The best renter-friendly light fixtures

Renters are usually told they cannot change their lighting, which is half true. You cannot change the hardwired fixtures - that is an electrical alteration to somebody else's building, and the tiers are set out in can you change a light fixture in an apartment.

But you can add fixture-shaped light almost anywhere, using fixtures that run from an outlet or a battery. The useful way to choose between them is not by style but by how much each one asks of the building - from nothing at all to a single hook.

Brightech Trilage arc lamp - the pick for asking nothing. Three standard sockets on an arc that stands at the edge of the room and reaches out over a sofa or table. It puts light exactly where a hanging fixture would go, with no hook, no screw and no conversation. Standard sockets mean you choose the bulbs.
Cons: publishes no output because there is nothing to publish; three bulbs to buy; and the base takes floor space.

NIORSUN rechargeable sconces - wall light with no cord. 300 published lumens per sconce, a 3000K setting, and adhesive or screw mounting - so sconces beside a bed or in a hallway with no outlet. The picks are in best rechargeable wall sconces.
Cons: 300 lm is accent light, and they need charging.

TuyuBEE plug-in track - aimable ceiling light. Four heads that rotate and tilt, on a track that plugs in rather than wiring in. The floating canopy connector lets the cord leave the track wherever suits the room.
Cons: it screws to the ceiling, so ask first; and no output figures are published.

Lutron Credenza plug-in dimmer - the upgrade that applies to all of them. Every corded fixture here dims through a plug-in dimmer in its cord, with no wall work. That is the one thing a renter can do to a plug-in fixture that an owner with a hardwired one cannot do as easily.
Cons: needs dimmable bulbs, and it sits at the outlet.

Start at the top of the table. Every row further down asks more of the building. An arc lamp and a rechargeable sconce often solve the problem before you reach anything that needs a hook.

A hook is a small ask; wiring is a big one. Landlords who would never agree to a new fixture will often agree to a ceiling hook for a plug-in pendant or chandelier. Asking for the small thing is how you get it.

Route cords properly. Every plug-in fixture has a cord, and a tidy route is the difference between a scheme that looks designed and one that looks improvised - see how to hide a plug-in fixture cord.

Keep everything you take down. If you swap a bulb or remove a shade, box the original and label it, so move-out takes ten minutes - see taking your lighting with you.

Do not forget the ceiling fixture you have. A better bulb or a cover over an ugly builder fitting needs no permission at all - see covering an ugly rental fixture.