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!

White. I lived in rented for a long time.each property magnolia. .I really hate magnolia

Either white or a super light grey (with white ceilings)

Spend on scrubbable Matt. It is available and will save your tenant and you lots. Silk finish is dated. Depends of course on your price point but if you can afford a top coat of really good matt it will make it easier to rent. I think a pp said that when they strayed from magnolia silk they rented quicker and for more. That mirrors our experience too.

Letting tenants drill holes in walls

I'm all for my tenants making my house their home but when they end up drilling through pipes, electric cable - yes this happens, you'll be responsible for the damage caused and any injury they cause themselves. Have you got solid landlord insurance to cover both the property and your liability?

Same goes for painting the walls. They always say they'll do a good job or they'll make sure they paint it back afterwards, fill the holes in etc but they never ever do. I've seen a shockingly bad painted wall in an unpleasant shade of poo brown crossed with forest green and the tenants didn't understand why anyone else wouldn't be happy with it!

Command strips exist for renters to put up pictures, as do removable wallpaper. I'd also suggest freestanding shelves, however I'm an experienced landlord whose seen the best and worst and learned my lesson about being too nice, such as dog soiled carpets, teenager house parties ruining beautiful Matt paint and pissed tenants falling off and breaking the toilet - but only admitting to the plumber it was them.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Whatever you choose leave them a pot or a sample so they can touch up chips and smudges (or at least leave a note of the shade) should they wish.

You can buy Dulux trade "diamond" Matt which is scrubable and I think a worthwhile investment.

I found somewhere that sells Dulux trade to the public which is a great boon to me.

I don't hate magnolia but I am perhaps outdated

We have dulux natural hessian in our flat which is very neutral but feels warmer than white or magnolia. My last two rental flats were turquoise and teal, which I loved, but I suppose was a bit risky on the part of the landlord.

White, looks fresh and clean and is easy to touch up washable white paint for bathroom.

Whenever I've rented places, I always prefer white. Looks so much fresher and cleaner. Magonolia/cream looks dated.

Try Egyptian Cotton.

Please don’t paint it magnolia. It’s such a depressing colour and put me off lots of flats when renting. White is far better.

No magnolia. So dated and looks like nicotine stains now.

All white by F & B but get it mixed at B&Q far cheaper. Great chalky white and looks fresh and has some depth to it.

I second white, slap it all on and if it needs repainting in the future just go over it again. It is a good neutral background for everything.

Definitely not magnolia, it's too noughties, either white or light gray.

Please no magnolia. I rent and despise it. I miss colour, but I can at least tolerate white. Magnolia always looks a sort of dirty yellow.

I will say that I and my friends are more keen on houses with some colour, doesn't have to be a lot, but we are just so bored with boring neutral.

I would do timeless or more probably f and b Wimborne white (but a Johnstone's or Dulux trade version). It's white without the harshness.

White front room, kitchen, hall way, stairs

A very light blue for the bathroom / toilet

Light grey bedrooms with white ceilings

White. Magnolia and cream are awful and can look so dingy and old fashioned.
Pale grey could also work well in bathroom/kitchen.

Second the pp who stated leaving an extra or partial used tin of whatever you go for. Dd is in a rental and after 12mths with a sticky fingered toddler there's only so many times you can wash high traffic areas without it coming off. She's now in the position of looking at a full living room repaint, as she's nothing to match with exactly. And 'cream' is never just 'cream' to touch up with. Even an empty tin with a label would do for a colour match, she wants to keep it to the standard it was let.

Farrow and Ball paint in a rental is madness.

White or light grey is fine. Magnolia it's not great.

Really good neutral colour that has a nice contrast with white ceilings and woodwork is Dulux Egyptian Cotton. Google images will show it.

If you want more of a colour, I’d go ‘Skimming Stone’ which is a Farrow and Ball colour, but you can have it made up in Johnstone’s paint by Cane and Adam, cheaper, easier to paint and more hard wearing.

I second Dulux diamond Matt with leftovers for touch ups!

Dulux timeless. White can be good in dark rooms but if the room gets a lot of sun, the glare from white is painful!

As a landlord you should be able to buy from trade places anyway as it's a business. If you haven't already, set yourself up as a company and you should find it better for your tax return as well.

If you have Dulux Decorating Centre near you, you can buy trade paint there as a member of the public.