FURNISHED and UNFURNISHED

  • FURNISHED OR UNFURNISHED

    • The decision to furnish your property depends on the type of property you have and your target market. As an example, if the property is a one-bedroom flat and the tenants in the area are predominantly young then the property would more than likely be furnished. Conversely a property such as semi-detached house that would appeal to a family would more than likely be unfurnished as the target market would more likely have their own furniture.

    Unfurnished

    • An unfurnished property is much easier for the landlord to take care of as obviously there is no furniture to purchase and replace when it is worn out or damaged. It is all the tenant’s responsibility. Another advantage is that tenants in unfurnished properties tend to stay longer as the upheaval of moving is much greater if you have to move your own furniture.
    • Although a property maybe mostly unfurnished it is becoming increasingly popular for a landlord to provide such items as cookers, washing machines and refrigerators as these items can be difficult to move and wire or plumb in, in different buildings.

    Furnished

    • Furnishing a property can attract clients and sometimes having everything in place saves having a property empty for a couple of months due to there being no takers who have their own furniture in the market at the time.
    • The most common items for replacement/repair are washing machines and other white goods but more often and not these are in place even in unfurnished properties nowadays.
    • It’s better to spend as little as possible on furniture but for it to be hardwearing. A lot of domestic furniture maybe cheap but it will not be tough enough to survive the rigors of the rental market. It is better to seek out a supplier of specialist rental market furniture that has been designed for this purpose and it is often possible to buy a complete set of furniture in one off the shelf package.
    • Tenants looking for a furnished property would at the very least expect white goods in the kitchen, sofas and coffee table in the living room and beds with plenty of storage in the bedrooms. Items such as cutlery and small white goods such as kettles are not generally provided. All furniture should comply with the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) Regulations 1988. This should be borne in mind when buying any second hand furnishings as new items should comply anyway.

    How to Decide

    • Asking local rental agents what is the most popular type of property in the area is one way of making a decision or you can look at websites such as Zoopla or Rightmove and check out similar properties that are “let agreed” and see if the most popular are unfurnished or furnished.
    • If still undecided, then go for unfurnished and state in the properties advertising that there is flexibility. If a prospective tenant prefers a furnished property, then provide the necessary furniture and use this as negotiating point to avoid having to drop the price of the property.
    by: tenancysolved uploaded April 14, 2021