Turn your rental into a smart home: 8 easy upgrades

Renting an apartment or house doesn’t mean you must forgo the convenience of a smart home; in fact, you might be surprised by the possibilities for making your home life easier, all of which can be achieved without drilling or making any lease-breaking modifications to your dwelling. 

We’ll be ticking off types of smart devices that are decidedly apartment-friendly, from smart bulbs that you can screw into existing sockets to stick-up video doorbells that don’t require wired power. These smart gadgets are easy to install, and once your lease is up, you can take them all with you, without leaving any damage behind. 

Once you’ve perused our guide, click through to see our top picks for each category. Renters unite! 

Smart lights 

Smart bulbs rank as among the easiest way for renters to begin their smart home journeys. An Edison-style smart bulb can be screwed into a standard light socket, and you can reduce your initial outlay by choosing a bulb that’s controllable via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

Once you’re ready to expand, you can add a smart hub for even greater control (such as a Philips Hue Bridge), while light strips and smart light panels can add atmosphere with simple stick-up installation. 

Smart plugs 

Want to automate your fans or add smarts to a decorative standing lamp? A smart plug will do the trick.

Just plug a smart plug into an existing wall outlet, and you’ll be able to control any connected device using voice commands (assuming you have smart speakers, which we’re getting to in a moment), put it on a schedule, add it to a smart automation (such as powering on a lamp when you come home), or monitor its electricity usage. 

Smart speakers 

The heart of your smart home, a smart speaker can bring Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri into your apartment, allowing you to control your smart devices, play music, set timers and alarms, and more, all using voice commands.

Some smart speakers can even act as smart hubs, connecting your various smart gadgets (including those that work with Matter) together. Best of all, installation is a snap: just set your new smart speaker on a table, shelf, or other flat surface, and then plug it in. 

Our current favorite smart speaker for most people is the Amazon Echo Dot, but whichever smart ecosystem you choose, we recommend sticking with it for all your other smart speakers–so if you start with Apple’s HomePod mini and you’re ready for more, get another Apple HomePod speaker, not one powered by Alexa or Google Assistant.

Video doorbell 

Just because you’re a renter doesn’t mean you can’t have a video doorbell. We’re seeing more and more smart doorbells that run on battery power and can be attached to your door with adhesive-backed mounting brackets, allowing you to remove them when you’re ready to move out. Even better, our current favorite video doorbell (below, and it’s the one I use) boasts motion and package detection, along with rechargeable batteries that will run for weeks at a time.

In case you’re wondering, video doorbells are (in most jurisdictions) perfectly legal for use in apartment buildings, given that there’s no expectation of privacy in a shared hallway. That said, you might want to give neighbors a heads-up before installing a video doorbell on your apartment door. If you’re renting a single-family home, duplex, or the like, take advantage of the doorbell’s privacy feature that let you mask your neighbor’s door, window, patio, or other areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Smart dimmer switches 

Nope, you don’t have to tinker with in-wall wiring to install a smart dimmer switch in your apartment. While most of our recommended smart switches do require replacing an existing wall switch (a task that takes from technical know-how, as well as potentially break the terms of your lease), there are stick-up smart switches that you can place—and remove—with ease.

Philips Hue, for starters, makes an excellent and handsome smart switch (below) with an adhesive backing, although it requires the Hue Bridge to work. 

Robot vacuums 

Even a small apartment could do with a robot vacuum sweeping up dirt and debris every so often, especially if you have pets.

Until just a few years ago, a budget robot vacuum meant a basic bump-and-run model that you’d turn loose on your floors. Recently, however, affordable robot vacuums have been packing in advanced features such as AI-powered object avoidance, room-mapping capabilities, and more.

Smart thermostats 

Unlike most of the smart gadgets in this feature, smart thermostats require some knowledge of in-wall HVAC wiring, and they’re not much good unless your regular thermostat offers control of both heating and cooling. (Some buildings don’t allow their tenants any access to a thermostat, in which case you’re simply out of luck.)

Still reading? If so, a smart thermostat isn’t that tough to install (your landlord may even help, or you could always summon a TaskRabbit worker), and it’s a terrific way to save on heating and cooling bills. You should probably get your landlord’s permission before you proceed with this change.

Water leak sensors  

Water leaks can be trouble even for renters—indeed, as a renter myself, I’ve had to deal with leaky kitchen and bathroom sinks, not to mention a basement that was susceptible to flooding during sudden downpours. To prevent your valuables from getting soaked, a smart water leak sensor makes for a wise investment.

Water leak sensors come in different forms. Some are small wireless probes that connect to a hub, while others are plug-in models with lengthy, moisture-detecting sensors. Just leave the sensors under sinks, on basement floors, and other areas where water shouldn’t be, and you’ll get an alert if there’s a water problem.