Where rentals actually wear
It's almost never even across the property. It's these places:
- Hallways and entrances — suitcases, and the wall beside the door where everyone puts a hand
- Stairwells — cases going up, hands on the wall going down
- Around door handles and light switches — sun cream, and constant contact
- Kitchen splash zones and the wall behind the bin
- Bathroom ceilings — extraction rarely keeps up in August
- Balcony and terrace balustrades — wet towels and swimwear, plus salt
Doing those areas well, rather than repainting everything more often, is usually the better use of the budget.
How often
Broadly, a well-used holiday let benefits from attention to the high-wear areas every couple of years and a full interior repaint every four to six — sooner if the original paint was standard contract emulsion, which most developer finishes are.
The honest test isn't a schedule. It's your own listing photographs. If a fresh photo of the hallway looks worse than the one on your listing, it's due.
Specify for wear, not for cost
The cheapest emulsion is the most expensive choice on a rental, because it marks immediately and can't be cleaned without leaving a patch.
Washable matt in the high-traffic areas keeps a flat look while surviving being wiped. Satin or eggshell on all woodwork, doors and frames — they take the most contact. Mould-resistant finish in bathrooms, especially in apartments.
Colour choices that hold up
Mid-tone warm neutrals hide marks considerably better than brilliant white, and they photograph better too — white can look flat and clinical in listing photos.
Avoid very dark feature walls in a let. Every scuff shows, and touching them up invisibly is close to impossible.
Fitting it around bookings
- Book early. Spring and autumn are the busiest months for this work locally, because that's when everyone's property is empty.
- Give the finish date, not the start date. That's the constraint that matters, and it's what the work gets planned around.
- Two or three rooms can genuinely be done in a short changeover gap. A whole property needs more, and you should be told honestly if the gap you've got isn't enough.
- Exteriors and terraces are best kept for the quiet season.
If you're not in Spain
Standard, and most rental work is done this way:
- Access arranged through your management company, agent or a keyholding neighbour
- Progress photos as it goes, and a full set at the end
- Labelled touch-up paint left behind so your cleaning team can deal with small marks between lets
That last one is worth asking for. A cleaner who can touch out a scuff in five minutes saves you a repaint.
Before a sale
Same principle, different aim. Neutral, warm, clean and consistent throughout photographs best and gives a buyer the least to negotiate on. Repainting before listing is one of the few things that reliably returns more than it costs.