Wallpaper in a rented apartment: Designing walls without risk

Category: Guide & Inspiration | Reading time: approx. 8 minutes

You want to beautify your rented apartment, but a nagging worry remains: What happens when I move out? Will I lose my security deposit? Am I even allowed to do this?

We hear these questions from our customers all the time. The good news is that self-adhesive wallpaper for rental apartments was developed for exactly this situation – no paste, no wall damage, no arguments with the landlord when moving out. You can decorate your walls as if they were your own property. And when you start packing, the wallpaper disappears as if it were never there.

Is wallpapering allowed in a rented apartment?

This is the question on most people's minds. The general rule of thumb: modifications that can be completely and residue-free reversed when moving out are generally not considered alterations to the rented property. This applies to classic measures such as hanging pictures or, specifically, applying self-adhesive wall decorations that leave no residue behind.

Of course, every lease is different, and we are not providing legal advice here. What we can say from experience: traditional wallpapering with paste is problematic because removal usually leaves traces. Self-adhesive photo wallpapers, which can be peeled off cleanly and without residue, are a different category. Many of our customers have written to us after moving out saying there were no complaints at all – because the wall looked exactly as it had before after peeling off the paper. When in doubt, it is worth having a quick conversation with your landlord before you start – but most agree once they understand what is involved.

Why self-adhesive wallpaper and rental apartments are a perfect match

Classic wallpapering with paste is challenging in a rental apartment for several reasons. The paste moistens the wall, can loosen plaster, and often leaves residues upon removal that are difficult to eliminate entirely. The result: damage, arguments, and in the worst case, deductions from the security deposit.

Self-adhesive photo wallpapers work on a completely different principle. The material adheres directly to the wall thanks to a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer – no paste, no water, no moisture. When peeling off slowly at a flat angle, the wallpaper comes off cleanly and leaves no residue on normally plastered or painted surfaces. The wall looks exactly as it did before.

There is another advantage that counts for much in a rental apartment: the wallpaper is repositionable. This means you can adjust and realign it during application. No stress about "glued it wrong once and the wall is ruined." You take the time you need, align the motif precisely, and only press the wallpaper firmly into place once you are satisfied.

Which walls are best suited for rental apartments

Not every wall is equally well suited, and that is not because of the wallpaper, but because of the surface. We encounter three typical situations in rental apartments.

Smooth-painted walls are the ideal surface. Self-adhesive wallpaper adheres excellently to smooth paint, and removal leaves no marks. All you have to do is free the wall from dust and grease films, wipe it down briefly, let it dry, and you're ready to go.

Woodchip wallpaper (Raufaser) is common in rental apartments and also adheres well – with one minor limitation. The rougher the surface, the more air bubbles can form. This can be easily managed with a smoothing tool. Removal requires a bit more patience than on a smooth wall but works without problems. Our recommendation: test it on a small, inconspicuous spot before wallpapering the entire wall.

Highly textured or sandy plastered walls are more challenging. If the plaster flakes off when applying pressure, or the surface is very rough and uneven, adhesion may be impaired – and the plaster could come off when peeling. Caution is advised here. When in doubt, either apply a primer or skip this specific wall for the project. You can find a more detailed overview of wall surfaces and preparation in our application guide.

The accent wall principle: One wall is enough

We often see customers wondering if they should decorate all four walls. Our clear recommendation is: no. A single wall is enough – and that is exactly what makes the concept so perfect for rental apartments.

An accent wall is the wall you automatically look at when entering a room or sitting down. In the living room, it's the wall behind the sofa. In the bedroom, the wall behind the bed. In the dining room, the wall behind the table. You choose a single surface, and that surface carries the entire statement of the room.

This has several advantages in a rental apartment. First, the effort involved in application and removal is significantly lower. Second, the material requirements remain manageable. And third – and this is the design-related reason – an accent wall simply looks better than wallpapering all around. The motif needs neutral opposing walls to develop its full effect. One wall that tells a story. Three walls that listen.

Which motifs are particularly suitable for rental apartments?

Choosing a motif in a rental apartment follows two primary lines of thought. First: You want a motif that you truly enjoy and that enriches your everyday life in this home – not just something neutral that won't offend anyone. Second: It's good if it's something you might want to change at some point, because you are living in a space that won't be yours forever.

Nature motifs are particularly popular in rental apartments because they bring warmth and character without dominating the room. A large-format forest behind the sofa, a calm mountain panorama in the bedroom, botanical motifs in the hallway – all of these work regardless of the other furniture in the room. Our Nature Collection offers a wide range from very calm to expressive.

Abstract motifs are a good choice if you aren't sure where your interior style will go yet. They work with many different furniture styles and are less defining than a concrete landscape picture. Soft color gradients, organic shapes, geometrically structured surfaces – all of this gives the room depth without telling a too specific story. Take a look at our Abstract Collection.

Landscape panoramas are particularly clever for rental apartments with small rooms because they visually expand the space. A panorama that draws the eye into the distance – a wide meadow, a coastline with a horizon, an alpine landscape in the morning light – makes the wall disappear. Small rooms benefit enormously from this. You can find a large selection in our Landscape Collection.

Those who want something bolder will find motifs in our 3D Wallpaper Collection that truly "break open" a room. Perspective architecture motifs, deep forest paths, geometric depth illusions – these are wallpapers that make visitors stop and stare. This works just as well in a rental apartment as it does in a home you own.

Three interior design examples for rental situations

The bright two-room apartment: Plain white walls, laminate flooring, standard floor plan – but good lighting conditions. Behind the sofa: a forest panorama in soft green and white tones, coordinated with the light gray cushion covers. The effect is immediate: the living room looks furnished, not provisionally occupied. Two years later, upon moving out, the wallpaper was removed without a single comment from the landlord.

The small bedroom with woodchip wallpaper: Typical for older rental apartments – woodchip on all walls, little daylight, low price per square meter. Behind the bed: a calm mountain panorama in blue-gray, large-leafed, with plenty of "background air" in the motif. The other three walls: unchanged, just freshly painted. The result is a bedroom that feels like a deliberately designed space, not a temporary solution.

The student flat or first apartment: Small space, hardly any furniture, but a big need for character. Here we often recommend a geometric motif or an abstract pattern in a single color tone that picks up on the furniture. Our geometric patterns or blue photo wallpapers work exceptionally well in small areas because they don't have to tell a big story – they simply give the room personality.

What happens when moving out? How to remove the wallpaper

This is the question that counts in the end. And the answer is simpler than most expect.

Start at a corner or an upper edge, carefully loosen the wallpaper from the surface, and peel it off slowly at a flat angle – preferably under 45 degrees. Not jerky, but evenly and controlled. The flatter the removal angle, the more cleanly the adhesive layer releases. The paper and adhesive come off in one piece, and the wall underneath is untouched.

For woodchip walls, we especially recommend working slowly so that no woodchip fibers are pulled up. Some customers gently warm the wallpaper with a hairdryer on the lowest setting – this makes the adhesive layer slightly more pliable and simplifies removal.

If you have applied the wallpaper to a cleanly painted, smooth wall and proceed as described during removal, you should find a wall that looks exactly as it did before you moved in. That is the promise behind the product – and we know from our customer feedback that it holds true in practice.

The material: why it pays off twice in a rental apartment

In a rental apartment, you want a material that stays put, but also lets go again. That sounds contradictory, but it is exactly what our photo wallpapers achieve.

The carrier material is 170 g/m² in weight, PVC-free, and Made in Germany – no cheap material that tears or frays upon the first removal. The adhesive layer is pressure-sensitive and repositionable, meaning: it adheres reliably when you press it down firmly but can be detached when you intentionally peel it off. Printing is done with GREENGUARD Gold certified inks, meaning the printing inks have been tested for low chemical emissions – particularly relevant for bedrooms and children's rooms.

What this means for you specifically: you get a wallpaper that stays on the wall for years without peeling off or sustaining damage – and yet can be removed in a controlled and clean manner when moving out. This is not a compromise; it is the right tool for the situation.

Frequently asked questions about wallpaper in rental apartments

Can I also stick self-adhesive wallpaper to freshly painted walls?
Freshly painted walls need a drying time of at least four weeks before you apply self-adhesive wallpaper. If the paint has not yet fully cured, the paint layer may come off during later removal – which is exactly what you want to avoid. Give the wall the time it needs.

What do I do if moisture or mold forms behind the wallpaper?
Self-adhesive wallpapers are not vapor-permeable, meaning: if a wall has moisture problems, you should not apply wallpaper there. However, this applies to every other type of wall decoration just as well. If you are unsure, test it on a small area and observe over a few weeks if anything changes.

Can I remove the wallpaper and stick it up somewhere else?
Once removed, wallpaper generally cannot be reused because the adhesive layer picks up particles during the removal process and loses its tackiness. Plan the wallpaper for a specific location – and when you move, new wallpaper in the new location is the cleaner solution. That sounds like extra effort, but in practice, it is usually an opportunity for a new motif.

How do I deal with electrical outlets and light switches?
The wallpaper is simply run over the outlet and then cleanly cut out along the cutout with a sharp utility knife. This works even without previous craftsmanship experience – you just need a steady hand and a fresh blade. You can find detailed instructions for this and other challenges during application in our application guide.

Is self-adhesive wallpaper also suitable for tiles in the bathroom or kitchen of a rental apartment?
Yes – that is actually one of the most common applications. Many rental apartments have older tiles that cannot be changed and that you don't like. Self-adhesive wallpapers adhere very well to clean, smooth tile surfaces and can be removed without residue when moving out. We have written our own detailed guide on this: Covering tiles with self-adhesive wallpaper.

Your rental apartment. Your home.

A rental apartment is not a waiting room. It is your home – today, tomorrow, as long as you live there. And you deserve to live in an environment that feels like you.

Self-adhesive photo wallpaper gives you exactly that: the freedom to decorate walls without taking the risk of replacing a temporary situation with a permanent problem. You can be bold. You can choose a motif that makes you happy every day. And when the day of moving out arrives, you simply take your wallpaper with you – or leave it behind, because the wall looks exactly the same as it did before.

Take a look at our Nature Collection, the Abstract motifs, or the landscape panoramas, and let yourself be inspired by the motif that fits your apartment and you.