Smart home for renters: upgrades you can install without drilling or losing your deposit

If it plugs in, screws into a lamp, or attaches without tools, it’s almost always fine. If it touches mains wiring, the door’s exterior, or the building’s heating system, ask first and get the answer in writing.

Before you buy, read the lease for clauses about alterations, locks and cameras. When something needs permission, ask by email or text so the answer is in writing, and say exactly what you’ll install, how it attaches and that you’ll put everything back when you leave.

The upside of renting is that everything you buy moves with you. That’s another reason to choose Matter devices: they’ll work in your next home whichever app you use.

Smart bulbs replace the bulb, not the switch, so there’s nothing to install. The one catch is that someone will flip the wall switch off, and then the bulb has no power and can’t be controlled. Renter-friendly fixes: Lutron’s Aurora fits over a standard toggle switch, holds it on and works as a dimmer for Philips Hue bulbs (Lutron); Hue’s own dimmer switch can be stuck to the wall with adhesive (Philips Hue); or a strip of tape over the switch does the job for free.

For lamps, a smart plug is even cheaper: plug it in, plug the lamp into it, and schedule it for sunset. Our picks are in the best smart plugs and the best smart bulbs.

A retrofit smart lock attaches to the inside of your existing deadbolt, usually in place of the thumb-turn. From the outside, the door looks the same, and your key and your landlord’s still work. When you move out, you put the original part back in about ten minutes. Our smart locks for renters guide has picks.

For the front door, battery video doorbells can be mounted with a no-drill bracket or strong adhesive on many door frames; Ring, for example, sells a no-drill mount for its battery doorbells (Ring). Apartment buildings often have rules about the hallway, so check first. Indoor cameras need nothing but a shelf and a socket.

Point cameras at your own door and space, not into neighbors’ homes. Doorbells and cameras record sound too, and some states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington, require everyone’s consent to record a private conversation (Reporters Committee). If a camera covers a shared hallway, switching off audio recording is the cautious choice.

Replacing a wall thermostat means working with wiring and the building’s heating system, so it’s a landlord conversation. If you ask, offer to have it installed professionally and to put the original back when you leave.

Alternatives that don’t touch wiring: a smart plug for a fan; for a ductless mini-split, an infrared controller such as the Mysa for Mini-Splits (see thermostats for heat pumps); and for a window or portable air conditioner, a controller such as Sensibo, which works with air conditioners that use an infrared remote (Sensibo).

Be careful with space heaters. Consumer Reports and many heater makers say to plug them straight into a wall outlet (Consumer Reports), so check the heater’s manual before putting one on a smart plug.

Robot vacuums need nothing but floor space for the dock. In an apartment, schedule runs for when you’re out rather than late at night. Smart speakers, displays and sensors all run from sockets or batteries. Leak sensors under the sink and next to the washing machine are cheap insurance, for you and for your neighbors downstairs; if one goes off, tell your landlord straight away. See our sensor picks.

Apartment buildings are hard on Wi-Fi: neighbors’ networks crowd the 2.4 GHz band that most cheap plugs and bulbs use. Put your router in the open, near the middle of your home rather than in a closet. If setup fails, the usual culprit is the band mix-up in our 2.4 GHz fix.

Building-wide Wi-Fi that makes you sign in on a web page won’t work for most smart devices, because they can’t get past the login page (Hatch). Use your own router if the building allows it, or ask whether it offers a separate network for devices.

If your unit already has a smart lock, thermostat or doorbell, ask the landlord who else has access, and ask for codes to be changed and the device reset or transferred to you. The FTC gives the same advice to anyone moving into a home with smart devices (FTC). A lock a previous tenant can still open from their phone isn’t a lock you control.

Before you hand the keys back:

1. 1Reinstall any original parts: lock thumb-turns, bulbs, switch covers.
2. 2Remove adhesive mounts slowly, pulling the tab parallel to the wall.
3. 3Photograph each spot where something was mounted, to go with your move-in photos.
4. 4Factory-reset every device you’re leaving behind, and remove it from your apps.
5. 5Remove the building’s Wi-Fi from your devices if you used a shared network.
6. 6Pack your own devices with their manuals and Matter setup codes. Matter devices work with whichever app you use in your next home.

These need a landlord’s written OK, or are better left to owners:

• In-wall smart switches and dimmers. They replace wiring; smart bulbs, plugs and stick-on switches do the same job.
• Wired video doorbells, which connect to the building’s doorbell wiring. Battery models are the renter-friendly choice; see battery vs wired doorbells.
• Full replacement smart locks with an outside keypad, like the eufy E330. They replace the whole deadbolt.
• Wired smart thermostats, unless the landlord installs one or agrees in writing.

We don’t test products hands-on. The product details above come from the makers, and the legal and safety points from the sources below, checked on September 30, 2026. Recording laws vary by state and change, so treat this as a starting point, not legal advice:

• Lutron: Aurora smart bulb dimmer and Philips Hue: installing the dimmer switch
• Ring: no-drill mount for battery doorbells
• Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: recording guide
• Sensibo: AC compatibility and Mysa for Mini-Splits
• Consumer Reports: space heater safety
• FTC: buying or selling a smart home
• Hatch: devices and hotel-style Wi-Fi logins