AB21.... I've just gone through this, so hopefully I can help
I repainted my x-housing commission house recently.
Initially I used a mis-tint of Dulux 10L wash and wear I picked up for around $70. I then added some more tint (bit of an experiment actually). And painted the bedrooms a grey color. I wouldn't recommend going down this path.
After painting the 3 bedrooms, I was plum out of paint. Anyway, they had a special on paint at Mitre 10 and reluctantly I choose the accent range over the Dulux range because Dulux was around $188 for 10L and the accent was on special at $50 for 6litres. I didn't want to spend too much, because I didn't have very much left to spend. It was either buy the cheaper brand, or not at all. The tenant had left quite a few marks and dents in the plaster, so it would have looked rather ordinary if I couldn't paint it. So I went with Accent.
I brought the paint back and started to use it straight away, and I was really pleasantly surprised. Great coverage, great result. The rest of the house only took another 6litres of paint.
I'd highly recommend Accent after that experience. They have a brochure with straight forward color combinations too. And while 'white' might be in, I didn't feel it was very rental friendly at all. Honestly something that shows up every single little bump and fingerprint wasn't on my wish list, so I went a tad darker for the walls.
I choose "Oyster Bed" 1/2 strength for the walls. It is a great color, in well lit areas as well as when the light is darker. It's not stark with fluro lights and is warm, inviting and neutral. I choose a flat finish. The trims were done in semi gloss paint in a color that had the word 'country' in it (there was a second word but I've forgotten it at the moment. "flour dust" would have been another good option.
For the window fittings I choose to go with a dark brown/ golden type color that would also not show every little mark like light colored window fittings would. It also compliments the brown, neutral toning. They were discounted from
http://www.cheapa-blinds.com.au/Search.aspx?p=1&pg=1. The blinds aren't there any more, must have run out. But they were quite dark. We fitted them yesterday and I'm quite happy with the fit. They are fit to your measurements and easy to install. Look quite good too. I choose roller blinds because they are cost effective, look great and are less prone to damage. I also cheated and because x-housing commission houses generally have windows that are all the same width, I choose my blinds to be all the same drop as well (even though the windows were different drops). This way if for any reason one of the blinds are damaged, I can swap them around to the rooms that don't look as obvious. Bedroom to lounge for example where two blinds are side by side. I felt this was a smart option. They also look better quality than Spotlight. Although, depending on the kind of renters you get in, you might want to pursue an even cheaper option so that you can change them at the end of their tenancy.
I decided to get rid of all the carpets in the place, mainly because I didn't have a choice as the tenant had destroyed them. I then had the floor sanded and polished. This was the cheapest option available to me at the time, and money is tight. But also I asked around facebook, for opinions. The reasons they came up with were for polished floors/ hard floors were; - People aren't living in anyone else's filth,
Easy to clean/ maintain,
allergies to dust/ asthma make this practical,
at the end of the tenancy they don't have to fork out money to get the carpets cleaned,
they can style it their own way with rugs.
For me, I thought that carpet only looks good for a few years of being a rental property. Polished floors might scuff over time but still even if after 5 years we had to resurface it would still be a cheaper option. Pity about the depreciation side of things for tax reasons though, carpets win hands down there.
Anyway, probably too much information, but I kept thinking that I needed to make decisions quite quickly and what I cam up with worked well. My advise is to give Mitre 10's accent paint a go.
