35 Things You Don’t Need to Own As a Renter

If you’re renting your home, you may not have much space to store every possible thing you think you might need. Fortunately, one of the good things about renting is that a lot of things are done for you. Tools to fix appliances or equipment to maintain a yard might not be necessary, and, in a lot of places, you may be able to rent many of the things if you happen to need them at some point.

When moving from a house you own to a rental property, you may be able to downsize by selling or donating a lot of things that take up space. Here are 35 things you should consider getting rid of.

“Depending on your lease terms and the type of property being rented, you will not need any lawn care items, such as a lawnmower or leaf blower, because someone else is responsible for lawn care,” says Melanie Hartmann, owner and CEO of Creo Home Solutions in Baltimore, Maryland. “On that same note, you will not need a snow shovel as long as those removing the snow do so in a timely manner.”

• Lawnmower
• Leaf blower
• Edge trimmer
• Gardening tools
• Gardening gloves
• Ladder
• Chainsaw
• Shovel
• Trashcans
• Rake
• Snowblower
• Pressure washer
• Tiller

“If you are renting, you won’t be responsible for any major repairs,” says Nonnahs Driskill, founding organizer of Get Organized Already! in Long Beach, Caliornia. “In that case, you won’t be needing most shop tools like wrenches, drain snakes, saws [or other] things a handyman would use).”

• Wrenches
• Drain snakes
• Step ladders
• Tarps
• Paintbrushes
• Caulking guns

Depending on the apartment complex, most large appliances will come already installed in your rental.

• Refrigerator
• Microwave
• Oven
• Washer
• Dryer
• Air conditioning
• Heater
• Carpet cleaner

You may be able to reduce your organizers, as well. Every space is different, so the boxes and shelves from your house may not meet your needs in an apartment.

• Old boxes
• Mounted drawers
• Space-specific shelving

Driskill suggests using a hanging dual rod system in your closet, which can change according to the space, instead of a system built to the specifications of only one closet.

Working from home? You may not even need a printer. Go for the minimalist approach, and use a printer in a shared office space—or better yet, in the library—if you only need one infrequently.

• Copier
• Printer
• Scanner
• Shredder
• Fax Machine

While you don’t need most tools or home-improvement equipment when you’re renting, every once in a while, you might run into a problem your landlord won’t solve for you—or will charge you an arm and a leg to fix. In those cases, you can usually rent what you need to fix it. Many home improvement stores, such as Home Depot and Lowes, offer tool rental by the hour. So if you don’t want your landlord to know about that mysterious carpet stain, rent a carpet shampooer, and make it disappear on your own.

Whatever you do, don’t get rid of your hammer. You will always need a hammer.