New research appears to suggest that some tenants would be willing to pay substantially higher rent if they were allowed to customise their properties and decorate them. 

The survey of 1,000 private tenants has found that 20 per cent would pay extra, an average of £72 per month – which adds up to £864 a year – if they were able to decorate to their own taste and standards.

The research suggests 19 per cent of renters currently aren’t allowed to decorate at all with strict bans on home improvements within their rental agreements.

Some 43 per cent say they would stay longer in a property if it could become ‘theirs’ through personal decorations, and 44 per cent say they would be likely to take greater care of the property. 

In addition, 38 per cent have in the past been put off renting a property – and avoided it entirely – because of its poor, or lack of, décor.

A spokesman for wallpaper firm Graham & Brown, which commissioned the research, says: “Landlords discourage decoration, leaving Generation Rent lagging behind in the home style stakes. It shouldn’t just be homeowners who are able to put their own stamp on their home – especially as there are so many easy ways to do this which aren’t permanent.”