How to hang things in a rental without drilling

You want the frame on that wall, and you want your deposit back. Those two things are usually compatible. Here is what holds, what stays ordinary wear, and what to leave alone in an apartment or a house.

Updated October 19, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Rules about rentals differ by state, province and city, so check yours.

Walk the whole place and photograph it as it is. This clip: the side of a house after a branch came down.

Check the lease before the wall

Many leases say something about holes, hooks or mounting. Some allow small nails and ask you to fill them. Some forbid anything in the wall at all. Read that clause first, because it decides whether you are choosing between methods or choosing between no-drill methods only. If the lease is silent, ask in writing and keep the reply.

Match the method to the weight

Weight is the whole question. Every adhesive product states a limit, and the limit is honest, so believe it.

Under a pound or two: adhesive strips and small adhesive hooks. Fine for light frames, hooks and decorations.
A few pounds: larger adhesive picture-hanging strips in pairs, or an adhesive hook rated above what you are hanging. Stay well under the stated limit.
Heavier than that, or a shelf: no adhesive product is reliable. This is where people damage a wall, because a failed strip pulls paint and sometimes the paper surface of the drywall with it.
Curtains: tension rods inside the window recess need nothing in the wall. They are the single best no-drill substitution in a rental.

Prepare the surface, or it will fail

Adhesive fails on dust, on a greasy wall and on textured paint. Wipe the spot with rubbing alcohol rather than a household cleaner, which can leave a residue, and let it dry completely. Press firmly for the time the instructions state. Then wait the full stated cure time before hanging anything, which is often an hour and sometimes longer.

Three surfaces that defeat adhesive: heavy texture or popcorn finish, fresh paint under about three weeks old, and wallpaper. On those, adhesive either will not hold or will take the surface with it.

Things that need nothing in the wall at all

Leaning: a large frame or mirror leaning on a dresser or the floor, with a felt pad underneath.
Tension rods: curtains, and a short rod inside a cabinet for cleaning supplies.
Freestanding shelves: a narrow bookcase instead of floating shelves.
Over-door hooks: coats, towels, bags.
Picture rail or existing hooks: if the previous tenant left a hook and the lease allows it, reuse it rather than making a new hole.

Take it down the right way

This is where the damage actually happens. Do not pull an adhesive strip straight off the wall. Pull the release tab slowly, straight down, parallel to the wall, and keep pulling steadily until it releases. If there is no tab, warming the strip with a hairdryer on low softens the adhesive first.

Take everything down before your move-out walkthrough, not during it, so you have time to deal with a mark if one appears. Photograph the wall afterwards. See the move-out checklist.

If you do put a hole in the wall

A small nail or pin hole is usually treated as ordinary wear, and filling it is straightforward. Anchors, large screws and mounting plates are a different matter, and a shelf torn out of drywall is damage by any reading. Our guide on normal wear and tear vs damage covers where the line usually sits, and how to document damage in a rental covers what to do if something goes wrong.

In Dingkeep. Photograph the wall and the thing you want to put there, then tap I want to put something here in Dingkeep. You get a method that stays ordinary wear for that spot, and a clear stop sign if what you are planning needs a drill.

Dingkeep: Renter Photo Record. iPhone, United States and Canada.

Questions renters ask

Do adhesive strips damage rental walls?

Not if they are used under their weight limit on a clean, fully cured surface and removed by pulling the tab slowly straight down. They fail, and take paint with them, when they are overloaded, stuck to texture or fresh paint, or yanked off the wall.

How do I hang a heavy mirror in a rental without drilling?

You generally do not. No adhesive product is reliable at that weight. Lean it on a dresser or the floor against the wall with a pad underneath, or ask your landlord in writing for permission to mount it.

Can I hang curtains in a rental without drilling?

Yes. A tension rod inside the window recess holds curtains without anything entering the wall, and comes out leaving nothing behind.