Decorating for the festive season without breaching your tenancy agreement
There is a particular pleasure in making a rented home feel genuinely festive. The wreath on the door, the fairy lights around the window, the tree in the corner that fills the room with the smell of pine. None of it requires owning the property to enjoy, and the best festive homes are often rented ones where the occupants have made a real effort with the space they have. The question is how to do that without creating problems that outlast the tinsel.

The legal position on decorating a rental property in England is fairly clear, and it is more restrictive than many tenants assume. Most tenancy agreements include clauses prohibiting alterations or additions to the property without the landlord’s written consent. This covers everything from painting a wall to fixing a shelf, and it often includes the kind of small, temporary-seeming actions that feel inconsequential at the time. Even a small nail hole can be treated as damage rather than fair wear and tear, which means it could lead to a deposit deduction at the end of the tenancy.

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which brought significant changes to tenancy law in England from May 2026, did not introduce a general right for tenants to decorate their homes without permission. The framework for alterations and additions remains governed by the tenancy agreement, and the first step for any tenant thinking about festive decoration is to read what their agreement actually says.

What tends to cause deposit disputes
The most common sources of deposit-related problems from festive decoration fall into a handful of categories. Nails hammered into walls for wreaths, picture frames, or fairy light hooks are the most frequent. Even where the nail is small and the hole seems minor, the cost of making it good, filling, and repainting, can be claimed if the agreement prohibits wall fixings.

Adhesive hooks, including the removable Command strip variety, are marketed as damage-free and often are, but the outcome depends heavily on the age and quality of the wall surface. On freshly painted or delicate surfaces, removing an adhesive hook can lift the paint or leave a mark. If you plan to use them, test in an inconspicuous spot first and follow the removal instructions carefully.

Candles create wax drips on carpets and hard floors, and soot deposits on walls and ceilings above frequently used candles. Real wax candles are worth using carefully, with protective surfaces beneath them, or replaced with battery-powered alternatives for the rooms where they are most regularly lit. Smoke damage from candles, even minor, is damage in the deposit sense rather than fair wear and tear.

Real Christmas trees, if not properly managed, can damage flooring through water overflow from the base, leave resin stains, and deposit needles that can be difficult to remove fully from carpets. A waterproof mat under the tree base prevents most of this and is a straightforward precaution.

External fairy lights fixed to the exterior of the property with screws, staples, or adhesive typically require landlord permission, particularly if they involve any contact with the building’s fabric. This is worth raising before the lights go up rather than after.

Practical approaches that tend to work
The decoration approaches that consistently avoid deposit problems are those that involve no fixings into walls or ceilings. Freestanding decoration, things that rest on surfaces, hang from existing hooks or curtain rails, or attach to windows via suction cups, creates the same festive atmosphere without the same risks. Over-door wreath hangers that work by hooking over the top of the door are available for most door sizes and require no fixing at all.

For fairy lights, existing picture rails, curtain tracks, and furniture can all serve as routes without requiring nails. Battery-powered or USB-powered options remove the constraint of proximity to a socket and give more flexibility in placement.

It is also worth looking back at your check-in inventory, so you know the condition of walls and floors before you start, and taking a few photos once the decorations come down.

If you want to do something that falls outside what your agreement clearly permits, the right approach is to ask your landlord or letting agent for written permission before you proceed rather than after. Most landlords are reasonable about seasonal decoration where it is done carefully and reversed before the end of the tenancy. A brief email requesting permission, and keeping the response, protects both parties if questions arise later.

The festive season is worth doing properly. With a little planning, it does not have to cost you anything extra when the decorations come down.

Questions about your tenancy? Talk to our lettings team today