted the landlady wrt to painting and she said 'Do what you want to the place, it's your home not mine'

UntamedShrew · 09/02/2011 15:47

What MmeLindt said - curtains and pictures and things but not painting and flooring. If it needs doing I ask the landlord and ask them to agree colours with us, then they pay. Perfect.

We have a long term tenancy (always start with 3 years) so it suits both sides for us to have it looking and feeling like home.

SummerRain I like your landlady's response!

pissedrightoff · 09/02/2011 15:48

We rent and probably always will, The house is unfurnished and over the years we have built up a nice collection of furniture.

I only spend money on things that can be taken with us but it looks homely.