Renter-friendly home office upgrades

Most upgrades need no holes at all

Renting does not have to mean working at a wobbly kitchen table. Nearly everything that makes a desk setup comfortable either clamps on, stands on its own, or sticks with removable adhesive. Here is what to do, roughly in order of impact.

1. Raise your screen with a clamp-on monitor arm

A monitor arm clamps to the back edge of the desk and holds the screen at the right height and distance, freeing the space its stand used to take. No wall fixing needed. Check your desk's thickness against the arm's clamp range, and that the back edge has no frame in the way. See monitor arms for shallow desks.

2. Get power and cables off the floor with a clamp-on tray

Clamp-on cable trays hang under the desk and hold a surge protector and chargers, so a single cord runs to the wall. VIVO's clamp-on trays, for example, fit desks 0.4 to 2 inches thick with no drilling. See under-desk cable trays and hiding desk cables without drilling.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission warns against running cords under rugs or furniture, where they can overheat. Getting them up off the floor is safer as well as tidier.

3. Light the desk without new fixtures

You cannot add ceiling lights, but you can light the desk itself:

• a monitor light bar hooks over the screen and takes no desk space,
• a clamp-on lamp attaches to the desk edge,
• a plug-in floor lamp brightens a dark corner.

See desk lamps for small desks and lighting a room with no window.

4. Protect the floor with a chair mat

Chair casters can mark wood and wear carpet, which can cost you part of your deposit. A chair mat matched to your floor prevents that: smooth-backed for hard floors, cleated for carpet. Popular Science warns against spiked carpet mats on hardwood. See chair mats for carpet and hard floors.

5. Add storage that stands on its own

• A desktop hutch adds shelves above the desk without touching the wall.
• A rolling drawer unit or cart adds drawers under or beside it.
• Over-the-door organizers use the back of a nearby door.

See vertical storage above a small desk and under-desk drawers and rolling carts.

Tall freestanding furniture still needs care. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's Anchor It! campaign advises anchoring furniture with drawers, doors and shelves to the wall. An anti-tip strap needs only one small screw, which many landlords accept; ask first.

6. Use adhesive products for light items

Removable adhesive hooks, strips and ledges hold light items without screws. The Command Picture Ledge, for example, holds up to 5 pounds according to 3M. Follow the instructions closely, because that is what lets them come off cleanly:

• use them only on smooth surfaces such as painted walls, not on wallpaper (3M specifically warns against wallpaper),
• wait seven days after painting before sticking anything up,
• keep within the stated weight,
• remove them exactly as the packaging instructions describe, rather than pulling them off the wall.

7. Make the chair fit the desk

If the desk is a fixed height, adjust the chair to it and add a footrest if your feet do not reach the floor. Both are portable and come with you when you move. See how to adjust an office chair and do you need a footrest?.

When you do want to drill

Some upgrades, such as a wall-mounted or fold-down desk, a pegboard or heavy shelves, need screws. In that case:

1. Read your lease for anything about alterations, fixings or decorating.
2. Ask your landlord in writing, describing what you want to mount, where, and how many screws.
3. Offer to make good: fill and touch up holes when you leave.
4. Keep the written permission with your lease.
5. Photograph the wall before and after.

Before you move out

• Remove adhesive products as the manufacturer instructs.
• Fill any approved screw holes and touch up the paint if you agreed to.
• Lift chair mats and check the floor underneath.
• Take photographs of the room for your records.

A renter's starter kit

Starting from scratch? The small-space home office checklist covers the basics in order.