Renter-friendly kitchen lighting

A rental kitchen is almost always lit from one ceiling fixture. Stand at the counter and that light is behind you, so your own head and shoulders shadow exactly where you are working. Brighter ceiling light makes the shadow darker, not smaller.

The fix is light from in front of you, and under the wall cabinets is where it goes. Plug-in bars do that with no wiring, which makes them the renter's single biggest kitchen upgrade. Everything else comes after. Whether it is worth it at all is covered in is under-cabinet lighting worth it.

Enbrighten 18 in. plug-in bar - the pick. 1,245 lumens at CRI 92, five white settings from 2700K to 6500K and full-range dimming, mounted with the supplied adhesive or two screws. It is the rare plug-in fixture that beats most hardwired ones on light quality.
Cons: the cord has to reach an outlet and be hidden; 18 inches covers one work zone.

GE 36 in. plug-in bar - for a long counter. 3000K at CRI 90 over 36 inches, linkable, so a whole run can come from one outlet with fewer cords to hide.
Cons: lumens not published for this size; hi/low rather than true dimming.

WOBANE COB strip - for an even line. CRI 90+ at 3000K with no visible LED dots, dimmable by remote, on adhesive backing - the choice when a glossy counter would show every dot of a cheaper strip.
Cons: no lumen figure; adhesive on a poorly primed surface can lift.

Feit Electric A19, enclosed rated - for the ceiling fixture. About 1,500 lumens at 2700K and CRI 90+, rated for enclosed fixtures, so it can go into the sealed dome most rental kitchens have.
Cons: it still lights from behind you - pair it with the counter lights, do not use it instead.

TuyuBEE plug-in track - if you want ceiling light you can aim. Four heads that rotate and tilt, on a track that plugs in rather than wiring in.
Cons: it screws into the ceiling, so ask first; no output figures published.

Mount toward the front, behind the lip. Placed at the back, the light mostly hits the backsplash. Toward the front edge, it lights the counter where you work and stays out of your eyes.

Adhesive first, screws if needed. The underside of a cabinet is a much safer surface for adhesive than a painted wall, and small screw holes in a cabinet base are easy to fill. The no-drill methods are in installing under-cabinet lights without tools.

Hide the cords. Run them along the back of the cabinet and down to the outlet - see how to hide a plug-in fixture cord.

Keep one white. A 3000K bar beside a 2700K ceiling bulb is close enough; a 6500K bar is not. Set the Enbrighten to its warm setting to match.