For our first summer special episode of Good Landlording, Richard Jackson and Suzanne Smith pick the brain of landlord and interior designer, Charlotte Richardson, about how good interior design can benefit both landlords and renters alike.

As always, it's a practical episode, with lots of actionable tips to help landlords use interior design to help them attract and keep good tenants.

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What we cover in this episodeIntroduction to our guest: Charlotte Richardson of roostInterior design tips for landlords1. See the vision at the start2. Meet the needs of your target market3. Choose quality items4. Maximise the layout5. Flooring recommendations7. Invest in good lighting8. Inexpensive upgrades9. Good choices for paint coloursHow to choose an interior designerGolden nuggetCredits

Introduction to our guest: Charlotte Richardson of roost

Our guest for this "summer special" episode on interior design for landlords is Charlotte Richardson, Co-founder and Creative Director of roost, the interior design company that specialises in helping landlords and property developers maximise returns and make tenants feel great in their homes.

As well as being an interior designer, Charlotte is a landlord and a property investor, and a graphic designer by profession. She has a fantastic blog called the roost interior design blog on her website with lots of great tips. You can follower her account _roost_ on Instagram.

Interior design tips for landlords

1. See the vision at the start

Charlotte recommends that landlords ask at the start of the project for the interior designer to provide realistic CGI rendering of what the space will look like after the project is complete. CGI rendering is a computer generated 3D visualisation which can help the property investor and the contractor visualise what the space will look like, and avoid costly mistakes before any work is done.

It sets the scene for how this project is going to develop. They can see it in a 3D model and 'walk' around the house of flat before anything is done. It's a lot easier to make changes to the layout and even the colour palette at this stage than later on.

Realistic 3D visualisations can also help contractors avoid costly mistakes, as they can see what the vision is for the property, plan, and know what's expected. It can also help investors pre-sell the rooms and market the property before the work is finished.

2. Meet the needs of your target market

It's important for landlords to understand their target market.  This can help landlords make interior design decisions and take care about what the tenants need and value. It will reduce voids and help landlords obtain a good rent.

For HMO landlords, the needs of NHS workers are different from administrative staff who like to work from home, manual workers or students. It affects how much communal space that they need, how much space people have in their rooms, what facilities they value. It's also really important to make sure the layout works.

Families benefit from flexible living space as their children grow up, and lots of storage.

>> Related episode: #1: What makes a good tenant?

3. Choose quality items

Having the property in good condition is key. This means choosing quality items that will wear well and last longer. For instance, use large tiles in the shower, which don't need as much grouting as smaller tiles, and will wear better.

4. Maximise the layout

An interior designer can help landlords use the space effectively with an excellent layout.

5. Flooring recommendations

The choice of flooring is important as it's expensive to replace a bad decision.

Charlotte recommends tiles in the bathroom and LVT (Luxury vinyl tiles) in the communal areas as it's hard wearing and is good in areas where there is water, like a kitchen, as it's waterproof. They can be scratch resistant too.

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