What colour to paint a small flat to rent out?

[cremuel]

I’m doing up my parent’s old flat and we’re going to rent it out. It needs repainting throughout and I’m rubbish with colours ... It’s a small flat - two bedrooms and all rooms quite small with low ceilings, but windows the whole length of the room, so quite bright and sunny. I think using one colour throughout except kitchen and bathroom (or including kitchen and bathroom?) would be best, partly because I think it would feel busy with a different colour for each room when they are quite small, and partly because that would be cheaper. Some of the plastering is a bit rough and I think a darker colour would make that less obvious. It also needs to be fairly neutral and appealing to renters. So ... any thoughts? Some kind of mid grey maybe? Something like F&B elephant breath? Would really appreciate some thoughts!

Dulux white cotton is nice. Slightly off white, so not dazzling like some cheap white paints, but still clean and fresh.

Sorry also op, always always paint it matt, it’s a much more elegant finish.

God no not magnolia! Just stick with white. Or let them decorate it themselves? We're moving into a rented house soon, they asked us how we wanted it decorating and we just said to do it white and we'd add colour ourselves if we wanted it. In our current flat we also have free reign over paint colours. Makes for happier tenants. Obviously put it in the tenancy they can't do it black or anything that you won't be able to paint over.

White-magnolia is disgusting and never looks clean

Whites quite harsh though, and shows dirt More. I think it could put a lot of people off.

Dulux Timeless?

magnolia is awful. I would go white, but not brilliant white as it has a tiny bit of blue in it and can look cold.

If you are renting unfurnished keep as neutral as possible. I use my own furnishings to give the room colour.
Alot of renters are used to magnolia, as much as it is hated, its so easy to repaint over and if you use trade paint its very hard wearing. You

If the room is really sunny, I would avoid white as I think it would be far too bright.

Not magnolia! When DH and I bought our first flat, after renting a house that was magnolia everywhere (including the ceilings FFS), we took great delight in redecorating all the magnolia rooms.

I would go for an off white or very pale grey or griege, and use the same colour everywhere. I wouldn't use F&B though, expensive paint for a rental!

Definitely white ceilings and woodwork (eggshell for the woodwork rather than gloss).

I have a rental house. On the advice of everyone, I painted over everything magnolia. To be honest it looked really cheap and showed up every little mark. I also struggled to let it for the first time ever.

I painted over in mid grey, and blues in some rooms and rented it immediately, for an additional 10% a month. The grey also hides a lot more.

Use hard-wearing paint not matt, but the better the standard of finish, the better the tenant you will get, trust me.

Absolutely not white. I have rented for years (London, professional couple) and white looks grubby really quickly unless you will repaint in between each tenants. I once lived in a flat that had been painted light grey - 1 bed flat - all rooms grey except bathroom and it still looks pristine when we moved out years later. Plus the neutral colour meant all my belongings, cushions etc looked fine.

I wouldn't use F&B though, expensive paint for a rental!

I thought that too. Ridiculously expensive!

Please don't use Matt paint. This isn't your home, it's a business investment. You'll have to paint over it far more frequently than a washable/tough emulsion and after the third or fourth time you'll get very fed up of that. The washable one we used last time still looks fine 3years later. A record.

We have a rental property and we painted everywhere in timeless. It is almost white do you can paint the ceiling the same colour. It means no cutting in which makes it so much easier.

I really hate it when the ceiling is painted the same colour as the walls, it just smacks of a landlord who couldn't be arsed to do it nicely.

White ceilings and a different colour on the walls (even if it's off white). Them's the rules.

Is Magnolia much different to off white or cream? They all look much the same to me. Personally I would prefer any variant of white rather than grey. I can't stand grey walls

Grey gardens yes, walls no?!

I had a tenant who was very pleased to find it 'landlord beige' (magnolia) and no she wasn't middleaged.

but not Farrow and ripoff, FGS. Standard silk emulsion, whatever colour you choose. White ceilings, white skirtings (not emulsion obviously). But then my property isn't in London so doesn't get filthy.

Is there no dirt outside London then

Not magnolia!!! It's bloody awful

White is much better.

Whatever the colour please let your renters put up pictures or shelves if they want to. It's so depressing not being able put pictures up and having shelves. I have stuff that has to live piled up on the floor or on top of a chest of drawers when a bunch of shelves would be so much better.

Nope defo matt, any good proffessional decorator who does high end properties will tell you that. Dulux do a fantastic washable one which is identical to f&b in its creamy finish and goes on fantastic.

*@bookmum08 we’ll definitely let people put up pictures and make it their own - I want people to feel at home!

White. Every time. Magnolia is ghastly