Rent your life! SARAH RAINEY finds out what items you can hire from clothes, toys and even pets

How much ‘stuff’ do you own? Are your wardrobes overflowing with clothes you don’t wear? Is your spare room full of junk?

If so, you’re not alone: the average household owns 300,000 items. 

But in lockdown, many of us stopped shopping and started clearing out. The result? 

A new concept of renting — rather than buying — items is taking the country by storm.

John Lewis is the latest retailer to join the rental market, offering shoppers a chance to borrow furniture for up to 12 months.

Many firms now let you hire everything from gadgets and plants to clothes and toys — and even a pet. 

With Ikea also due to launch rental furniture this year, industry analyst Mintel predicts this will be the trend of the decade.

But can you really rent your whole life?Sarah Rainey finds out…

Joy of a pup— without hassle 

Where: Borrow My Doggy (borrowmydoggy.com). 

Hire length: From one hour to two weeks.

Cost: £12.99 a year.

Borrow My Doggy is the UK’s best-known dog rental service. 

Founded in 2012, it aims to connect owners of Britain’s 8.5 million dogs with those who are keen to borrow their pup.

There are thousands of friendly pooches on the website — simply sign up, search for members in your area, and get in touch to arrange your rental pet.

It gives you all the joy of owning an animal without the hassle of late-night walks or vet’s bills. 

It is perfect for city dwellers who don’t have room for a pet, too. 

Hire a designer wardrobe  

Where: Rotaro (rotaro.co.uk).

Hire length: Four to 12 days, with the option to extend.

Cost: From £15.

I’ve always dreamed of owning a wardrobe full of designer clothes, but never been able to justify — or afford — the cost.

But fashion rental platforms offer catwalk-worthy outfits to ordinary folk, without the crippling price tag.

Each of the pieces on Rotaro, which range from size 6-16, has been hand-picked by experts and can be delivered the next day. Simply return them in the pre-paid bag once you’re done. 

You don’t even have to clean the garments — they do it for you. You can buy items afterwards, too.

I love the £345 Self Portrait dress (£35 to hire) and £325 floral gown by Rixo (£25).

It’s all very well having dresses to die for, but for shoes and bags to match try Front Row (frontrow.uk.com). Rent heels from £30 and bags from £55, for five days, with the option to keep it longer.

A black Chanel clutch worth £2,600 is yours for £270, or you can strut your stuff in a pair of Louboutins worth £495 for £90. I’ve fallen for blue Manolo Blahnik diamante stilettos; worth £775, they’re mine to rent for £140.

Get your hands on costly tech 

Where: Tablet Rentals (tablet-rentals.co.uk). 

Hire length: One to 30 days.

Cost: Smartphones from £25; laptops from £45.

If you are always tempted to upgrade to the latest smartphone or laptop, rental options are a handy way to try before you buy.

Tablet Rentals offers gadgets from iPhones and iPads to laptops and even Oculus Rift, the high-tech virtual reality headset.

The firm specialises in quantity, so you can rent gadgets for the whole family. Teens will love the iPhone SE, the latest Apple release — yours sim-free (so you can pay as you go) for £195 a month.

Or you can set up your home office with a 65in plasma screen for £200 a month (a fraction of the £2,199 retail cost).

Indulge in a spot of DIY 

Where: The Library Of Things (libraryofthings.co.uk). 

Hire length: Seven days, with the option to extend.

Cost: From £4.

From hammers and steam-cleaners to sewing machines and spirit levels, The Library Of Things stocks everything you might need for DIY.

It even offers kitchen equipment, such as waffle machines and bread-makers, as well as gardening essentials, tents and GoPro cameras.

There’s a full description of each item on its website, as well as useful how-to videos for novices such as me.

Invest in art without the hefty price tag 

Where: Rise Art (riseart.com). 

Hire length: From a month to unlimited hire.

Cost: From £53 a month.

If you’ve always wanted your own art collection, but don’t happen to be a millionaire, don’t fret. 

Rise Art supports up-and-coming artists, offering paintings, photographs, prints, drawings and sculptures for both sale and hire.

Renting before you buy earns you credits towards the final price, or you can simply opt to return your artwork and replace it with something else.

If you’re not sure what to pick, you can book a session with one of the firm’s curators — great news for art amateurs such as me.

Cartier watch for just £152  

Where: My Wardrobe HQ (mywardrobehq.com). 

Hire length: Four to 14 days.

Cost: From £16.

Hiring accessories — from jewels to sunglasses, hats to scarves — means you can indulge in high-end brands rather than cheap knock-offs.

My Wardrobe HQ boasts more designers than any other rental service, from Louis Vuitton to Vivienne Westwood. And if you fall in love with something, you have the option to buy it.

Options include £435 Chanel pearl earrings (£13 a day to rent), a £275 Burberry silk scarf (£8 a day) and a £1,800 Cartier diamond necklace (£28 a day). 

If you really want to dress like a diva, borrow this £25,000 Cartier gold watch for £152 a day — I’ve never worn so much bling!

Furniture to suit all tastes 

Where: Funky Furniture Hire (funkyfurniturehire.co.uk). 

Hire length: From a day to three years.

Cost: Chairs from £13; sofas from £34; tables from £10; accessories from £3.

This is ideal for trying out styles and colour schemes before a big renovation.

Funky Furniture Hire offers everything from plush velvet wingback chairs (£85 per week) to trendy side tables (£45).

For longer-term lets, try Room Service by Cort’s hire sets (roomservicebycort.com). 

They’re categorised by room, and cost from £35 per month. Its range includes beds, mattresses, rugs, mirrors and even art. 

Matchy-matchy tableware for a fancy dinner party  

Where: Classic Crockery (classiccrockery.co.uk). 

Hire length: One to four days.

Cost: From 29p per item.

Finding matching crockery, cutlery and glassware can be a nightmare. So why not rent a set? Classic Crockery lets you hire piece-by-piece. 

Or try Maison Margaux (maisonmargauxltd.com), which has sets for between ten to 25 guests, priced from £39pp.

Spice up your bookshelves 

Where: BookLender (booklender.com). 

Hire length: A month at a time.

Cost: From £9 a month.

For £9 a month, U.S. firm BookLender will send UK readers six books to get stuck into every month, from the latest thrillers to vintage classics — or go unlimited for £30 a month. Just send them back after you’ve read them.

Reading Chest (readingchest.co.uk) is the children’s equivalent, specialising in books for four to nine-year-olds from £9.95 a month. 

You can choose books based on age or reading level.

Go potty for plant rentals 

Where: Lease-a-Leaf (lease-a-leaf.co.uk). 

Hire length: From five days.

Cost: From £17 per plant.

I’m hopeless at watering plants, so investing in greenery feels pointless. 

But you can hire a range of potted plants, and even artificial ones if you can’t be trusted with the real thing.

Lease-a-Leaf has a huge range, while Norwich-based Romantic Garden Nursery (romantic-garden-nursery.co.uk) offers trees and flower arches.

Clothes and toys your little ones grow out of  

Where: Bundlee (bundlee.co.uk). 

Hire length: As long as you need them.

Cost: £24 a month.

Babies and toddlers grow out of clothes faster than their parents can buy them. So renting outfits is a logical solution.

Ethical firm Bundlee offers a collection of 15 cotton garments, tailored to the season and your child’s size, ranging from 0 to 24 months. You’re insured for stains or rips, too.

Whirli (whirli.com) offers toy rentals from £9.99 to £29.99 per month, meaning you rid your home of an ever-expanding toy pile your child gets bored of. 

You get tokens that are redeemable against a range of toys for children from newborn to eight years and above. After eight months’ continuous rental the toy is yours.

Both firms have a rigorous cleaning process, too, so you don’t need to worry about hygiene.