Top 5 Smart Home Upgrades Renters Can Install Without Forfeiting Their Security Deposit

Published Apr 29, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT

Chris Hachey is a contributor for MakeUseOf with years of experience covering consumer tech. He has been published on XDA-developers.com, Pocket-lint.com, BGR.com, and other tech sites. He is passionate about finding great deals on tech, testing out new consumer electronics, and sharing his insights into smart home devices.

From Bluetooth speakers and earbuds to 2-in-1 laptops, Chris has tested hundreds of products to provide his audience with real analysis on how well something works. When he's not looking for the latest and greatest in tech, he's probably spending too much time on his phone, playing with his dog or daughter, or watching his favorite sports teams. Follow him on X @hach_tag 
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Finding a place to live can be incredibly stressful. There's the searching, the visits, the haggling with the landlord on different aspects, and then, of course, there's the competition you have against other renters or buyers. This can all hinge on what the market looks like as well, as there might be a limited inventory, making it even more angst-inducing.

But once you actually get a place, you can start making it your own. This is true for both a home purchase and a rental unit. If you're renting, you likely have less ability to fully refurnish the place, as your landlord will want you to make it easy to change back if you decide to move out. This doesn't mean you shouldn't consider setting up a smart home in your rental unit. There are plenty of gadgets that provide upgraded technology without the feeling of permanence.

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Make it easy on yourself with a smart speaker

This can upgrade any room

Being able to control your smart home from a hub might be the easiest way to set up your residence. Whether you want to opt for something from Amazon, Google, Apple, or any other well-known smart home manufacturers is up to you. This can help you run all of your smart home automations with ease.

If you just want to tell a light bulb to shut off without having to go up to it, a smart speaker will do that. Smart speakers can run your entire home. They can handle your automations as well as answer questions for you, set timers, play music, show videos, and more. When my wife and I moved into our first apartment together, we had an Amazon Echo Dot in the kitchen and we used it constantly.

It would set timers while we were cooking to try and prevent us from burning anything. It helped lead our dance parties and I would frequently ask it to play Jeopardy! while I was emptying the dishwasher. Having one for years in the apartment kitchen has led me to have three in my current home.

A smart speaker just plugs into the wall outlet and can be put anywhere in the apartment. For those renters who have the ability to mount devices on their walls, you can find options like the Amazon Echo Show 15, which can be a home organizer, serving as a calendar as well. Triggering an action from a smart speaker with the use of a buzzword lets anybody join in on the fun of using one with no long-term damage to your rental unit.

Amazon Echo Show 15

The Amazon Echo Show 15 is one of the largest smart speaker and hubs you can find. It mounts easily on a wall and can run an entire home.

A smart plug makes your dumb tech more useful

This helps you save some budget for rent

Using a smart plug can turn whatever you plug into it into a smart device. Smart plugs work by turning your device on and off through commands or automations, meaning you don't have to physically do it.

I've used smart plugs all throughout my home. My personal favorite smart plugs are the Kasa Mini Smart Plugs that offer energy monitoring because I can track how much energy my devices are using each month. I did this in one apartment I lived in because we paid the electrical bill every month and, one month, it was way higher than I thought it should have been. Turns out, one of the devices we were using wasn't properly shutting down, meaning it was draining power all month long.

Smart plugs can work with your smart speakers to respond to voice commands. You can also use whichever manufacturer's app to control it as well. I've set an automation for my electric kettle to turn on at a certain time each day by plugging it into a smart plug and setting a schedule.

Smart plugs are also ideal for anyone who wants to turn lights on in a place when they aren't there to make it seem like they are. It's a great security measure as well.

Kasa Matter Smart Plug KP125M

Kasa Smart Plugs can monitor the energy used by the devices plugged into them. This gives you a reading on what is using up the most energy.

Smart locks can keep your home safe

Added security is never a bad idea

Renting an apartment means that people have likely been coming in and out of the door for years. Unless it's a new build and you're the first renter, people can potentially have a copy of the key to your unit.

Adding a smart lock to the situation will protect your unit. There are many types of smart locks that you can choose from, some of which are inexpensive. The idea behind the smart lock is that you can control the lock status of the door when you aren't at home.

Not all rental agreements will allow you to alter the locks. This might be because the landlord would like access if they ever need to enter. Check your lease to see if a smart lock is an option.

This is ideal if you need someone to pick up a package for you and you want to give them access to your door while you're at work or while you're away. If that's the case, you can set a temporary passcode on many of them to allow that person to enter your home.

Many smart locks can work with deadbolt locks and the mechanism will lock if a passcode is typed in, rather than a physical key being used to enter. These will hook up to your Wi-Fi or via Bluetooth, so you'll have to add that to your network.

Aqara Smart Lock U400

The Aqara Smart Lock U400 offers UWB technology. It's one of the smartest locks on the market.

A smart security camera keeps an eye on your place

It's great for units that have pets

Adding a security camera to your apartment makes a lot of sense. It lets you see what's happening in your home while you aren't there and helps provide peace of mind.

This is the kind of device that is ideal for renters with pets, as it lets them watch over what your furry friends are doing at any given time throughout the day. This is obviously contingent on them being within view of the camera, which is why you might want to have a few cameras around the home.

Options from Ring, eufy, Arlo, Blink, and more are some of the most popular ones on the market. These cameras can either stand on their own or they can be mounted. Placing standalone ones on ledges and windowsills is an easy way to oversee your space.

You can usually control them from your phone, as many of them provide tilting and zooming-in capabilities. You can find cheaper options as well and they are added to your home Wi-Fi network.

Many of them offer a two-way communication feature, so you can talk with people on the other end. It's never a bad idea to have an eye in the sky when you aren't there and this is an added safety measure that is easy to use.

Ring Stick Up Cam Battery HD Security Camera

A Ring Stick Up Cam can be used inside and outside. You have the option of recording video on it through the Ring subscription and it features two-way talk capabilities.

Robot vacuums are probably the best way for you to clean your place

They take up little room but provide a powerful clean

You may not have a ton of room in your rental unit to store an upright vacuum. Even options like a Dyson stick vacuum may be too bulky with the foot attachment to be stored easily.

A robot vacuum can provide you with just as good of a clean and take up much less space. You also have to do much less work if you have a robot vacuum to get your home looking spotless.

Robot vacuums can work well on tile, hardwood, and carpeted floors, making them ideal for a variety of rental homes. You will likely be able to find a robot vacuum that works for your space.

Many of them can automatically empty themselves out once they get full, so you don't have to worry about keeping up with the bag. They also provide powerful suction to get into the carpets and remove stuck hair and debris.

These are also great additions to homes with pets. You can control them from your phone and help map out what your home looks like to help it better navigate around your place. Some will even work with voice commands and can be controlled from your smart hub.

You can run a cycle on a robot vacuum and not have to lift a finger, making it a good investment for anyone in a rental unit or anyone who doesn't like to clean.

Narwal Freo Robot Vacuum

The Narwal Freo is a robot vacuum and mop combo that has DirtSense technology.

Renters can make their homes smarter with ease

You don't have to own a home to make it a smart one. There are plenty of smart home gadgets that lend themselves to any kind of unit. Whether you want to keep your home organized, clean, powered on, secured, or just more efficient, smart home devices can be used. Investing in some can improve the value of the home, no matter what kind of living status it is.