ᐅ How can Ikea HEMNES furniture be safely used in rental apartments?

Hello everyone,

I would like to use furniture from the Ikea Hemnes series in my rental apartment, but I’m not sure how to do this as safely and without damage to the apartment as possible.

The cabinets and dressers are relatively heavy and generally quite sturdy, which is great. However, I’m concerned about securing them to the walls or preventing them from tipping over, especially since I live in an older building where the walls don’t always seem very solid.

My question is: How can Ikea Hemnes furniture be safely used in rental apartments without damaging the walls, while still ensuring stability during daily use? I’m particularly interested in the best methods for wall mounting or alternative securing techniques that tenants can use without causing issues with the landlord when moving out.

I look forward to any advice and experiences!

Hey Jotano, great topic! 😊

I have two HEMNES dressers myself in my rental apartment, and I take the safety aspect very seriously. From my experience:

- Definitely use the wall anchors provided by Ikea – they are essential for safety.
- If the walls are rather weak, cavity anchors or special heavy-duty anchors, which you can find at hardware stores, help a lot.
- Alternatively, I find the anti-tip straps great: they work like small belts you tighten between the furniture and the wall, without needing to make large holes.

Don’t get discouraged; with the right technique, you can secure your furniture very well without damaging the apartment! 💪

Important: Always secure the furniture to the wall using the supplied brackets. Otherwise, they can easily tip over.

For hollow or soft walls, use hollow wall anchors, not regular wall plugs.

Hello Jotano,

regarding your concern: The Ikea HEMNES series is quite solid, which makes it important to secure the furniture against tipping. Especially in rental apartments, you should be careful not to cause any irreparable damage to the walls.

Here are a few tips:

- Use the included wall anchors. Generally, these require only small holes that are easy to repair.
- If your wall consists of thin drywall, there are special cavity anchors that are more stable and cause minimal damage.
- If you want to avoid drilling holes altogether, you can use furniture safety straps (such as anti-tip straps) that attach to both the furniture and the wall. These still require a small attachment point but much less so.
- Alternatively, cabinet locks that adhere to the wall with adhesive pads can work — this option is better suited for lighter furniture.

In short: stability and protecting rental property can go hand in hand — with the right anchors and safety measures, it is definitely manageable. Feel free to check with your landlord whether securing the furniture is allowed; that puts everyone at ease.

Hope this helps!

Never forget wall mounting, otherwise the HEMNES cabinets tend to tip over easily.

For older walls, it is better to use cavity anchors or heavy-duty anchors.

Deandre schrieb:
If you want to avoid drilling holes completely, you can use so-called furniture safety straps (such as anti-tip straps) that attach to both the furniture and the wall. They still require some small fixings but much fewer.

Exactly, that’s my recommendation! I use straps with Velcro fasteners that cause hardly any damage. Super convenient for rental apartments! Plus, you can easily remove them when moving out without leaving noticeable marks.

Important: The straps work best with good adhesive pads, so avoid using them on dusty or very rough walls.