When you are looking for the apartments for rent, there are a range of factors which will go into your final decision around where you want to live. The location, the size of the home, number of bedrooms, etc. – the list that people can have has the potential to grow quite extensive.
But one of the biggest factors when renting can be the decision between choosing a furnished or unfurnished property. Both come with their own pros and cons, so we’ve broken these down to help you can make an informed decision when it comes to renting your next home.
Furnished property
A furnished rental property is one which will come with all the essential bits of furniture, such as a bed, wardrobe, sofas, etc. Some homes may be furnished to a higher standard than others, but as a rule you’ll find everything you need on a day-to-day basis taken care of.
Benefits of furnished rental properties
Choosing a furnished rental means one less thing to worry about when sorting out your home. If interior decorating isn’t your thing or you don’t want to faff about with buying your own furniture, then furnished is the right decision.Â
Build to rent projects typically work with B2B furniture providers and use the same brand furniture throughout the property. For example, GUBI furniture is seen regularly across these types of builds. This means that you can get a nicer interior than you could otherwise secure yourself if you were footing the bill for the furniture.
Picking a furnished property also saves you from the long wait that can come with buying your own furniture. Not only can it be a big investment financially, but you can be left waiting weeks for certain pieces of furniture to be delivered.
Drawbacks of furnished rental properties
Because the furniture isn’t yours, you will need to be more careful with it than you otherwise might be. This can mean no using pins or adhesive to stick up pictures or posters on the side of things too.
Any damage sustained to the furniture in your furnished property could see you losing money from your deposit or having to pay to replace it. In that situation, you would have essentially paid for a piece of furniture but are still left with none of your own.
You also have less say around what goes into your furnished home. Landlords can sometimes pick a patchwork selection of furniture which doesn’t go together aesthetically, but it still all serves the right practical purpose.
Unfurnished property
You’ll find that unfurnished properties are likely what you’d expect – a complete blank canvas where you can be in total control of everything. All rooms will likely be completely empty, meaning you can put your own furnishings and inject your style into every inch of your rented home.
Benefits of unfurnished rental properties
With an unfurnished home, you can move any existing furniture you may have straight into your new home no problem. This can make a new space feel a lot more like your own straight off the bat.
If you’d prefer to put your own stamp on things from Day One, unfurnished properties give you the ability to customise your space with any new furnishing you may want to buy without being hindered by what is already in the space.
There is also less to worry about on a day-to-day basis – you don’t need to worry about what a landlord will do if you accidentally damage a piece of furniture. It also means you have no half-broken pieces of furniture hanging about which a landlord has deemed fit for use.
Drawbacks of unfurnished rental properties
Moving furniture into a property is a challenge within itself. Bringing in your own tables, chairs, and other big items could result in unexpected damage to the property. While damaging your own furniture isn’t a big issue, damaging the property can be.
If you don’t already have a collection of essential furniture items you can make use off in your new unfurnished home, then it can be a big financial investment upfront to buy everything you need. Unless you’ve saved specifically to afford all the furniture you need, you may have to compromise on certain items or make do without some for a short while.
You could also be left waiting a long time for your new furniture to arrive if you get it delivered directly to your new home. Some furniture companies can have lead times that stretch into months, so if you really want a certain item of furniture then you may need to make do with air mattresses and camping chairs for a while.
Which rental option suits you best will likely come down to your specific circumstances. If you already have furniture you’d like to use then unfurnished may appeal to you more, while furnished may be better for those moving into their first place in order to avoid the need for splashing out on lots of furnishings. So long as you understand what your decision entails, choose the one you prefer and make the necessary arrangements.