Almost a third of Swedish households live in rental housing – and one of the most common questions new tenants ask themselves is: "Can I put up a poster here without losing my deposit?" The answer is more nuanced than most people think, and there are also smart methods that make the whole question irrelevant. This guide covers everything you need to know about decorating the walls of a rental apartment with posters – from the legal side to hanging methods, formats, and designs.
The short answer: yes, you can hang posters in your rental apartment. And no, you don’t need to drill to make it look good.
Quick facts: According to the Swedish Tenants’ Association, as a tenant you have the right to hammer in nails and drill small holes in the walls without asking your landlord for permission – this counts as normal wear and tear. The exception is the bathroom, where drilling is strictly prohibited because the waterproofing could be damaged. In Sweden, around 35 percent of the population lived in rental housing in 2023, according to Statistics Sweden’s housing statistics.
What the law actually says – are you allowed to drill in a rental apartment?
Many tenants believe they aren’t allowed to make a single hole in the walls. That’s a myth. Swedish rental rules, as interpreted by the Swedish Tenants’ Association and confirmed in rental law rulings, say that normal wear and tear is part of the tenancy. Hammering in a nail for a poster or drilling a small hole for a wall hook falls within this rule – as long as you don’t go overboard with the holes and don’t do it in the bathroom.
The bathroom is the absolute exception. The waterproofing behind the tiles and plaster is a water barrier that costs tens of thousands of kronor to replace. Drilling a hole in a bathroom wall can cause moisture damage behind the tiles that may not become visible for years, and you could be held liable for the entire renovation. Never hang a poster with drilled-in fixings in the bathroom – use suction-cup hooks or mounting strips instead.
Outside the bathroom, the rule is: a few nail or screw holes that you fill when you move out usually won’t result in a deduction from your deposit. It’s when you drill a dozen large, closely spaced, deep holes that the landlord may demand compensation. Proportion is everything. A good rule of thumb: don’t drill more holes than you can count on one hand per wall, and make sure they’re no larger than standard filler can cover.
Also note that you may not drill or carry out other disruptive work in your apartment between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays or between 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. on weekends – this is a house rule that applies in most rental properties.
Three ways to hang things without a single hole in the wall
If you still want to avoid drilling - out of caution or because you often change the arrangement on your walls - there are three methods that work for most posters and frames.
Mounting strips and adhesive pads are the most secure option. 3M Command strips hold up to 6.8 kg per pair (about 15 lbs), which is enough for most frames up to 50×70 cm. Attach them to the frame and the wall, wait an hour for the adhesive to bond, then remove them without a trace when you move. The key is to pull straight down when removing them - never out from the wall. Strips work on most painted walls, but always test a small corner of the surface if the wall was recently painted.
Washi tape is the best solution for prints and posters you want to hang without a frame. This rice-paper tape holds gently and comes off without taking paint with it. Choose tape in neutral white or beige for a discreet fastening, or make a design feature of it by using colorful tape to frame the artwork itself. This method works best for paper posters - not heavy framed prints.
Leaning a poster against the wall on a sideboard, a dresser, or directly on the floor is a popular interior design trick that’s growing in popularity. It requires no fixtures, is easy to move, and creates a relaxed, studio-inspired feel that works especially well with large formats, 50×70 cm and up. Learn more about choosing the right format in our guide to poster sizes.
"A poster leaning against the wall instead of hanging on it changes the feel of the whole room - from gallery to lived-in home."
Formats and sizes - what works on the walls of a rental
The walls in a rental are rarely identical to the ones you had before or will have next time. That’s one reason why it’s wise to choose adaptable formats.
30×40 cm and 50×70 cm formats are the most versatile. They suit most wall spaces, are easy to move, and are a believable size without overwhelming a room with average dimensions. A 70×100 cm format can create an enormous visual impact - but it needs a wall with plenty of breathing room around it; otherwise, it completely takes over the room.
One advantage of renting is that you often move more regularly, which means the same poster can work in completely different settings. Choose designs and formats with that freedom in mind. Minimalist posters are especially well suited to rental apartments: they work in almost any room, any size, and with any wall color.
For narrow walls - such as alcoves, corridor walls, and narrow corner spaces - vertical formats in 21×30 cm or 30×40 cm are preferable. For long, horizontal walls in open-plan layouts, a pair of 50×70 cm posters placed side by side can create a cohesive look without having to create an entire gallery wall.
Tip: If you buy the poster and frame separately, you can take the frame with you to your next home and simply change the design. Bozetto's posters come in standard sizes that fit the most common frames - 30×40 and 50×70 cm - making it easy to reuse frames from IKEA or Granit if you already have them at home.
Room by room - designs and styles that work in rental apartments
Rental apartments rarely have the strong architectural character that older apartments can have. This means that the art on the walls has an even greater responsibility to give the room character.
In the living room, abstract posters work beautifully. Their style is neutral enough to work with most wall colors and furnishings, and they create a visual focal point without locking the room into an overly specific theme. An abstract poster in deep blue, mustard yellow, or terracotta can do more for a room than a whole series of neutral nature prints.
In the bedroom, soft botanical motifs and calm compositions are popular choices - and for good reason. Botanical posters featuring plants, leaves, and organic shapes have a proven calming effect and are well suited to a room designed for rest. Choose designs with few elements and soft contrasts.
In the kitchen and hallway - spaces that are often compact in rental apartments - graphic prints with bold lines and limited color palettes work better than detailed nature prints, which can feel cluttered in tight spaces. Graphic posters add structure and contrast without taking up too much of your field of vision.
What to avoid – and why
There are a few common mistakes that are easy to make and relatively easy to avoid.
Avoid hanging overly heavy frames with mounting strips if the wall is old plaster or porous brick. Strips are designed for smooth, painted wall surfaces and good-quality wallpaper – they hold less securely on uneven surfaces and in damp rooms. A three-kilogram frame that falls in the middle of the night can damage both the frame and the wall beneath it.
Also avoid hanging posters in direct sunlight if you have valuable prints you want to preserve. Sunlight quickly fades the pigment in paper prints, and a poster hung in direct sunlight from a south-facing window for a couple of summers may have lost much of its original contrast. Place posters on north- or east-facing walls if you want them to retain their colors for a long time.
Also remember to restore the wall when you move out. Fill and sand nail and drill holes, then paint over them with the same color. If you save the receipt for the paint you buy when you move in, it’s easy to match the shade. Leaving the wall unrestored significantly increases the risk of a deduction from your deposit. Find more advice on how to choose and combine posters to suit your rental apartment in our guide to choosing the right frame and in the comparison between posters and canvas prints.
Frequently asked questions about posters in rental apartments
Renting shouldn’t stop you from having the walls you really want. The right hanging method, the right size, and a design that suits your life today—that’s all it takes. Mounting strips let you hang a poster without leaving a trace. With washi tape, you can change the design as often as your mood. And a 50×70 cm print leaning against the wall on a sideboard says more about you than a whole gallery wall of identical prints. Explore the full Bozetto range of posters—hundreds of designs in standard sizes suited to every type of home. Find minimalist posters that work in every room, or botanical and abstract designs for a more personal touch.