Decorating Your London Rental Between Tenancies: A Landlord's Practical Guide

Decorating Your London Rental Between Tenancies: A Practical Guide for Landlords

The void period between tenancies is a window of opportunity that many London landlords underuse. With the property empty, access is unrestricted, works can proceed quickly, and there are no tenant welfare considerations to manage around. A well-timed redecoration during this window can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously: freshening the property for re-letting, addressing maintenance issues, protecting long-term capital value, and potentially justifying a rent increase.

This guide draws on our extensive experience of painting London rental properties — from individual flats in Belgravia and Chelsea to larger portfolios across multiple postcodes — to give a practical, no-nonsense account of how to approach void period decoration.

Why Repainting Pays

The financial case for repainting between tenancies is strong. The evidence from letting agents across prime central London is consistent: freshly decorated properties let faster and at higher rents than comparable properties with tired decoration.

The Letting Agent Perspective

Experienced letting agents will almost always recommend repainting if a property has not been decorated within the past three to four years, or if it shows visible wear and tear from the departing tenant. The reasons are straightforward:

First impressions are decisive: prospective tenants in London typically view multiple properties in a single afternoon. A freshly painted property with clean, fresh walls and bright white ceilings stands out immediately from a property with yellowing walls, marked skirting boards, and stained ceilings.

Photographs matter: the majority of rental enquiries now come through Rightmove or Zoopla, and the quality of the photographs determines whether prospective tenants even book a viewing. Fresh decoration photographs significantly better than tired decoration — colours are truer, rooms appear brighter and cleaner.

Tenants negotiate on condition: worn or marked decoration is one of the first things tenants (or their agents) use to negotiate the rent down. A well-presented, freshly decorated property eliminates this negotiating lever.

Void periods cost more than paint: in prime central London, a one-week void period on a two-bedroom flat can cost the landlord £500 to £2,000 in lost rent, depending on location and price point. A full redecoration of the same flat might cost £1,500 to £3,000. If the fresh decoration reduces void period by even a few days, the investment is recovered.

What to Repaint and What to Leave

Not everything in a rental property needs repainting between every tenancy. Good judgement about where to focus effort — and where not to — is an important part of managing void period costs effectively.

Prioritise These Areas

The hallway and entrance: this is the first thing prospective tenants see and the space that sets the tone for the entire property. Hallways in rental properties suffer disproportionate wear — scuff marks from luggage and furniture, handprints, marks from coat hooks and bicycles. A fresh hall makes an immediately positive impression.

The main reception room: this is the space where prospective tenants will spend most time during viewings and where their emotional response to the property will be formed. Fresh, clean walls and woodwork here count for a great deal.

Ceilings throughout: yellowing, cracked, or stained ceilings are among the most immediately noticeable signs of age. Two coats of a good white ceiling paint (Dulux Trade Pure Brilliant White Matt or Johnstone's Ceiling White) transforms the appearance of a room more quickly than almost anything else.

The kitchen: kitchen walls accumulate grease, moisture, and general soil that is not always fully addressed by tenants on departure. A quick repaint with a washable product (silk or satinwood emulsion) freshens the space immediately and demonstrates care for the property.

Bathroom and shower room: moisture damage, staining, and condensation marks are common in rental bathrooms. A fresh coat of moisture-resistant emulsion (Crown Bathroom or Dulux Bathroom Plus) and crisp white woodwork resets the room to pristine condition.

When You Can Leave Things

Rooms that are genuinely in good condition: if the departing tenant has cared for the property well and the paint is still fresh-looking, do not repaint simply as a matter of course. Unnecessary repainting adds cost without adding value.

Bedrooms in good condition: secondary bedrooms often receive less use than main reception areas and may not show significant wear. Assess carefully before committing to a full repaint.

External painting: exterior painting is driven by the condition of the surface and the painting cycle (typically every five to eight years for exterior masonry, every four to six years for exterior woodwork) rather than by tenancy changes. Do not repaint externally between every tenancy.

Paint Specification for Rental Properties

The most important principle in specifying paint for a rental property is that durability must take precedence over aesthetics. The most beautiful matt finish in London is useless if it marks every time a bag brushes against it. Rental properties need paint that can be wiped clean.

Our Recommended Specifications

Walls (living areas, bedrooms, hallways):

Dulux Trade Diamond Matt is our standard specification for rental property walls across London. It offers:

Outstanding washability — stubborn marks can be removed with a damp cloth without damage to the film
Good opacity and coverage — typically excellent in two coats even over moderate staining
Availability in a huge range of colours via the Dulux Trade mixing system
Competitive cost and wide trade availability

An alternative for properties at the top of the rental market, where a slightly more refined finish is appropriate, is Johnstone's Aqua Scrubbable Matt — similar durability to Diamond Matt with a slightly more sophisticated finish texture.

Woodwork (skirtings, architraves, doors, window boards):

Water-based acrylic eggshell on all woodwork. We recommend Dulux Trade Aquatech or Johnstone's Acrylic Eggshell — both offer good hardness, washability, and a clean eggshell sheen that reads as crisply professional in a rental property.

Avoid oil-based eggshell in rental properties unless specifically requested: it yellows over time, takes much longer to dry between coats, and the slight yellowing is immediately visible on white woodwork.

Ceilings:

Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt, brilliant white throughout. Ceiling paint is not a place to economise — the ceiling is visible from everywhere in the room and a good quality product in two coats produces a consistently flat, bright finish.

Kitchens:

Washable silk emulsion or eggshell on walls (Crown Trade Quick Dry Eggshell is a reliable choice). Moisture-resistant formulations specifically designed for kitchens and bathrooms are worth the small additional cost, as standard emulsions delaminate under sustained moisture exposure.

Bathrooms:

Moisture-resistant or bathroom-specific emulsion throughout. We specify Dulux Trade Bathroom+ or Crown Bathroom Soft Sheen as standard — both are formulated to resist fungal growth and surface mould.

Colour Choices for Rental Properties

Colour selection for rental properties should be guided by a single overriding principle: appeal to the broadest possible range of prospective tenants. This does not mean painting everything brilliant white — that can read as clinical and impersonal. It means choosing neutrals that most people find liveable, inoffensive, and easy to furnish against.

Our recommended rental palette:

Walls: Dulux Trade Perfectly Greige, Crown Trade Urban Obsession, or Farrow & Ball Elephant's Breath if budget allows. All are warm, sophisticated neutrals that photograph well and suit a wide range of furniture styles.
Woodwork: brilliant white or off-white eggshell throughout. Simple Whites by Dulux, or Farrow & Ball All White, are reliable.
Ceilings: brilliant white matt throughout, no exceptions.

Colours to avoid:

Intense or saturated colours on walls — even if fashionable, they limit tenant appeal
Cool, blue-toned greys — these can read as cold and bleak in photographs, particularly in winter
Feature walls — these add cost and complexity without proportionate benefit in a rental context
Different colours in every room — a consistent colour throughout reads as more spacious and easier to live with

Timeline Management: Making the Most of the Void

The economics of void period decoration depend on completing the work as quickly as possible without compromising quality. A well-organised painting contractor should be able to complete a standard London rental flat redecoration within the following timeframes:

| Property Size | Scope | Typical Duration | |---|---|---| | Studio / 1-bedroom flat | Full internal repaint | 2–3 days | | 2-bedroom flat | Full internal repaint | 3–5 days | | 3-bedroom flat | Full internal repaint | 4–6 days | | 3-bedroom house | Full internal repaint | 5–8 days |

These timescales assume good access, appropriate product choices (water-based throughout for fast recoat times), and a properly staffed team. Complications — poor previous paint condition, extensive preparatory work required, complex features — will extend the programme.

Coordination with Other Contractors

In most rental void periods, painting is not the only work being done. Carpet cleaning, hard floor cleaning, appliance servicing, and minor repairs all compete for the same access window. We recommend that the following sequence is observed wherever possible:

Any plastering repairs — plaster must dry before painting (minimum 48 hours for small repairs, longer for larger areas)
Painting (walls, ceilings, and woodwork)
Floor cleaning and polishing (after painting, to avoid paint contamination)
Appliance servicing and final clean

Scheduling painting before floor cleaning avoids the common problem of floor cleaning contractors removing paint drops — a much easier sequence than the reverse.

Working with Letting Agents

Many of London's leading letting agents — Knight Frank, Savills, Strutt & Parker, Foxtons, and others — maintain lists of recommended contractors for rental property maintenance. Getting onto these lists requires consistent, reliable performance across multiple properties.

If you are a landlord looking for a reliable painting contractor to support your rental portfolio in central and south-west London, contact us to discuss a framework arrangement. We offer landlord clients priority scheduling, consistent pricing across their portfolio, and the photographic documentation required for tenancy deposit schemes.