Between tenancies you have a short window to get the property ready, and every day of decorating is a day without rent. The aim is not a showroom finish: it is to make the property look fresh in photos and viewings, fix what the last tenant damaged, and get the next tenant in quickly. This guide covers what is worth doing, what you can charge the outgoing tenant for, and how to plan a turnaround that takes days rather than weeks.
Key takeaways
- Plan the work during the tenant’s two-month notice so trades are booked for the day after check-out.
- Touch-ups, a full clean and fixing small faults matter more than repainting every room.
- Use one neutral colour and a washable finish throughout, and keep a record of the paint.
- You can only deduct for damage beyond fair wear and tear, and adjudicators allow for the age of the decoration.
- Combine decorating with jobs that improve the rent or EPC, such as lighting, extractor fans and flooring.
What actually reduces voids
| Job | Effect on letting | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Professional deep clean, including oven and carpets | High: the first thing applicants notice | 1 day |
| Touch-up scuffs, fill holes, paint woodwork | High for little cost | 1 to 2 days |
| Reseal bath, shower and kitchen; regrout tired tiles | High: mouldy sealant puts people off | Half a day |
| Replace blown bulbs, dated light fittings, broken blinds | Medium to high | Half a day |
| Full repaint of one or two worn rooms | Medium | 1 to 3 days |
| Full repaint of the whole property | Only if the decoration is several years old | 3 to 5 days |
| New flooring in living areas | High if the current floor is worn | 1 to 2 days |
Choosing paint and finishes
- One colour throughout: a warm white or light neutral. Touch-ups then match in every room.
- Washable finishes: a durable matt or eggshell on walls, satin on woodwork. Cheap contract matt marks easily and is hard to clean.
- Kitchens and bathrooms: a moisture-resistant paint designed for those rooms.
- Keep a decorating record: the paint brand, colour name and finish, and the date each room was last painted. It saves guesswork and supports deposit claims.
What you can charge the outgoing tenant
You can deduct from the deposit for damage beyond fair wear and tear: large stains, holes from heavy fixings, crayon on walls, unauthorised paint colours. You cannot charge for normal wear such as light scuffs, faded paint or small picture-hook holes if hooks were allowed.
Adjudicators also apply an age adjustment. Paintwork is often treated as having a life of around five years, so if a room was last painted four years ago and the tenant damaged it, you are likely to recover only a small share of the cost. You cannot charge for “betterment”, leaving the property in a better state than at the start. A dated check-in inventory with photos is essential. See our deposit protection guide for how deductions and disputes work.
Fair wear and tear: landlord’s cost
- Light scuffs along hallways
- Faded paint and sun-bleaching
- Small marks from furniture
- Minor nail holes where hooks were allowed
Damage: may be deducted
- Holes from shelves or TV brackets fitted without consent
- Rooms painted in colours you did not agree
- Heavy staining, crayon, burns
- Smoke or nicotine staining where smoking was not allowed
Planning a fast turnaround
- Pre-inspect during the notice period. With notice to the tenant, visit about a month before they leave and list the likely jobs.
- Book everyone in advance: check-out clerk on the last day, then decorator, cleaner and any trades in a set order.
- Market while the work is planned. Use good photos from the start of the last tenancy, or take new ones once the work is done.
- Clean last, after all decorating and repairs.
- Check-in the new tenant with a fresh inventory and photos.
Our guide to reducing void periods covers marketing and pricing alongside the turnaround.
Make the void count
An empty property is the best time for jobs that are disruptive with a tenant in place: flooring, a kitchen refresh, loft insulation, extractor fans, new lighting. These can support the rent and help with the EPC C target for 2030. Our guides to adding value on a budget and flooring for rental properties rank the options.
Should tenants be allowed to decorate?
Tenants have no general right to redecorate, but allowing it with conditions, such as colours from an approved list and professional standards, can help them feel at home and stay longer. Put any consent in writing and say whether the property must be returned to the original colour.
Tax treatment
Redecorating and like-for-like repairs between tenancies are usually revenue expenses, deductible from rental income. See our guide to allowable expenses for landlords.
Written by The Landlords Portal Team and updated in November 2026. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Frequently asked questions
Should I repaint between every tenancy?
Not usually. A deep clean and touch-ups are often enough. A full repaint makes sense when the decoration is several years old or badly marked.
Can I charge the tenant for repainting?
Only for damage beyond fair wear and tear, and only a proportion of the cost based on the age of the decoration. You need dated check-in and check-out evidence.
What colour should I paint a rental property?
A single light neutral throughout, in a washable finish, so the property photographs well and touch-ups always match.
Template pack from Landlords Portal
Run every inspection properly: the Property Inspection Kit
Dated evidence of the property's condition protects you in repair, damp and deposit disputes. This kit gives you every document for an inspection, written for landlords in England.
- 24-hour notice letter and tenant repair report form
- Room-by-room checklist, inspection report and photo log
- Follow-up letters, plus an Excel tracker for gas safety, EICR and EPC dates
