How to make your rental feel like your home with Bunnings Online Workshop Team

06/01/22 • 25 min

In episode 16, Ludwina Dautovic interviews Mitchell McLean. Mitch is passionate about all things DIY, having spent the past 19 years with Bunnings supporting customers with bringing their projects to life. Mitch is currently part of the Bunnings workshop team, an online community for sharing DIY advice and inspiration.
About Mitchell McLean

Mitchell McLean has been renting for 20 years and has had quite a rental journey. It’s provided him with variety and flexibility. Bunnings workshops is all about assisting customers with DIY projects online. Renters are coming in daily to improve their property. They have just hit 30k members and a high percentage of them are renters.

"Whether you're a tenant or owner, turning your house into a home is imperative. Creating positive surroundings with your personal style should be seen foremost as an investment into your own well-being."

How you can make your rental feel like your home with out losing your bond

Touch base with your landlord and have a chat. They're usually happy to negotiate changes in the home.
The kinds of things you can change are basically anything that doesn’t damage your property and it’s easily removable. Make sure that you put the property back in the same state that you found it.
You can hang pictures and curtains. Just be mindful how you hang them. You can now get hanging strips from Bunnings which will hold up to 4kg which will save you putting a hole in the wall.

Bathroom vanity story

Mitch and his partner were living in a rental that had a very old bathroom vanity. They replaced it and it improved the quality of their home and their experience living in it. The landlord was also very happy as it improved the value of his house.

“ We need to look at it like we’re investing in our happiness, not in someone else’s property.”

Garden ideas for your rental property

Container planting
Free standing gardens
Don’t invest in things that you can’t take with you.
Outdoor wall art from succulents
Hang cheap art outside and seal it with a waterproofer - silicone spray

Improvements you can do inside your rental hom

Contact The Room Xchange

Tweet us at @theroomxchange and @LudwinaDautovic
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Email us at [email protected]

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How you can make your rental feel like your home with out losing your bond

Touch base with your landlord and have a chat. They're usually happy to negotiate changes in the home.
The kinds of things you can change are basically anything that doesn’t damage your property and it’s easily removable. Make sure that you put the property back in the same state that you found it.
You can hang pictures and curtains. Just be mindful how you hang them. You can now get hanging strips from Bunnings which will hold up to 4kg which will save you putting a hole in the wall.

Bathroom vanity story

“ We need to look at it like we’re investing in our happiness, not in someone else’s property.”

Garden ideas for your rental property

Container planting
Free standing gardens
Don’t invest in things that you can’t take with you.
Outdoor wall art from succulents
Hang cheap art outside and seal it with a waterproofer - silicone spray

Improvements you can do inside your rental hom

Contact The Room Xchange

Tweet us at @theroomxchange and @LudwinaDautovic
Share a story on instagram @theroomxchange
Email us at [email protected]

Previous Episode

In-Depth Property Reviews by Renters for Renters with Ben Pretty from Rent Rabbit

In episode 15, Ben Pretty, Co-founder of Rent Rabbit, and Ludwina Dautovic talk about reviews for renters by renters.
***To listen to all episodes go to: www.TheRoomXchangePodcast.com or subscribe on all major podcast directories.
About Ben Pretty
Ben is the co-founder of RentRabbit.com.au - Australia's No1 Property Review Platform for Renters. Ben is passionate about tackling the imbalance of Australia’s private rental market through a renter first approach. Rent Rabbit allows renters to review the properties they’ve rented; list any issues they’ve had with the property and/or with the landlord or agent.
In this conversation, Ben Pretty and Ludwina Dautovic discuss the benefits and transparency around reviews for landlords, agents and tenants and the benefits it brings to the industry.
How Rent Rabbit works
Rent Rabbit is a review platform for landlords, agents and tenants. It's a transparent approach to finding out who you're dealing with and what their history of dealing with others is like. It also gives the tenant an opportunity to understand what it's like to deal with the owner and agents of the property. If you're spending a great deal of money each year with a supplier, you it's reasonable to know what they're like to deal with.
Benefits to all parties
Being able to ask previous tenants about the street, neighbourhood, the condition of the house and how the landlord dealt with repairs is great knowledge to have. If you're spending anywhere from $20 - $30k a year with an agent or landlord, shouldn't you be able to know what they're like to deal with? There are benefits to the landlord knowing what the tenants history is like. It's also a benefit for the tenant to know what the landlords history is like.
Ratings and reviews are everywhere
We are living in a world where ratings and reviews are the first port of call for consumers when making a decision about a product or service you're purchasing, especially if it is a high ticket item. So why not for rentals?
As an example, Airbnb uses ratings and reviews for both hosts and guests. It is becoming a standard requirement in the short term holiday space. So why shouldn't we do the same for long term rentals?
It's a fascinating discussion and very thought provoking. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on Apple podcasts. We'll read it out in a future episode if you do.

Contact The Room Xchange

Tweet us at @theroomxchange and @LudwinaDautovic
Share a story on instagram @theroomxchange
Email us at [email protected]

Next Episode

Caring for our Elderly in Australia with Lucy O'Flaherty

Lucy O'Flaherty, CEO Columbia Aged Care
Welcome to The Room Xchange Podcast. I’m Ludwina Dautovic and today I have the pleasure of speaking with Luck O’Flaherty, CEO of Columbia Aged Care. Lucy and I are going to unpack the process of caring for our elderly in Australia.

In this episode we discuss:

Caring for our elderly in Australia and the choices you have
Dementia and loneliness are two main issues we need to be aware of with our elderly
My Aged Care is a great resource to find out the right information for your elderly care
Be clear about your goals for your care, what you need and when you'll need it
Have an advanced care directive in place which can be set up online
Make sure your family clearly understands your needs and desires when aging
Get your financial plans in order
Have a power of attorney
Make the right preparations so when the time comes your family doesn't have to be concerned about what you want

"We need to find the right ways when caring for our elderly parents in Australia"
Options for living arrangements when caring for your elderly in Australia
In the early stages when you're just needing some company at home and a little bit of help around the place, The Room Xchange is an ideal option. Most unused spare bedrooms are in the homes of elderly people. The spare bedrooms is an untapped resource for both the family of the elderly person and those who are looking for affordable and accessible housing. When it’s only company and some light housekeeping that’s needed, having someone to share your home could be the ideal answer you need. We also have a Matching Service and House Share Agreement process that we can take you through should you need a more personalised approach.

Retirement Villages or Assisted Living are a good next step. These are places where you can still live fairly independently but have the onsite care and help should you need it.

Aged Care Facilities are for when you are closer to the end of your life and require medical care and ongoing support.

"You need to be clear about your goals and decide them early"

Contact The Room Xchange